Audi teases Q4 E-Tron electric compact crossover ahead of Geneva

A traditional Audi Q4 crossover with an internal combustion engine has burbled in the background for two years, a recent product roadmap showing a launch in the third quarter of this year. The Ingolstadt carmaker just teased another variant, a Q4 E-Tron that it will bring to the Geneva Motor Show next month. The brand didn't have much to say about it, but expectations are that it will be about the size of the last-gen Q3, and sell for around the price of a well-stocked current Q3. Production should commence sometime next year, deliveries to commence in late 2020 or early 2021.

The sketches show sufficient design ties to the full-sized E-Tron SUV, but even discounting the gargantuan wheels, the Q4 E-Tron looks a lot more hot-blooded. The interior plays up the excitement, mimicking the cabin of the E-Tron GT in smaller scale.

The production version will sit on the Volkswagen Group's MEB platform, one of the five platforms in Audi's e-mobility plans that will also support the VW I.D. lineup and coming Seat and Skoda models. Slotting under the E-Tron on the electric side, and the Q3 and Q5 on the ICE side, Audi wants to hit the market ahead of premium compact competition coming in the Tesla Model Y, electric Volvo XC40, and junior entries from BMW and Mercedes-Benz. Based on our drive of the E-Tron, an EV Q4 could possess interior space to rival a Q5.

A smaller electric Q2 is supposedly on the way, too, built on the same MQB platform as the departed Volkswagen e-Golf, but intended only for China.

It's said Q4 E-Tron will port in the same strategy of three battery choices planned for the VW I.D. line. At some point, VW will reveal details on capacities and ranges. Until then, observers think the base model will come with a 48-kWh battery and around 200 miles of range, the most powerful battery good for more than 300 miles.