2024 Audi Q8 E-Tron Updated With 300 Miles of Range, Higher Price
You get more range, you get more range! You all get more range!
The Audi Q8 E-Tron is the German automaker's premier electric SUV, and has been newly updated for the 2024 model year. If you're confused by automakers offering purely electric cars that share names and bodies with their gasoline-powered variants, well, we are too. Audi hasn't changed that (yet). What they have changed is more range thanks to a redesigned battery pack, more efficiency thanks to a slightly altered rear motor, and a smattering of other updates to further refine the Q8 E-Tron, all at the cost of, uhh, money.
The incoming 2024 Q8 E-Tron comes in two body styles; a relatively conventional-looking crossover and a more streamlined SUV coupe called the Sportback. Underneath, they're effectively the same. Both come standard with a motor at each axle, but for the 2024 model year, the number of windings on the rear motor has been increased from 12 to 14. That means more torque, although it also means slightly more manufacturing complexity, which may have contributed the price hike on the E-Tron. The basic 2024 model costs $3,500 more than the 2023 car.
Another potential reason for the price increase is that the vehicle has received new prismatic battery cells. Woohoo! The updated cells have a reworked chemistry and internal structure, increasing their capacity. Improvements to the pack structure and battery management system also mean Audi has been able to fit more cells into the pack and use a wider range of the cells' available voltage. The changes have resulted in the car's 300 miles of max range, which can only be had on the Sportback E-Trons with the "ultra" package and the big 106-kWh battery.
The 2024 model starts at $75,495 for a base model Premium car. The same entry-level spec but in Sportback form costs $78,895. Both of these prices include destination. The Sportbacks, due to their more slippery shape, have a slightly longer range no matter the trim compared to their more conventional square-backed cousins.
Other small improvements to the E-Tron for 2024 include reworked suspension and steering. The spring rates and damping don't seem to have changed much, but many of the suspension components are reportedly more rigid. The steering ratio has also been quickened from 15.8:1 to 14.6:1. These alterations, along with drive modes retuned for a more distinct feel, should mean the Audi is a different beast to drive.
The updated Q8 E-Tron will arrive at dealers this summer. The regular ICE-powered Q8 is still for sale as well.
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