Watch out, Tesla and Fisker. A new and improved Audi eTron just showed up at the Detroit Motor Show and it looks sleek. In fact, people are already proclaiming it as the sexiest EV on the block.
Compared to the concept eTron shown off at Frankfurt and LA last year, this new iteration boasts considerably less power. That’s not a bad thing actually, since that means Audi is gearing it for actual road use, rather than showing off their advances in electric car technology.
Audi eTron version 2.0 is just leaner, with more aggressive lines and plenty of stylish cues. Measuring 70 inches wide, 154.72 inches long and 48 inches tall, the car sports body panels made up of mostly carbon-reinforced plastic that’s held together on a space carbon fiber and aluminum frame.  It weighs 550 lbs less than the original version and looks particularly tight.
It’s no longer an all-wheel drive, with the two liquid-cooled motors previously found on both ends of the axle now sitting snugly at the rear. The pair produces 75 kilowatts (approximately 102 horsepower) apiece, which translates to a 0 to 60 time of 5.9 seconds. It pulls juice from a 45 kWh lithium-ion pack that’s mounted in front of the rear axle, providing the vehicle an effective range of 155 miles. According to Audi, it requires 11 hours to fully charge at 220 volts. Other features include regenerative braking (Audi has a rather original system for theirs), torque vectoring (which sends power to the rear wheels as necessary) and C-pillar flaps that help to cool the motor down.
The Audi eTron is being slated for a 2012 production run.
[via Autopia]