It was in the month of May 2021 that news broke of Audi’s intentions to sell and electric A4 along what will undoubtedly be the last ICE-powered generation of the a4\s4 lineup. We quickly jumped on the idea that the RS4 E-Tron, as we’re calling it, could eventually become the A4 E-tron Wagon. What we never stopped to think of, though, is that the A4 E-Tron could be a bigger deal than we expected, and a Porsche badge could be involved….
Audi A4 E-Tron or A New Porsche Electric Sedan? How About Both?
There’s a lot of news coming out of both Porsche and Audi these days. Outside of news that Audi is plotting an electric A4 to sell alongside the ICE-powered next-gen A4 – much like Porsche is doing with the Macan – we’ve also learned that Porsche is about ready to unveil the Porsche Boxster EV, a car that will force other sportscar makers to accelerate their plans for electrification. Now, a new report brought to the world by Autocar suggests that Porsche could be plotting a new, smaller sedan to slot below the Porsche Taycan, and you’ll be able to trace its roots right back to Audi.
With this new, sub-Taycan sedan will be tasked with taking out the Tesla Model 3 and BMW i4, and it should feature a fastback design much like the Audi A4 E-tron that it will be based on. Of course, the latter part shouldn’t be all that surprising since the new Porsche sedan, should Porsche follow through, will ride on the PPE platform – the same one underpinning the upcoming A4 E-Tron, the Audi A6 E-Tron, Audi Q6 E-Tron, and the Porsche Macan EV. That’s the beauty of the PPE platform as it’s engineered specifically to accommodate vehicles with standard or higher ground clearance.
One engineer told Autocar,
According to the same insiders, Porsche’s third electric model would share the same platform as well as other key components from the Macan EV, like the driveline and battery, among other things.} Like the A4 E-Tron, Porsche should offer this new smaller sedan in a single motor, RWD configuration and a dual, AWD configuration. As for power output, you can expect around 300 horsepower on the low side, but the range-topping model will be comparable to the Audi RS4 E-Tron, which we estimate to have at least 469 horsepower and 590 pound-feet of torque. It will share the Macan’s battery, so a range of around 300 miles will be the best that you can hope for, especially given the smaller size. As for the name, well Porsche trademarked the Cajun name way back in 2011, so that’s one possibility, but it’s entirely possible that the brand could go with something entirely different.