Audi’s plug-in line-up continues to expand, with the firm’s local arm announcing the arrival of its e-tron S Sportback in dealerships around the country.
On top of this, Audi New Zealand has also detailed the new coupe-shaped SUV’s pricing; its S-badge and sportier market positioning resulting in a justifiably meaty price-tag.
The e-tron S Sportback comes in just the one trim level, and is priced from $189,900. That’s a fairly humble premium compared to its more subtle $170,500 S-Line Sportback sibling.
On top of racier styling, the full-fat S Sportback is more powerful and subsequently much quicker than the 55. While the latter gets 300kW and hit 100km/h in 5.7 seconds, the S boasts 370kW/973Nm from its tri-motor powertrain, and can eclipse 100km/h in 4.5 seconds.
While there other electric vehicles coming down the pipe with a tri-motor set-up, Audi claims that the e-tron S Sportback is the first on the planet to actually hit the market. Two of these motors are hooked to the rear axle, while the third resides up front. The rears do most of the leg work, with the front motor only kicking in when the driver wants to scare a supercar or two.
This powertrain is paired to a 95kWh battery pack (86kWh usable), which has a range of up to 378km on the WLTP cycle.
There’s naturally plenty of handling-related bells and whistles to note, too. These include electric torque vectoring and a specific tune for the model’s air suspension.
Audi New Zealand hasn’t published the model’s full specs, but in a press release it noted that the S Sportback would get Virtual Cockpit, Audi’s latest MIB 3 processing power, and dual touchscreens come as standard, with a head-up display an optional extra.
“The e-tron S Sportback is a highly anticipated model,” said Dean Sheed, General Manager of Audi New Zealand. “New Zealanders have demonstrated a great affinity for our range of high-performance SUVs, from the SQ2 right through to the RS Q8.
“With the arrival of the e-tron S Sportback, these customers now have the option of an SUV that entails everything that Kiwis love about Audi’s high-performance SUVs – with an incredible, fully electric drivetrain.
“This continues Audi’s ambition of offering a family of electric cars that offer the driving performance and enjoyment, stunning design, and useability that its customers love. It joins the recently launched e-tron GT, and the original e-tron SUV and Sportback that first arrived in New Zealand in 2019.”
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