Johannesburg - Audi, BMW and Mercedes-Benz are set to significantly increase the number of electric vehicles available in South Africa during the course of 2022.
In Audi’s case, well-heeled South Africans can look forward to five new battery-powered model derivatives from within three model ranges, namely e-tron, e-tron Sportback and e-tron GT.
Audi South Africa announced the prices of these five models on Thursday, and buyers can expect to pay between R1.99 million and R3.3 million for their chosen e-tron model (see full price list below).
The importer has also opened up the order books, and customers are able to place their orders through any of Audi’s 10 e-tron dealerships around the country. Johannesburg and Pretoria each have three outlets while Cape Town and Durban have two. The dealerships will also have fast-charging facilities that are open to the public.
Customers will also receive one-year’s complimentary membership of the Gridcars network, which currently has over 280 universal charge point connectors around the country.
Also complimentary for e-tron buyers is a home check to assess the customer’s individual charging requirements and the installation of a 32AMPs industrial socket up to the value of R5000. This should allow for a full charge in 13 hours, but other power upgrades are also available to customers.
Five e-tron models to choose from
The least expensive option is the e-tron 55 SUV, which is pretty much the EV equivalent of the Q7, and it’s available in two flavours: Advanced, priced at R1 990 000, and S Line, yours for R2 045 000.
Both get a twin-motor, all-wheel drive quattro powertrain that produces 300kW and 561Nm, making them good for a claimed 0-100km/h time of 5.7 seconds.
The e-tron 55 models are fitted with a 95 kWh battery that allows for a claimed range of between 369km and 440km on the WLTP cycle.
Next up is the Audi e-tron Sportback, which is available in the aforementioned ‘55’ guise with 300kW and as a more powerful ‘S’ model that’s good for 370kW and 973Nm. The latter is said to be capable of sprinting from 0-100km/h in 4.5 seconds.
The e-tron 55 Sportback will set you back R2 115 000 and offers a WLTP range of 372-453km, while the e-tron S Sportback is priced at R2 425 000 and this performance model has a reduced range of 347-378km.
Topping the range is a pair of flagship saloons, which share their basic architecture with the Porsche Taycan. The e-tron GT is priced at R2 715 000 and the RS e-tron GT performance model commands R3 300 000.
The e-tron GT offers 360kW and 630Nm, and a 0-100km/h time of 4.5 seconds, while the 440kW, 830Nm RS variant does its dash in 3.6 seconds.
Both are fed by a 93.4 kWh battery that offers a claimed range of 452-488km in the case of the GT, with the RS managing 433-472km.
The Audi e-tron range will hit showrooms during the first quarter of 2022, and prices include a five-year/100 000km Freeway Plan and a battery warranty that’s valid for eight years or 160 000km.
Audi e-tron pricing
e-tron 55 advanced R1 990 000
e-tron 55 S line R2 045 000
e-tron 55 Sportback S line R2 115 000
e-tron S Sportback R2 425 000
e-tron GT R2 715 000
RS e-tron GT R3 300 000