First look: Audi E-Tron GT will target Tesla using Porsche DNA

Audi aims to take on Tesla with its high-performance all-electric E-Tron GT, and Porsche has a hand in the game.

The Audi e-Tron GT, which is taking shape ahead of a 2020 launch, will be built on the same platform as the much-hyped Porsche Taycan, with the two cars sharing 60 percent of their components. Both vehicles represent parent company Volkswagen’s multipronged attack on Tesla’s electric-market dominance.

“Sharing is good, right?” said newly appointed Audi of America President Mark Del Rosso, who was previously CEO of Bentley Motors.

The four-door 'coupe' is the latest all-electric offering from Audi, which unveiled the e-Tron SUV in September and the PB18 e-Tron supercar a few weeks before that. An Audi e-Tron Sportback will come next in the lineup.

“By 2025, 30 percent of our volume will be electric,” Del Rosso said, although he remained mostly mum on other details of the electric coupe.

A 100kWh battery pack will give the e-Tron GT a range of 400km, with rapid charging to bring the battery to 80 percent battery strength in 20 minutes. The hot coupe's 433kw engine will slingshot from 0-100km/h in 3.5 seconds.

From the exterior, the concept vehicle already looks production ready, with body-style overtones and a roofline like the new Audi A7.

The large battery pack sits in the bottom of the car, which will ride lower than an S7. With its square nose, stubby rear end, and graphic daytime running lights, it looks ready to hunker down and hustle.

“A changing world needs beauty and intelligence in order to propel itself forward,” Del Rosso said. “This is part of our evolution.”

Hannah Elliott

Hannah Elliott is the resident motoring writer at Bloomberg.