FRANKFURT -- Audi will add the Q4 Sportback e-tron, a sportier-looking version of the upcoming Q4 e-tron compact electric SUV, to its expanding range of battery-powered cars.
Both models will go on sale by next summer in the automaker's global markets as entry-level full-electric cars.
Audi said the coupe-styled, four-door car will be positioned in the upper third of the compact segment.
The Q4 Sportback e-tron has a more dynamic look than the Q4 e-tron with a steeply sloping roof and a prominent spoiler that lends it the silhouette of a fastback, despite its raised seating position and higher riding height.
This gives the Q4 Sportback a small aerodynamic edge over its sibling, according to Audi Chief Designer Marc Lichte.
"This is the sportiest SUV coupe we have ever done," he said. “This spoiler is reduces the drag coefficient and that means longer driving range.”
The Q4 Sportback e-tron and Q4 e-tron are "identical twins" technically speaking, Audi said. They have a range of more than 450 km (280 miles) measured under Europe's WLTP testing standard.