Audi’s new Artemis skunkworks workforce is working to develop a extremely superior, extremely environment friendly electric automobile due in 2024.
Autocar reported Monday that the thriller mannequin will probably be a flagship sedan which will simply undertake the A9 E-Tron title.
The Artemis workforce was established earlier this 12 months as a method to speed up the event of vehicles and expertise by utilizing a much less bureaucratic model of administration, with the main target being on EVs and automatic driving expertise. The transfer is geared toward countering lean and fast-moving EV startups.
The workforce’s new sedan would basically be an enlargement of the Audi Aicon, an idea for a spacious, self-driving automobile that was unveiled in 2017 and beforehand introduced for public street trials beginning in 2021. It is not clear if these trials will nonetheless go forward.
Audi Aicon idea
According to Autocar‘s sources, the sedan is more likely to match the A7 in measurement however supply the spaciousness of the A8 as a result of its devoted EV platform which can probably be the PPE (Premium Platform Electric) modular platform Audi is creating with fellow Volkswagen Group model Porsche. Key applied sciences reportedly pegged for the automobile embrace self-driving options, 5G connectivity, V2X communications, and augmented actuality.
Should Autocar‘s sources show right and Audi launches a flagship electric sedan, the brand new mannequin will go up towards comparable choices coming from BMW (electric 7-Series), Jaguar (subsequent XJ) and Mercedes-Benz (EQS). The sources additionally mentioned the Artemis workforce is engaged on a non secular successor to the Audi A2 primarily based on 2019’s AI:ME idea automobile.
Audi has toyed with thought of an A9 flagship sedan for over a decade. The automaker got here near realizing these concepts when fellow VW Group model Lamborghini checked out launching a sedan of its personal, even rolling out the Estoque idea in 2008. Sadly, the following international monetary disaster put an finish to the plans for each manufacturers.
Note, Audi later this 12 months will reveal the E-Tron GT sedan primarily based on the Porsche Taycan’s J1 platform. However, this mannequin will probably be an Audi Sport providing dialed extra for efficiency, versus qualities equivalent to inside area, connectivity and vary.