Audi Announces First All-Electric Car
Audi has released details of its first all-electric vehicle, the R8 e-tron. The sleek and sexy car is set to arrive in late 2012, and is Audi’s first of many electric vehicles (EV) as the company plans to be a top EV manufacturer by 2020.
Currently under design in Heilbronn-Biberach, Germany, Audi has invested $90 million into developing it and other electric cars thus far.
The R8 e-tron is a mid-range sports car that can accelerate from 0 to 62 mph in just 4.8 seconds. The car weighs roughly 3,527 pounds, and Audi reports that specialized developers were brought in to design the vehicle.
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Audi is investing over $7 billion on two new German production facilities over the next four years, one of which will be the manufacturing home of the R8 e-tron all-electric car.
Audi faces competition, however, in the all-electric luxury sports car market. Tesla Motors has already been producing cars that are faster and have a longer range than the R8 e-tron. BMW is looking to release its ActiveE to customers this coming fall. But although Audi is a bit late in the game, the vehicle manufacturer believes that customer loyalty and the vehicles overall performance will make it a strong competitor.
