Audi just dropped a new concept vehicle at this year’s Auto Shanghai show, offering us a glimpse at the brand’s potential upcoming high-tech SUV future. It’s called the e-tron Sportback, and to our eyes, it’s a weird amalgamation of SUV and lifted hatchback, with a self-described coupe-like roofline to boot. And of course, what futuristic concept would be complete without an all-electric powertrain, geometric shapes, and surplus of advanced lighting elements?

The Audi e-tron Sportback certainly has a lot of lighting – check out the attached video to see what I’m talking about. The brand says it included matrix LEDs from front to rear, with two light fields in the fascia sporting roughly 250 LEDs a piece to create all kinds of signals and graphics. Basically, it’s a light show of “animated movements and signatures,” offering features like a welcome signal when the car is started or the doors are opened.

The lights are also practical, offering enhanced safety with daytime running lights for driving with the sun up, “Miniscule Digital Matrix” projector lights when the sun is down, and an illuminated Four Ring badge in the nose to show off whenever you please.

Audi is quick to remind us that it was one of the first to incorporate LED lighting on passenger cars, and this concept looks to be the next step in that technology.

A production variant of the concept is expected to arrive in 2019. Read on for specs on the powertrain and more info on the cool tech onboard.

Continue reading for the full story.

Why It Matters

Note: 2015 Audi e-tron Concept pictured on the left, current Audi e-tron Sportback Concept pictured on the right.

This latest e-tron concept is actually a follow-up to the e-tron concept SUV that Audi brought to the Frankfurt Motor Show in 2015. That model is expected to get a production version next year, followed a year later by the Sportback version featured above. Rupert Sadler, Chairman of the Board of Management at Audi AG, calls the production e-tron set to arrive in 2018 “the first electric car in its competitive field that is fit for everyday use.”

Back to the Sportback. Under the skin is an EV-specific architecture, plus a preview of the brand’s future all-electric tech. There are three electric motors total, with one up front, and two in the rear, essentially offering AWD. Put it all together and you’ll see 320 kW of power, or about 430 horsepower. Engage “boost mode,” and that output figure rises to 370 kW, or roughly 500 horsepower.

That’s a decent chunk of change for an EV, even one with a heavy SUV body style. Properly motivated, Audi says this thing can hit 62 mph in 4.5 seconds, while also traversing 310 miles with each full charge.

Providing the juice is a liquid-cooled lithium-ion battery pack rated at 95-kWh. This unit is mounted below the cabin and between the axles for optimum weight distribution, promising fun in the corners and in a straight line. It’s also got the hook ups for both DC and AC charging options, upping convenience.

“We have made a conscious decision to give the Audi e-tron Sportback its first showing here in Shaghai, because China is the world’s leading market for electric automobiles,” says Dr. Dietmar Voggenreiter, Member of the Board of Management for Marketing and Sales for Audi AG. “That applies as much to the infrastructure and financial support as it does to sales.”

Audi expects to offer as many as five e-tron models in the Chinese market over the course of the next five years.

Back to the car. The interior is equally impressive as the exterior, upholstered in light-colored high-end materials, and with tons of angular, geometric design elements and horizontal lines. Audi says it focused on simplifying the control scheme, eschewing hard buttons for more screens instead. As such, there’s a plethora of displays, including on the central console and in the doors, all of which help passengers to control the various infotainment systems.

This new concept looks different as well. Up front, we find a non-standard Singleframe grille, with a similar shape, but slimmer dimensions. And that makes sense, given an EV needs less air than something powered by an ICE.

In the corners are 23-inch wheels with a 6-spoke design, while cameras replace the side-view mirrors, improving aerodynamics and adding to the car’s futuristic style.

Finally, this thing’s dimensions are about as big as the Audi A7. Check out the table below for specifics.

Exterior dimensions:

Length:

16.1 feet

Width:

6.5 feet

Height:

5.0 feet

Wheelbase:

9.6 feet


Personally, I find the e-tron Sportback to be an interesting concept with a lot of potential. It looks pretty nice, but it’s the 500-horsepower EV drivetrain that gets me most excited.

What do you think? Would you consider buying something like this in production form? Let us know in the comments section.