Audi’s most powerful models ever, the RS e-tron GT and stablemate the e-tron GT quattro, have rolled into the UAE with that suitably muted roar that goes with tearaway electric vehicles these days.
And if you think those names sound distinctly innovative, that’s half of the manufacturer’s job done. These two vehicles, Audi says, are the embodiment of its “vision for the future of mobility”.
We’d better get the issue of power out of the way first – the quattro and the RS can deliver up to 530 and 646 horsepower respectively, which, by any measure, puts an impressive amount of oomph at the driver’s fingertips.
Reports suggest 0-100 kilometres per hour figures of 3.9 seconds in the quattro and 3.1 seconds in the RS, which should certainly be useful if you have to get anywhere in a hurry.
The cars are distinctly low-slung in appearance, but it’s not difficult to see that the designers have been going for a combination of sportiness and luxury. The four-door coupe design reinterprets the classic idea of the gran turismo, Audi says, and the new arrivals "demonstrate accumulated technical expertise".
Range is always something anyone who fancies an electric car should be looking at, and the reported figures for the e-tron pair seem respectable – you can get up to 488km out of the quattro, while the RS is slightly less at 472km.
Audi unveil the new RS e-tron GT
Importantly, though, both models only need little over 22 minutes on a high-power charging unit to get the battery around four-fifths full, but you can get enough for a 100km jaunt after a five-minute charge.
Inside, the cars have what Audi is calling a “monoposto character”, which is a feature lifted from the manufacturer’s R8 supercar. Apparently, this gives drivers “a feeling of open, yet controlled, space within the cockpit”.
Test drives are now available at local dealers across Dubai and Abu Dhabi. No official word on the local price as yet, with Audi saying you have to contact a showroom to get that information.
