Audi Teases Smaller, More Affordable Electric E-Tron Crossover Ahead of Geneva Reveal

At a launch event for the Audi E-Tron electric crossover in Holland, the German automaker announced it will produce a smaller, entry-level electric crossover.

Exterior design lead Andreas Mindt showed an image of the vehicle, which he described as a "smaller E-Tron SUV," as quoted by Autoweek Netherlands. Mindt stated that the vehicle won't be a mere design concept and that full reveal of the compact electric vehicle was promised for the Geneva Motor Show in March.

Unlike Audi's other EVs, which include the E-Tron, E-Tron GT, and just-confirmed PB18 E-Tron, this smaller crossover is expected to utilize the modular EV platform designed by its parent company, the Volkswagen Auto Group. It is believed that the entry-level model is the same as that referenced by Mindt in an interview at the 2018 Los Angeles Auto Show, where he confirmed a small, MEB-based electric Audi to be on the way in early 2019.

This model is thought not to be the same as the cheaper E-Tron, whose market arrival is predicted to be by the end of 2019. The first Audi E-Tron delivered to customers will start at a staggering $74,800, but Audi knows the market capable of affording such a vehicle is of limited size. It reportedly will walk a path similar to that of Tesla by selling high-profit margin vehicles with the debut of a new EV, later unlocking more affordable alternatives.

The Drive speculates that less-expensive Audi EVs will reduce their cost with more pedestrian interiors, as Audi has limited wiggle room to offer shorter-range models—the E-Tron's 249-mile range is nothing particularly earth-shaking as is.