With the newly developed premium platform PPE, Audi is laying the foundation for its upcoming fully electric models. They range from the A4 to the Q8. The platform was developed together with Porsche.
All in good time. For most car manufacturers, the start of electromobility is anything but a smooth walk-through. There is a lack of dedicated architectures for batteries and electric drives. But now things are taking shape. Volkswagen has completed its MEB and is placing the entire ID family on it; the Hyundai Group is using the E-GMP for Kia, Hyundai and Genesis. The EVA platform is currently making its debut at Mercedes in the form of the luxury electric EQS. And the PPE architecture from Audi and Porsche is in the final phase. In the future, models from the B to the D segment will be on it, i.e. from the A4 to the A8 / Q7 / Q8. PPE can be used for both flat and raised floor concepts. This means that sedans are just as possible as SUVs and various body shapes in between, such as crossover vehicles.
In the meantime, as with the SUV e-tron, the Ingolstadt-based company made do with an adaptation of the MLB construction kit, as well as with the solitary J1 platform from Porsche on which the e-tron GT stands. Past. In the future, Audi will drive all full electric vehicles from the middle class upwards on PPE basis, while the compact models will use the MEB from Volkswagen.
The PPE will start with the Q2023 e-tron in 6 (debut in 2022), the electric brother of the next Q5, which will continue to be available as a combustion engine and hybrid (MLB Evo II). In the same year, Audi is likely to submit the Q6 e-tron Sportback variant. The “A6 e-tron concept” study recently shown at the trade fair in Shanghai will start in 2023 as a series model. PPE envisages battery capacities of around 100 kWh, with a corresponding range of a good 700 kilometers. Audi promises “suitability for everyday use in line with the first car”, because the 800-volt system allows charging currents of up to 270 kW. Ten minutes should be enough for 300 kilometers.
The standard platform is rear-wheel drive. Versions positioned higher up have all-wheel drive (electric Quattro), which also has an electric motor on the front axle. The Shanghai study already mobilized a total output of 350 kW and 800 Newton meters. Sprints from standing to 100 km / h should be completed in under four seconds.
In addition to the A6 e-tron as a sedan, Audi will also offer an electric Avant, which will not be available on the market until 2024. The E-strategy should run according to the same principle for the next A4 (B-segment). The combustion versions will be further developed on the MLB Evo II, with the A4 e-tron and A4 e-tron Avant running in parallel. An electric A5 Sportback is also likely to be in the pipeline.
In the D segment, Audi is not simply planning an electric A8 in the classic 3-box design. Equally few chances are given to a large SUV in the Q8 style. In their future project "Artemis", the Ingolstadt-based company has already shown how one imagines electric mobility in the top league. The result could be a luxury Stromer, the body of which is a hybrid between the Avant and the CUV - with a low silhouette, lots of space, lots of variability and lots of comfort.
The commitment in China shows the importance of the PPE architecture at Audi. A completely new car plant is being built there with long-term joint venture partner FAW, from which only PPE models will roll. According to the plan, it should start in 2024.