Audi E-Tron Spyder Concept - Auto Shows

Two is better than one, as the saying goes, and Audi is taking that to heart with its five-year goal of selling two cars in the U.S. for every one it sells now. The brand apparently feels that the philosophy applies to concepts, too, as it trotted out a second dream machine at the Paris show, the e-tron Spyder shown here. It joins the Quattro concept on the Audi stand in the City of Light.

A Brief History of Nearly Every E-Tron

This Spyder is the fourth entry in Audi’s e-tron fest. It started with the all-electric, all-wheel-drive e-tron concept that was shown about a year ago in Frankfurt. Next up was the e-tron concept—yep, same name—that dropped in Detroit. That one also was all-electric, but it was slightly smaller and delivered power to the rear wheels only. We were given the chance to drive e-tron number one and were told that limited production of that vehicle had been approved. The A1 e-tron from the Geneva show earlier this year was the third concept to wear the name. The A1 changed up the powertrain again, using an electric motor to drive the front axle and augmenting it with a range-extending gasoline generator.

And that brings us to the present e-tron, where the top has been removed and yet another propulsion system—plug-in hybrid—thrown into the mix. This slinky roadster drives its rear wheels with a mid-mounted, extra-powerful version of Audi’s 3.0-liter turbo-diesel V-6; output is 300 hp and 480 lb-ft of torque thanks to the addition of a second turbocharger. Audi’s seven-speed dual-clutch transmission handles gearswaps. Things get more complicated, though, with a pair of electric motors powering the front axle. Electrical energy is stored in a 9.1-kWh lithium-ion battery up front, and the motors team up to make 88 hp and 260 lb-ft of immediate torque. The use of two motors instead of one allows for electric torque vectoring. Green numbers: The e-tron Spyder can travel an estimated 31 miles in electric-only mode, with a maximum speed of 37 mph. Fun numbers: Audi claims a 0-to-62-mph time of 4.4 seconds and a limited top speed of 155 mph.