Everything we know about Audi’s next electric crossover, the Q4 e-tron

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  The Q4 is the first Audi to use Volkswagen Group’s new MEB platform for battery EVs. [credit: Audi ]

Although it hasn’t announced plans to give up internal combustion engines completely, the future is definitely an electric one for Audi. In February, the company revealed its third battery electric vehicle, the e-tron GT, which joins the e-tron and e-tron Sportback SUVs in dealerships this summer. And following the svelte e-tron GT by year’s end is a pair of smaller, more affordable crossovers, called the Q4 e-tron and Q4 Sportback e-tron, unveiled online on Wednesday. (And if that’s not enough, we have some news on Audi’s other new BEV platform, but we can’t tell you about that until next week.)

As the name suggests, the Q4 fits in between the brand’s Q3 and Q5 crossovers. Based on its exterior dimensions, it’s only slightly smaller than the Q5, although the benefits of a bespoke BEV platform make for a much more voluminous interior, particularly for those in the back.

If the Q4 looks somewhat familiar—a bit like a Volkswagen ID.4, perhaps—don’t be alarmed. That’s because it uses a new dedicated BEV architecture shared with VW, called MEB (Modularer E-Antriebs-Baukasten or Modular Electrification Toolkit). Therefore, many of the Q4 e-tron and Q4 Sportback e-tron technical specs may come as no surprise.