Author: Xie Ruxin
Contrary to intuition, the Q8 e-tron recently released by Audi is not a pure electric version of the Q8, but rather the new name for the mid-term facelift of the e-tron model.
As Audi’s first mass-produced pure electric vehicle, the e-tron was released in 2018 and is an early luxury electric car model. In recent years, the e-tron series has gradually expanded and added the e-tron GT coupe and other e-tron SUV models. To prevent confusion, Audi has decided to use the Q8 name to reshape the e-tron’s position. But this also raises a problem. The Q8 is more than 5 meters long, with a wheelbase of nearly 3 meters, and a highest selling price of over a million yuan, while the e-tron is slightly smaller, with a selling price of around 500,000 to 600,000 yuan. In people’s general impression, the Q8’s grade should be higher than the e-tron’s. Suddenly bringing the e-tron’s name on par with the Q8 could be difficult for people to accept.
However, these concerns are unnecessary compared to the comprehensive performance of the Q8 e-tron. As a facelift model, the Q8 e-tron has improved in many ways compared to the e-tron.
The Q8 e-tron will offer two battery capacities and three powertrain systems. The 50 e-tron version will be equipped with front and rear dual motors, with a maximum power of 340Ps and a maximum torque of 664N · m, and equipped with an 89kWh battery pack. The standard version of the WLTP cycle has a maximum range of 490km, while the Sportback version is 505km, with a 0-100km/h acceleration time of about 6 seconds.
The 55 e-tron version is equipped with front and rear dual motors, with a maximum power of 408Ps and a maximum torque of 664N·m. It is equipped with a 104kWh battery pack, and the standard version has a maximum range of 580km under WLTP conditions, while the Sportback version is 600km. The zero-to-100km/h acceleration time is about 5.6 seconds.
The SQ8 e-tron version, the former e-tron S, is equipped with a three-motor system with one motor in the front axle and two in the rear. It has a maximum power of 503Ps and a maximum torque of 973N·m. It is equipped with a 104kWh battery pack, and the standard version has a maximum range of 427km under WLTP conditions, while the Sportback version is 513km. The zero-to-100km/h acceleration time is about 4.5 seconds.
Audi claims that the air suspension and steering of the Q8 e-tron have been optimized. In addition, the charging speed of the Q8 e-tron can reach 170kW. On a DC fast charger, the battery can be charged from 10% to 80% in 31 minutes.
Since the e-tron in mainland China is produced by FAW Audi and the battery pack is supplied by CATL, the future domestic version of the Q8 e-tron may have differences in range from the overseas version. In fact, compared to the current e-tron, the Q8 e-tron has increased its range, which is the result of upgrading the rear motor and improving aerodynamics.
On the Q8 e-tron, the rear axle’s asynchronous motor uses 14 coils to generate an electromagnetic field, instead of the current 12, making the motor more efficient as it can create the same torque with less power. The optimized front-end design and chassis better streamline the air, reducing the overall wind resistance of the Q8 e-tron standard model to 0.27, and the Sportback version to 0.24.
Sometimes, Audi’s mid-term facelifts ruin originally good-looking and coordinated designs, but the Q8 e-tron is spared from this. Its beautiful headlights still maintain the current styling, shining brightly, and the newly added light bar on the grille adds to the front’s imposingness. Its grille is now honeycomb-shaped, more sporty than the current straight lines, and equipped with an active grille for better cooling.
On the sides, the Q8 e-tron standard and Sportback models maintain their original shapes, with a robust and agile stance. Simple door panels, together with large front and rear fenders and 21-inch five-spoke wheels, look muscular. Of course, the lower-end wheels are one to two sizes smaller.
The new car’s taillights feature a smoked-through design and a different arrangement of internal light sources, making it more fashionable when illuminated. The rear bumper has a layered design and is equipped with a diffuser to smooth out the airflow under the car and increase body stability.
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Interior
Regarding the interior, the Q8 e-tron is equipped with an embedded 10.1-inch multimedia display screen, with an 8.6-inch touch-controlled air conditioning/seat function control panel beneath it. The center console features a multi-layered structure with a gearshift lever resembling an aircraft throttle lever. Coupled with the ambient lighting, the sense of technology remains strong.
In some global markets, the Q8 e-tron can be equipped with electronic external rearview mirrors, with the monitoring screen located above the door handle. Comfort-wise, as Audi’s high-end electric vehicle, the Q8 e-tron is naturally not lacking. The domestically produced e-tron has long been equipped with seat ventilation and massage, B&O audio, laser radar, matrix LED headlights, and more. It is believed that the Q8 e-tron will maintain this level of standard in terms of comfort. Additionally, the Q8 e-tron will have a full set of driving assistance systems as well as a newly-added remote parking function that can be controlled via a smartphone.
Overview
A few years ago, when Audi first launched the e-tron, Mercedes was still working on the EQC, BMW’s pure electric models had not yet caught up, NIO only released its second model, the ES6, and the XPeng P7 was yet to come out. Audi was the pioneer back then, showcasing what the driving and riding experience of a luxury electric vehicle should be like. Today, the Chinese market has seen a rise of pure electric vehicle models that can compete with, or even surpass the e-tron, in terms of hardware specifications, power and range parameters, intelligence, comfort configuration, and more. But is this really the case? With power and range seemingly not outstanding, what level of vitality will the Q8 e-tron bring to the flagship name?
This article is a translation by ChatGPT of a Chinese report from 42HOW. If you have any questions about it, please email bd@42how.com.