But, let’s start with the advantages. First, the added weight of electric cars means big, wide wheels are needed to carry everything, and designers love big wheels. Second, because the batteries are in the middle of the car, it means the wheels can be pushed out to each corner, which means shorter overhangs. Now Audi design has typically been about having long overhangs, but this shift in technical layout has given us some exciting opportunities in the design department, especially when it comes to finding the perfect proportions of a car.
However, there are some challenges. The first and main challenge also stems from the batteries. Having them in the floor means the car naturally wants to sit higher off the road. In SUVs this isn’t much of a problem, but in sports cars like the e-tron GT it’s tricky. But this is another example of Vorsprung durch Technik. The engineers have created a very clever, very expensive type of modular battery that isn’t just a big brick. It can be fitted together in such a way that it allows us to keep the floor of the car very close to the road, and therefore the e-tron GT is one of our most beautiful electric cars.
And then there’s the aerodynamics side of things. Aero is so important for electric cars in order to achieve good efficiency and a longer range, which is why you can see each of our e-tron models are so aero-focused.
What are your design highlights for each of Audi’s all-electric e-tron models?
As I mentioned, the e-tron GT is, for sure, one of our most beautiful electric cars. I remember back when we started designing this car we said we wanted to create a really dynamic, emotional car. It has a nice long wheelbase, a sporty silhouette, a really nice floating roof arc, muscular wheel arches and perfect overall proportions. For me, it’s pure sculpture.
The Q6 e-tron is, to me, the SUV brother of the e-tron GT. It has a really strong, prominent front end, a really wide wheelbase, and a beautiful aerodynamic flow to the bodywork. Round the back, it has the same muscular haunches as on the e-tron GT. Overall, I’m really proud of this car because I think it’s one of the most beautiful SUVs.
And finally the A6 e-tron. This is really special for us, because this is the first electric Avant. The overall ethos here is that the A6 has been designed even more smooth than the e-tron GT and the Q6 e-tron because we wanted to show the airflow around the car. One sign of this is the single crease running all the way down the side of the car.
