Audi's Electric SUV To Be Dubbed Simply 'e-tron'

Audi has confirmed that its first series production electric vehicle will simply be dubbed the 'e-tron'.

While speaking with Autocar, company boss Rupert Stadler revealed that the brand's upcoming electric SUV will hark back to the original Audi Quattro in its naming and won't utilize any specific model designation.

“It is comparable to the first Audi quattro, which was known simply as the quattro. In the long term the name e-tron will stand for a pure electric driveline structure,” he confirmed.

Originally, it was thought that this vehicle would be dubbed the Audi Q6 e-tron and while it won't, later electric models from Audi will receive existing model designations alongside the 'e-tron' nameplate.

“We will have models with the usual names, for example A6 e-tron, A7 e-tron, A8 e-tron and so on,” Stadler said.

Earlier in the year, Audi said that its electric SUV will begin production in 2018 and be inspired by the e-tron quattro concept from 2015's Frankfurt Motor Show.

Power for the model will be provided by two electric motors at the rear and one at the front axle, working in combination with a lithium-ion battery that provides in excess of 311 miles (500 km) of driving on a single charge.