Audi is giving its facelifted e-tron Sportback SUV a hefty update for 2022.
Audi has released official images of its revised e-tron Sportback, due to arrive later this year. Along with the potential for more range, the new e-tron Sportback will also get a new name – Q8 e-tron Sportback.
These new images give us our clearest look yet at the new design. The Sportback’s coupe-SUV silhouette with its swooping roofline remains, but there should be noticeable changes to the front of the car where the camouflage is focused in these pictures. To give the Sportback more than its current 420km maximum range, grilles and ducts could be redesigned for extra aerodynamic efficiency – and the closed-off grille that features on other Audi e-tron models will stay.
At the rear we see the same full-width light bar and sloping tail as the outgoing Sportback, and despite the camouflage on the rear bumper, it looks like the design remains almost entirely unchanged.
Inside, the Q8 e-tron keeps the same basic cabin architecture as before. The current e-tron Sportback is fitted with a 10.1-inch infotainment screen, coupled to a touchscreen climate control panel and a digital instrument display.
Under the bodywork, the Q8 e-tron Sportback will utilise upgraded batteries and electronics to keep pace with cars like the Ford Mustang Mach-E, Tesla Model Y and the new Nissan Ariya – all capable of topping 480km of range. The updates could see the car’s energy density improving to provide a battery capacity of over 100kWh.
Speaking to Automotive Daily last year, Audi’s board member for technical development Oliver Hoffman said: “We are very clear: with Q6 e-tron we have B-segment while the e-tron is focusing on C-segment”. “The e-tron really is a special car for Audi because it was really the pioneer of electric mobility for us. So it’s important to keep the car fresh, and therefore we are developing a big update in terms of range and charging time.”
A faster charging rate than the current e-tron Sportback’s 150kW is also expected on the facelifted car in order to keep it from falling behind the upcoming Q6 e-tron – which will sit on the firm’s new PPE platform and should receive around a 350kW recharging speed.
The Q8 e-tron Sportback should launch towards the end of this year, extending the life-cycle of the car before it’s replaced by an all-new model sporting the Volkswagen Group’s new SSP architecture in 2026.
Alastair Crooks