Audi Q4 e-Tron ‘unlikely’ for 2023 as Aussie wait for compact EV SUV stretches
The Audi Q4 e-Tron and its Q4 e-Tron Sportback sibling are unlikely to arrive in Australia next year, with best estimates suggesting it won’t be here until 2024 at the earliest.
Audi Australia product manager Matthew Dale confirmed it was “unlikely” the compact electric SUV would arrive in local dealerships in 2023.
“We don’t have confirmation of that car yet for the Australian market,” says Dale shortly after announcing pricing and details for the e-Tron GT that arrives in Australia in September.
READ MORE: AR tech, digital screens dominate interior of Audi Q4 e-Tron
“We’re obviously raising our hand for it because it is a segment that we would really like to get into. There have been a couple of players in the market that have shown that that segment is quite popular.”
The most affordable Audi electric car currently available globally, the Q4 e-Tron rides on the MEB architecture that also underpins other Volkswagen Group models such as the Volkswagen ID.4, ID.5, Skoda Enyaq (and Enyaq Coupe) and upcoming Cupra Born.
As with the regular Audi e-Tron, it has more interior space due to the packaging benefits of starting with a bespoke EV architecture (which allows electric motors, wheels, batteries and other major components to be ideally placed to maximise occupant space).
Like all those cars, Volkswagen has prioritised markets with CO2 emissions regulations, something not in force in Australia (and seemingly not even on the government’s radar). In short, it makes more sense for the company to send cars to markets such as Europe, where it can avoid penalties and receive regulatory credits that can make it easier to sell petrol-powered vehicles.
Dale says there is no start of production for Australian deliveries of the Q4 e-Tron, something that would provide clarity around an arrival date.
“It’s something that we’re lobbying for internally with headquarters,” he added. “We’ve seen the market grow in that particular segment and being an SUV it’s something we would really like to have.”
The Q4 e-Tron competes with the Volvo XC40 Pure Electric, Mercedes-Benz EQA and Lexus UX300e, each of which hover around the $80K price range. Each will come under intense pressure with the imminent arrival of the Tesla Model Y, which is expected locally some time in 2022 with a price starting at around $75,000.
In the UK the Q4 is priced from £42,400 before taxes, which translates to about $78,000 in Australian dollars.
However, in the UK the Q4 e-Tron is actually a fraction cheaper than the entry-level Tesla Model 3 (£44,490), which in Australia sells from $59,900 before delivery and on-road costs.
Audi Australia’s Matthew Dale says the Q4 e-Tron has the potential to bring decent electric car volume to the brand, which to date has been a niche player with the regular e-Tron.
“The Australian consumer really wants vehicles at that price level with that performance and that specification,” he says, adding that the luxury market is “moving quite rapidly towards battery electric vehicles”.
Audi Australia product planning manager Peter Strudwicke says the Q4 e-Tron has the potential to be a significant player.
“If and when we get Q4, that will obviously do good volume for us.”
As with the regular Audi e-Tron, the Q4 e-Tron is available with a traditional SUV body and a coupe-inspired Sportback design with a more steeply raked roofline.
