Audi interiors have a reputation for being special, and the concept suggests the production E-Tron GT won’t disappoint. The steering wheel with a flattened top and bottom, will be on the production car, albeit with real buttons not touchscreens in the spokes, and the tiny, touch-actuated door handles will be replaced by hinged items. The beautifully rendered high-def screens for the virtual cockpit and infotainment systems are existing VW Group hardware, already used in Porsches, the Bentley Continental GT, and high-end Audis.
But where the E-Tron GT’s interior makes its biggest statement is in its strong, clean form language and innovative use of materials. The leather is synthetic, the seat fabric is made from recycled plastic bottles, and the floor coverings started life as old nylon fishing nets. “We take sustainability seriously,” says Lichte. “And I think it fits perfectly with a BEV. The challenge has been making the materials and the execution sophisticated.” Challenge met. The E-Tron GT cabin is the definition of modern luxury, a compelling distillation of technology and style.
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You ride low. From behind the wheel the E-Tron GT feels like a sports car, close to the road, buttoned down, and wrapped around you. But it’s also a genuine four-door, four-seat grand turismo, with room aboard for four adults. Though I had to wiggle my big feet past the front seat’s backrest, once settled on the back seat there was ample footroom and enough clearance for my knees, even with the driving position set to accommodate my 6-foot-2 frame. The standard fixed glass roof ensured adequate headroom. (A lightweight carbon-fiber roof panel will be available as an option, along with a sliding glass roof.)
I can’t tell you much about how the production E-Tron GT will drive. The concept’s oversized wheels and tires and cobbled-together suspension delivered a crashy ride with plenty of unwanted secondary body motions from the rear axle. Regen was limited—lift off, and the concept coasted down like an internal combustion powered car with an automatic transmission—and the steering felt very light. But all this is stuff that will get fixed as Audi engineers begin final calibration of suspension and powertrain hardware and software.
The one thing the E-Tron GT won’t feel like, insist Audi insiders, is a Porsche. Expect an oilier, quieter ride, and VW Group insiders have already confirmed the powertrain will be tuned to deliver marginally less performance than in the Taycan. This much is clear, though: Stuff just got real, Tesla.
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