Audi Q4 e-tron unveiled — and it undercuts Tesla Model Y

By Imad Khan
published

The Audi Q4 e-tron at $45,000 is a huge blow to Tesla

Audi Q4 e-tron
(Image credit: Audi)

Audi has just unveiled the Q4 e-tron, a new all-electric crossover that starts at $45,000, a price that undercuts the Tesla Model Y by a fair margin. Audi's more affordable EV is set to make its U.S. debut later this year.

With the Q4 e-tron, along with the Q4 Sportback e-tron, Audi is planning on bringing more EVs to the market than any other luxury brand in the U.S. The price on the Q4 e-tron also undercuts the current e-tron, which currently starts at $65,900.

The 2022 Audi Q4 e-tron looks somewhat peculiar for a crossover EV. It has a round, bulging hood, as if there was an engine underneath. Yet, inside are two electric motors rather than a honking V8 engine. 

Audi refers to this design as having "muscular surfacing" and an "athletic stance." The inside, much like the Mazda MX-30, boasts the use of recycled materials. Audi also did go out of its way to highlight plenty of water bottle storage. 

The interior space of the car is also roomy, according to Audi. It matches the dimensions of the Audi Q5 SUV. And like one of Tesla's cars, there's a 10.1-inch touch display, although the Audi will have a fair bit more buttons. 

The Q4 e-tron's battery, like in most EVs, sits at the bottom, between the axles, for a lower center of gravity. The exact battery size is a small 82 kWh, but Audi claims the Q4 e-tron has a range of 250 miles. 

There's actually a smaller battery option as well, a 55 kWh model that's likely meant for that starting sticker price of $45,000. Tesla's Long Range Model Y has 326 miles of range by comparison. Granted, the Model Y starts at a slightly more expensive $50,490.

It should be noted that Audi is getting these range estimates by using the European WLTP test cycle, which is more lenient than U.S. tests. It's likely that once the EPA gets some hands on the car, the range won't be as robust.

Like Tesla and the Mustang Mach-E, Audi too is bringing some toys to the EV pony show. This includes an augmented reality heads-up display that it showed off last month.

The Audi Q4 e-tron is set to launch in Europe this June and will make its way to the rest of the world by the end of the year. 

Imad Khan
Imad Khan

Imad is currently Senior Google and Internet Culture reporter for CNET, but until recently was News Editor at Tom's Guide. Hailing from Texas, Imad started his journalism career in 2013 and has amassed bylines with the New York Times, the Washington Post, ESPN, Wired and Men's Health Magazine, among others. Outside of work, you can find him sitting blankly in front of a Word document trying desperately to write the first pages of a new book.

2 Comments Comment from the forums
  • mlhutche
    NOT a "Tesla Killer", as usual. Small range, less performance, less cargo, no OTA, No Sentry Mode, no possible FSD. Marque loyalists will buy some. Most sales will cannibalize their ICE, just as the Taycan crushed Panamera sales. Good looking design, slightly smaller form factor which will help in Europe. Will continue to legitimize and expand the BEV market, so good for Tesla. Nice to have alternatives, but still waiting for a Tesla competitor.
    More accurate tagline would have been "Cheaper than Model Y".
    Reply
  • JoeJoeJoe123
    Tesla nixed their Standard option because it would suck and only get 240 miles. That $45k E-tron is estimated 250 miles of range on wltp, which will equate to about 180 real world. Honestly, I worry new shiny EV's like the E-tron will just give EVs a bad reputation when people get them and feel nothing but constrained by its lack of range.
    Reply