AUDI HAS CONFIRMED it will build just 1000 units of its all-electric e-tron sports car, to be priced “above the R8″ when it launches in 2012.
Speaking with British magazine Autocar, Audi’s head of exterior design Achim Badstubner said that with around 5000 dealers worldwide, the German carmaker believes 1000 sales is achievable.
Mr Badstubner added that the e-tron will be built to order, giving the company the option of cutting production short if 1000 orders weren’t received within a certain period.
He said that many customers will look to buy an e-tron rather than a conventional sports car because of the unique statement that an all-electric sports car makes.
“There are always people who want to be first to own new technology,” Mr Badstubner said.
Based on the R8’s chassis, the e-tron concept was shown at the Frankfurt Motor Show this year dressed in new sheet metal with unique bumpers and sealed-off air intakes, vents and cooling apertures to improve aerodynamics.
A battery-electric vehicle, the e-tron concept is powered by four electric motors - two on each axle. According to Audi, the output of the Frankfurt concept is 230kW, with 4500Nm of torque.
With production models still a couple of years away, Audi fans can experience the e-tron earlier by logging onto Playstation Home and racing Audi’s electric sportscar in the Vertical Run game.
source: themotorreport
