Audi has launched the battery-electric e-tron GT in India with a starting price of Rs 1.80 crore (ex-showroom). Available in both Standard and RS variants, the electric sports car joins the e-tron and the e-tron Sportback SUVs as the third EV in Audi India’s portfolio. With the Porsche Taycan yet to arrive in India, the Audi e-tron GT has also become the first sports car with electric propulsion to be officially launched in the country.
In terms of design, the Audi e-tron GT closely resembles its concept model that was showcased for the first time in 2018. Although the electric grand tourer shares its underpinnings with the Porsche Taycan, there’s absolutely no similarity in styling, both inside as well as the outside. The four-door coupe features Audi’s latest design DNA; however, many of the design elements have been given a distinct interpretation.
Instead of Audi’s instantly recognizable single-frame grille with honeycomb pattern, the e-tron GT gets a body-coloured panel with black surrounds. The LED headlights and taillights also feature Audi’s signature ‘coming and leaving home’ animations. The 20-inch aero-wheels also add to the unique character of the four-door coupe.
Inside the cabin, the e-tron GT features a familiar layout that looks similar to the ones on most of the new Audi models. It gets a 10.1-inch touchscreen infotainment system, a 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster, connected car technology, a shift-by-wire gear selector, a 16-speaker Bang and Olufsen 3D sound system, ambient lighting, and 3-zone climate control. The EV also is equipped with several driver assistance systems.
The Standard e-tron GT comes with a 238hp electric motor powering the front axle and a 435hp motor at the rear axle, giving it all-wheel drive. The combined output comes to 475hp and 630Nm, which can be temporarily increased to 530hp with the boost mode. The top speed is limited to 245km/h and it can sprint from 0-100km/h in 4.1sec. The RS variant has a total output of 598hp and 830Nm of torque, which goes up to 646hp with the boost mode. The RS e-tron GT is capable of a 0-100kph time of 3.3sec and a top speed of 250kph.
Both the variants are powered by the same 93kWh battery pack which can offer a range of up to 500km for the standard e-tron GT and 481km for the RS e-tron GT as per the WLTP cycle. The Audi e-tron GTs can be recharged using up to 270kW super-fast chargers that can take the battery from 5 to 80 percent in just 22 and a half minutes. Audi says the deliveries will start by January 2022.