Audi E-Tron GT Will Go Into Production Almost Unchanged, Says Audi Design Boss
And that, folks, is a very good thing.
Audi's head of design confirmed in an interview at the 2018 Los Angeles Auto Show that the e-tron GT concept, which it debuted in LA, will arrive in showrooms almost unaltered from its current form.
"This is a metal sheet body already, and you can imagine how close it is with a metal sheet body," stated Audi's head of design, Marc Lichte, in a conference as reported by Motor Authority. "We started working on the e-tron [GT] two years ago when I first saw the Taycan, and we thought about, 'what if we use this platform, and do an Audi version on top of it without sharing detail in the exterior or interior?'"
Lichte called the e-tron GT's design "very, very, very, very, very close to production" according to Green Car Reports, and stated that only some details will change. 22-inch concept wheels will shrink in the wash to 21 inches, and the door handles will become something more traditional.
Despite sharing a platform with the Porsche Taycan, Audi and Porsche designers reportedly met regularly to ensure the two cars would have divergent designs in and out, the only shared part reportedly being the windshield. It is uncertain how much of the two models' powertrains will be shared, as Porsche has bragged of a 311-mile range from its Taycan, while Audi has offered a more conservative 250-mile WLTP range estimate from the e-tron GT's 96-kilowatt-hour (kwh) battery pack. Power output claims vary as well; Porsche says over 600 horsepower, Audi says 590.
The Audi e-tron GT's final design will reportedly be revealed in late 2020, presumably meaning the car's upcoming cameo in Marvel's The Avengers 4 will still be in concept clothes. Tony Stark has always liked his Audis, so it wouldn't be a surprise for Audi to canonically grace the superhero with ownership of a concept car.