The body shop of the Audi e-tron GT at Böllinger Höfe.

Audi’s e-tron GT uses speakers to sound off on its impressive performance

By admin
In October 9, 2020
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Audi is on a power surge that will see 30 electrified rides launched by 2025. Ten will be plug-in hybrids; the other 20 will be pure electric, including the e-tron and e-tron Sportback. When the e-tron GT launches next year, it will be joined by an RS version of the Gran Turismo — if it does to the GT what RS-ing the Q8 does to a large crossover, this move promises to deliver a seriously wild ride!

The e-tron GT’s J1 platform was designed to underpin the sportiest EVs and was a joint-venture between Audi and Porsche — the Porsche Taycan was first to hit the street on top of it.

At this point little has been said about the GT’s potential, but at a tech seminar last year Audi indicated it will have two electric motors with a combined output of around 582 hp and 612 foot-pounds of torque. The electric motor layout gives the GT an electric version of quattro all-wheel-drive. It will also have a battery capacity of “more than 90 kWh,” meaning somewhere around a 300-kilometre driving range.

The GT has a composite aluminum and steel body, and will be built alongside the V10-powered R8. Each e-tron GT runs down the body line twice — the first time assembles the inner parts of the chassis; the second time adds the sides to complete the body-in-white. Throughout the process, up to 350 key points are measured to ensure the dimensional accuracy of the body.

From here it hits the main assembly line where everything from the internal electronics and safety systems to the doors, hood and carbon-fibre roof panel are added to the mix. A pre-assembly line puts the electric motors and suspension into the front and rear cradles and the battery into its safety case. This “electric” module is then married to the body during the assembly process to complete build.

The J1 performance platform underpinning Audi's quattro electric drivetrain

The J1 performance platform underpinning Audi’s quattro electric drivetrain

At the end of the line, the e-tron GT comes to life for the first time — all key components and safety systems are tested and it goes out for its first shake-down drive. If all is good the GT is subjected to a torrential drenching to ensure it is water-tight and then passed through a light tunnel to check the quality of the paint finish.

Interestingly, the entire assembly process was designed and proven virtually without a physical car ever running down the reworked assembly line.

One of the key aspects with the new breed of hyper-electric vehicles is sound. Unlike the R8 and its throaty V10 engine, the e-tron GT’s electrics are almost silent. So, there’s the need for speakers. At front there is a large loud speaker that elicits the sound needed to warn pedestrians of the GT’s presence — it is active up to 32 kilometres an hour.

The 2021 Audi e-tron GT

The 2021 Audi e-tron GT

However, to add the sensation of a powerful machine, there is an optional sound kit with a second external rear-mounted speaker — this gives the bystander an almost surround-sound experience as the GT drives by and works at all speeds.

Inside, there are yet more speakers designed to amp up the driving experience for the riders. While there will not be an optional sound package that would allow the owner to customize the sound experience, the GT’s symphony does change according to speed and vehicle load as well as the drive mode selected — Efficient will be understated; Comfort adds a little more bark. Dynamic mode promises to be the proudest.

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