- the electric audi e-tron gt will get the rs treatment. it makes 684 hp and 612 lb-ft of torque.
- the battery-powered sports sedan will do zero to 60 in about 3.5 seconds and come with four-wheel steering and a two-speed transmission.
- the rs e-tron gt shares its platform with the porsche taycan and will support 800-volt dc fast-charging up to 270 kw.
while audi began its electrification path with with the e-tron suv, there are those that covet the joy of being near the asphalt in a beautiful vehicle that also happens to be quick and powered by electricity. for those people, there’s the audi rs e-tron gt, the high-performance version of the upcoming electric sedan.
the all-wheel-drive, dual-motor rs e-tron gt will produce 684 horsepower and 612 ft-lbs of torque pushing it from zero to 60 mph in about 3.5 seconds, according to audi. this will be the first electric rs model but won't be the last. the dual-motor horsepower split will be 449 hp for the rear motor and 235 hp for the front motor. by contrast, the regular e-tron gt is anticipated to produce 590 horsepower.
the gt will ride on an air suspension with adaptive dampers, which allows for ride-height adjustment based on drive modes. for example, in efficiency mode, the vehicle drops an additional 0.8–0.9 inch to help increase the driving range. audi didn’t share drag coefficient or range numbers but did note that this is the first audi with a flat undercarriage design.
a 93.4 kwh battery pack is standard, and audi says 83.7 kwh of that is the usable capacity. the weight and location of the battery pack give the rs e-tron gt a lower center of gravity than the audi r8, according to the automaker. if that pack’s gross capacity sounds familiar, it’s because it’s the same as what’s found in the porsche taycan. the taycan and e-tron gt share the same platform and audi and porsche developed the vehicles together. where the vehicles differ is in motor, chassis, steering, and suspension tuning.
one thing both vehicles share is quick charging and the ability to pre-condition the battery ahead of reaching a charging point along a route. like the taycan, the rs e-tron gt supports 800-volt dc fast-charging up to 270 kw. also like the taycan, the rear motor has a two-speed gearbox.
audi will offer 19-, 20-, and 21-inch wheels. the company says the 20-inch wheels are the most aerodynamic. a four-wheel steering system is available, which can turn the rear wheels up to three degrees. it can either turn the rear wheels in the opposite direction as the fronts at low speeds or in the same direction for lane changes at higher speeds.
stopping power is available in three flavors: traditional steel disc brakes, carbon-fiber ceramic discs, or surface-coated steel discs. as with most evs, the braking will be handled by both the friction brakes and the regenerative braking system.
audi says the rs e-tron gt will arrive in showrooms in the united states in the summer of 2021 and will go on sale later in the same year. while the automaker is covering the vehicle in camouflage for now, its final production design is close to the concept car it unveiled at the la auto show in 2018. in other words, it's a looker.