The first of anything from a major manufacturer is bound to elicit enthusiastic response from the public when the order books open. Especially when it's the first electric vehicle from an automaker with as wide a following as, say Audi.
In fact the latest reports indicate that the German automaker has already logged over 10,000 orders from around the world for the new e-tron – Audi's highly anticipated debut electric crossover. That's pretty impressive, considering that it just unveiled the vehicle in full for the first time just a week and a half ago.
The e-tron is Ingolstadt's challenger to the likes of the Tesla Model X, Mercedes EQC, and Jaguar I-Pace – an exclusively battery-powered crossover to launch Audi into the age of electric propulsion. It boasts as much as 402 horsepower and 490 lb-ft of torque, making it more potent than even the new SQ5.
With a 95-kWh battery pack, it'll run from 0-60 mph in 5.5 seconds and travel over 250 miles on a single charge. With a price tag starting just under $75,000 (in the US), it's one of its priciest models Audi offers, short of the R8 supercar and A8 limousine.
Production has already started at Audi's plant in Belgium, and the first customer examples are slated to begin delivery in Europe before the end of the year, with US deliveries expected to follow sometime thereafter. But don't expect to find any sitting in dealer lots, because the e-tron (at least initially) will only be made to order.
Audi hasn't said how long it will take to fulfill those orders as production ramps up, but suffice it to say that new customers placing their orders now after the books have already run into five digits may have to wait a while for delivery.
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