Audi’s original dedicated electric vehicle, the E-tron, launched in 2019, is getting a reboot for 2023 that includes updated styling, more range and a new name: the Q8 E-tron 55 and Q8 E-tron Sportback.
A more energy-dense 114-kilowatt-hour battery pack replaces the 95-kWh unit in the same space. Power outputs are unchanged. The 55, with all-wheel drive via a dual-motor setup, maxes out at 402 hp and 490 pound-feet of torque in Sport mode. The high-performance SQ8 E-tron features three electric motors — a 166-hp unit up front and two 131-hp motors bolted on the rear axle — to produce a combined 496 hp and 718 pound-feet of torque in Sport mode.
Audi expects a 30 percent increase in range, given the more efficient rear electric motor and improved aerodynamics. It estimates 361 miles for the Q8 E-tron and 372 miles for the Q8 E-tron Sportback, both based on the Worldwide Harmonized Light Vehicles Test Procedure. The Q8 E-tron can charge at a rate of 170 kilowatts, Audi says, going from 10 to 80 percent in 31 minutes on a DC fast charger. It goes on sale in the U.S. in the spring.
