2019 Audi e-tron

It could be well into 2020 before the new version of Audi’s first production electric vehicle is widely available in North America, but the e-tron SUV has already provided a rare example of understated electrification. You have to squint hard, or more likely listen close, to tell the difference between this EV and a more conventional gas-powered Audi SUV. With little more than its tweaked, decorative-only front grille and tell-tale flying saucer whine giving the game away it otherwise looks like an Audi SUV, maybe a model placed between the Q7 and Q8. But underneath that sleek exterior resides a pair of electric motors, one front and one rear, and Audi’s trademark quattro all-wheel drive system. A 95.3-kWh battery provides the juice, and total system output is 262 lb-ft of torque, or 490 lb-ft under full boost mode, enough to launch it to 60 mph in a claimed 5.5 seconds. Thirty minutes on a 150 kW public charger is said to provide 163 miles of range. Inside, the e-tron is a typically luxe two-row experience, with Audi’s usual array of high-tech features, particularly on the Prestige trim, which we assume will still be available in the new 2020 model.

Though we can’t yet confirm details about the 2020 edition for the U.S., we predict it will include the bigger battery found in Europe’s new e-tron, adding 15 miles to its existing EPA-rated 204-mile range. Audi has also announced the 2020 arrival of an e-tron Sportback variant.