Next Audi A4 to spawn E-Tron electric variant, two electrified RS flagships – report
Audi's next-generation mid-size car will offer more choice than ever before, with up to three body styles, a choice of hybrid or electric power, and two performance RS models.
The next-generation Audi A4 will be offered in both petrol-electric hybrid and E-Tron electric versions when it arrives in 2023 – with a high-performance RS version to be offered of each, according to new overseas reports.
British publication Autocar claims Audi's next-generation A4 mid-size car will launch in Europe in 2023, with buyers to be offered a choice of sedan and wagon body styles – each available with a choice of conventional mild- or plug-in hybrid power, or a fully-electric A4 E-Tron variant.
Better still, each powertrain will reportedly be available with a flagship, high-performance RS variant: a plug-in hybrid RS4 combining today's car's 2.9-litre twin-turbo V6 with an electric motor and a 14.4kWh battery to develop more than the current car's 331kW and 600Nm, and a dual-motor, all-wheel-drive, all-electric RS4 E-Tron producing 350kW and 800Nm.
First in the new A4 range to launch will reportedly be the petrol-powered mainstay, set to be underpinned by a "modified" version of the outgoing A4's MLB platform, and powered by an array of upgraded petrol and diesel engines mated to mild or plug-in hybrid electrical systems.
Above: The current Audi A4, in S Line package-equipped S Line guise.
Central to the new car's engine range is said to be a reworked version of Volkswagen and Audi's familiar 2.0-litre 'EA888' turbocharged four-cylinder petrol engine, which will be "re-engineered" to meet stringent Euro 7 emissions regulations, set to come into force in Europe in 2025.
Seven-speed dual-clutch and eight-speed torque converter automatics will represent the only transmission options – with the six-speed manual currently available in Europe set to be dropped – driving the front or all wheels.
Rear-wheel steering, new semi-autonomous driving features, adaptive dampers and near-field communication (NFC) technology – allowing for contactless payment at petrol stations, toll booths and car parks from inside the car via the MyAudi app – are all said to be available within the new combustion-powered A4 range.
All engines will feature some form of electrification, Autocar claims, from 48-volt mild-hybrid systems across much of the range, to fully-fledged plug-in hybrid set-ups employing a 14.4kWh lithium-ion battery in the rear of the car for a electric-only driving range likely to exceed the 72km (WLTP) offered by larger and heavier Audi models with the same battery pack.
Above: Today's V6-powered Audi RS 4 Avant.
Exterior dimensions are said to remain similar to those of the current model, which measures 4772mm long, 1847mm wide and 1435mm high.
Set to follow the combustion A4 into showrooms in 2024 will be an all-electric A4 E-Tron, riding on the same PPE platform co-developed between Audi and Porsche, shared with the larger Audi A6 E-Tron sedan and Q6 E-Tron SUV, and the upcoming zero-emission Porsche Macan.
Despite narrower front and rear tracks and a shorter wheelbase than the A6 E-Tron, large battery packs will allow for an all-electric driving range of up to 700km, and an 800-volt electrical architecture enabling DC charging rates up to 270kW.
Single-motor, rear-wheel drive and dual-motor, all-wheel drive layouts will be offered, though power and torque outputs – aside from the 350kW/800Nm figures Autocar claims for the RS flagship, which match the recent A6 E-Tron Concept (below) – remain unclear.
The electric model's exterior styling is said to be "broadly similar" to its combustion-powered range-mate, though the E-Tron will adopt a five-door liftback body style similar to the current A5 Sportback, versus the four-door sedan and five-door wagon set to be offered by the petrol and diesel A4.
A closed-off grille and "unique design elements" will both differentiate the EV from its sibling, and improve aerodynamic efficiency, according to Autocar.
The combustion-powered 2021 Audi A4 sedan and wagon will go on sale in the UK in 2023, according to the British publication, with the A4 E-Tron to reach showrooms in 2024. High-performance RS versions of each model will follow in the years after their launches.
Petrol and diesel A4 models will reportedly be sold alongside the new electric version until 2030, given their continual strong popularity in the Audi line-up.
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