Written | 小魔
In the field of D-class electric luxury cars, except for the Tesla Model S, which has been on the market for many years, most of the traditional luxury car manufacturers have actually begun to prepare .
Mercedes-Benz EQS Concept Car
Jaguar Pure Electric XJ Hypothetical Diagram
For example, Mercedes-Benz will build a dedicated electric platform BMW also plans to launch the pure electric 7 series of its EQS flagship sedan, while GM’s Cadillac has prepared its flagship pure electric sedan Celistiq, and Jaguar’s new generation of pure electric XJ is planned to be released by the end of this year.
As a luxury brand of Volkswagen, Audi will naturally not be indifferent. Early on, we heard rumors from foreign media that Audi originally planned to develop a pure electric A8 sedan to target the one that is about to enter the market. Developed its D-class luxury electric rivals, and achieved the "ambition" of its leader in electric luxury cars.
But now it seems that Audi realizes that whether it wants to be the head brand of luxury electric cars or to attract more high-end users to buy it, it is difficult to achieve this if it is difficult to achieve with the electric A8. It is better to directly launch a brand new one. Electric flagship luxury sedan, so Audi put this work directly in the hands of its Artemis working group.
According to Audi’s description, this highly efficient electric flagship sedan is planned to be launched on the road as early as 2024. The car is a derivative model of the Aicon concept car that Audi showed at the 2017 Frankfurt Auto Show.
The Aicon concept car has dimensions of 5444/2100/1506mm in length, width and height, and a wheelbase of 3470mm. Compared with the Audi A8 long axle version, its wheelbase is 240mm longer.
Although the 2+2 seat layout is used in the car, because the car is equipped with an L5 automatic driving system, all the controllers and displays on the traditional vehicle, such as steering wheel, pedals, Various buttons and instruments, etc., but provide a more pure passenger cabin.
In terms of power and electrical technology, the concept car is equipped with four motors, with a combined maximum power of 257kW and a torque output of 550Nm. The vehicle supports 800V charging and induction wire charging technology, and it only takes 30 minutes to charge the battery to 80% power.
Since the body of the concept car is made of lightweight composite materials and optimized aerodynamic settings, its cruising range can reach 700 to 800 kilometers.
Although the mass-produced electric car will not completely copy the design of the Aicon concept car, nor will it inherit all its science fiction genes, Audi promises that the car will be equipped with the latest electric Powertrain, battery and autonomous driving technology.
It will also have 5G connectivity, including the "car to X" function that will be popular in the future, reality enhancement, and wireless upgrades.
The internal code of the new model is E6, and it is still in the early development stage. Insiders say it will adopt the style of a sports sedan or hatchback. It is said that the external dimensions of the car are similar to the current Audi A7, but its interior will provide the level of space of an A8 sedan. According to news from Audi's headquarters in Germany, it may be put into production under the name A9 e-tron.
After the launch of the car, it will become a passenger car brand of the Volkswagen Group, including Audi, Bentley, Lamborghini, Porsche, SEAT, Skoda and Volkswagen. It has planned to launch up to 75 electric vehicles and 60 plug-in models. The technology display platform for hybrid electric vehicles is also part of the electrification strategy of Volkswagen Group with a huge investment of 60 billion euros by 2029.
Audi Chairman Markus Duesmann
The Artemis working group that developed the new A9 e-tron electric flagship is the core component of the new Audi chairman Markus Duesmann (Markus Duesmann) plan. His current focus is to allow Audi to regain its reputation as a technology leader .
Artemis will work with Audi’s regular development department, as well as more engineers and software experts from the Volkswagen Group, to "rapidly but not bureaucratically create technologies for electric vehicles and highly autonomous driving."
The department is led by Alex Hitzinger, the 49-year-old German is currently the head of the Volkswagen Group’s autonomous driving research and development department. He used to work for the Red Bull F1 team and was later responsible for the development of the Porsche 919 LMP1 that won the Le Mans Grand Prix.
He also worked for Apple’s cancelled Project Titan electric car project, and developed a new ID.Buzz in cooperation with Volkswagen’s commercial vehicle department. The car is considered It is a contemporary electric replica of the Volkswagen T1.
Under the leadership of Alex, Artemis will learn from those new power brands that have taken the lead in the electric field to improve the agility and execution speed of their team. Chairman Dusman said that the new working group will gain "a lot of freedom and will work globally."
In addition to Audi’s own InCampus technology center, the Artemis working group will also receive digital services provided by Volkswagen’s newly established Car.Software business unit, which focuses on operating systems and interconnections, smart car Cockpit, autonomous driving, vehicle and energy performance, as well as service platform and travel services in five areas.
Audi also plans to cooperate more closely with Porsche through Artemis, especially in platform development. The two have already cooperated on the J1 platform, which has laid the foundation for Taycan and the upcoming E-tron GT.
In addition, they have also jointly developed the unannounced PPE platform, which is expected to be used for the first time in the second-generation Porsche Macan electric version that will be launched in 2022.
Audi AI:ME Concept Car
Audi AI:Trail 4x4
Except for A9 e-tron Foreign media understand that Artemis is still responsible for advancing Audi’s other existing project plans, including the mass production version of the AI:ME concept car launched in 2019. It is expected that the car will become the spiritual successor of Audi A2, in addition to AI :Race electric sports car and AI:Trail 4x4 production version proposal.
In fact, in addition to providing technical solutions for the new Audi flagship car and advancing the research and development of other new pure electric models, Artemis is also responsible for the introduction of new technologies throughout the brand, which is important for Audi’s changing cars In the field (including competitors such as Tesla, Rivian and Lucid, as well as many new Chinese electric power brands), maintaining competitiveness is crucial.
"The current electric vehicle plan has fully utilized our capabilities," said Dussmann, who is also the head of research and development on the Volkswagen Group's board of directors. "The question is how we can carry out more high-tech projects without compromising the existing project plans, while seizing new opportunities in the market."
Audi has announced its plans By 2025, as many as 20 pure electric and 10 plug-in hybrid models will be launched to cover various market segments. To this end, Audi has prepared to allocate as much as 12 billion euros in its R&D expenditure of 37 billion euros.
This time whether it is the brand new A9 e-tron electric flagship sedan, or Artem as a pioneerThe is project team is Audi’s active efforts to break through the predicament when the electrification wave hits, and they are also proof of Audi’s determination to deepen the pure electric market.
As for whether Audi can surpass other traditional brands and even surpass Tesla in the next electrification journey through Artemis, it has to wait for the market to verify. 【iDailycar】
