WHY Would Anyone Want An Audi e-tron GT In 2021 When It's Not As Impressive As A Tesla Model S, TODAY?!

The reasons would be if you prefer the aesthetics or you are strongly committed to the Audi brand. The eTron SUV is surprisingly slow at 5.5 seconds, yet they appear to be selling very well. Also, props to Audi for convincing regulators to allow a car with now side mirrors in the US, that will benefit the whole industry.

The Model S is getting both an internal refresh and powertrain refresh by 2021. If you care about performance, range, or ease of long-distance travelling... the Tesla will be the better choice.

I'm guessing the key terms to highlight is "different" & "new". Tesla has dominated the overall luxury EV discussion so far. It'll be nice to follow as another brand gets their production EV to market. And not every consumer interested in a Tesla cares about 0-to-60 speed times. There are a lot of consumers who purchase midsize/full-size luxury sedans/SUV's with descent 4- & 6-cyl engines. Not everybody wants all-out performance.

And with that, I'll mention that the Audi e-Tron line brings a certain amount of "style" to the EV segment. There's some definite Audi int/ext design elements that makes this EV feel a bit more exciting than the rather boring Tesla S. Now, the EV market is beginning to look a lot more interesting.

Price will be a factor....

Well the normal e-Tron starts (ahem.. before dealer markup and shenanigans) at $78k with First Edition at around $90k. I expect the GT will tack on a bit more than that (again, before dealer shenangans ... markup, processing fees* , delivery fees, PDI fees, you get the drill etc etc etc). Thankfully with Tesla you avoid all that and pay the straight up web price. Will be interesting to see how many e_trons Audi can actually deliver in what sort of timeframe.

From Audi's perspective, I believe three reasons:

1) Better late than never, especially of the trend is pointing strongly towards an electrified future.
2) Whether it's profitable or not, it serves as the basis for learning how to build a car that will challenge or even exceed Tesla in the future.
3) In a few years, the Model S will have a dated design, this will be for buyers looking for something different. I also don't think the behemoth of VW/Audi/Porsche will lag behind Tesla for much longer technology-wise, if at all now.

"...In a few years, the Model S will have a dated design..." It is already a dated design. Objectively is it poorly proportioned and then you factor in the wannabe Fusion styling...

The design is from 2012 and still looks better than most cars on the road today.

How about OTA updates that they have been doing since 2012? The UI/UX, Autopilot, Service (you can get service to your home/office using the Tesla app)... oh and the Tesla app itself.

No one is going to say what the Audi looks like huh? I'll call it out then. The hood design copied the Telsa as well as the A pillars and B Pillars giving off the same similar fish bowl Greenhouse. Place a Genesis Badge over the Audi and that's what would had been said. But since its German its "original."

I could list a number of cars using the Audi Grille besides Genesis. But because Mitsubishi isnt Korean it's "Original." Lexus is still nice but they over doing it on some of their cars. Oh well.

So that's where the Chrysler 200 and current Generation C pillar came from Audi. Hmmm.

The Audi still looks better than the Telsa to me though. It's so muscular!!! The lines stick out just right.

By the time the GT actually is available the next-gen Tesla Model S updates will be here. The current Model S is getting a new interior Q3 2019 and a new Model S is due 2021. By that time Tesla’s China Gigafactory will be up and running. It will be amazing to see the growth of EV in just a few short years.

WHY Would Anyone Want An Audi e-tron GT In 2021 When It's Not As Impressive As A Tesla Model S, TODAY?!

Because Elon Musk is not selling it

Sure, instead go with VW and their emissions scandal!

You forgot where Audis last boss currently resides?

(1) Audi will have vastly superior quality than Tesla.
(2) The Etron was designed by people with experience designing car not just bolting batteries into a Lotus.
(3) The Audi doesn't look like a flabby chick Fusion.

And Audi will still be a company in 2021. It is funny to see the Muskateers on this sight already proclaiming that the Tesla will be much better by 2021, quite an assumption given that the upgrades and new factory all require capital that Tesla does not have.
And the Tesla S greenhouse mimicked the original A7, so Audi is not copying Tesla.

That's adorable, their Model 3 is a top 3 best seller and you think no one would give Tesla capital, HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!

tesla looks like a kit car to me

Apparently the design language for every Porsche and Audi will be the mono-brow rear light treatment. Designers have run rampant and nobody is stopping them.

Audi is better looking with much, much better interior.Performance wise, we will know how different from Tesla it is after the car is properly tested.
Also, it is supposed to charge faster and has repeatable performance vs Tesla limitations of need for full charge for the claimed acceleration.

Because the Audi looks 100 times better than the crap tesla.

The Audi will have a nicer interior and provide more of a "luxury" experience in terms of creature comforts. Also, price will be a big factor...the Model S described costs over $130K. If the Etron GT comes in around 80-90K then there is a big price difference.

The 90D is the same price, faster and with more range.

Check out the price of the e-tron SUV.

The GT will not be a cheap product...

The Tesla Model S P100 D agent 00R uses for comparison starts at $130,000, or about $40,000 more than the Audi. Really tried hard to pump-up Tesla.

The 90D is faster and has longer battery life dummy. Heck, even the 75D was faster (4.4 seconds)!

You have NO idea what the Audi e-tron GT will cost, so, you're reaching for the four rings here...

The simple answer is exactly that, Audi has to make it to stay relevant. It may never be as impressive on the surface as a P100DL, but in many respects it will be impressive in its own ways. Already 800V with faster charging and regen. and the required better cooling are surpassing Tesla's offering. Audi just has to make it or it doesn't matter.

GM is closing plants and laying off employees... where are their advanced concepts?? THIS is the market they're moving to correct???

Very valid point. It seems the Model S bests the future GT on almost all fronts. Styling to me is a draw, but I'd lean towards the Model S only because the rear headroom doesn't look as compromised as the GT and it still looks really good after a few years on the road.

For one, Teslas are reliable.

@SanCarlosJoseAsshatterDriver No...Teslas are NOT reliable and the data on that is readily available.

There is a difference between minor repairs and being stuck on the side of the road.

DinduNuffin, much of the sales hoopla is filling back orders from the last two years.
New orders coming in are much slower. And yes, dummy, I believe Tesla will have considerable trouble meeting their debt due, two billion in the next 4 months. Add to this the government ending the subsidies, not a pretty picture, but keep admiring that poster of Elon on your wall.

First of VAG has lots and lots of money they are putting into development for EV, batteries, and now infrastructure. Far more than Tesla. Whether it does 0-60 in under 3 seconds is less important than range, charging time and general cost of ownership. I am not underestimating Tesla and what they have achieved. Further their success has spurred on other car makers to get serious about EV's. That's now happening. It is easy to predict that other car makes are going to soon equal or surpass Tesla in terms of price, inventory, delivery, battery technology etc. VAG is spending billions on development with soon to be 3 dedicated factories. In addition to Etron (which is quite beautiful to my eyes)VAG will have a wider range of vehicles on offer that will either be priced comparably or for less money. They will not have the delivery issues that are plaguing Tesla either. The issue's are range, infrastructure and charging time. In 2 years a lot of those issues will either be greatly diminished or gone. Further if someone wants to by a fun car to drive to use just as a city car you can get great deals on used BMW I3's right now.

Mini22, thanks for the comprehensive and well thought out post.

GT besides missing on specs is a mess of fake grill, vents, rear window, and ugly wheels.

Has the Tesla achieved remarkable performance out of their cars? Yes, have they also created unreliable cars built in tents with pinky wide panel gaps, yes. All of their cars are unattractive. The S only looks good from certain angles, the X is just ugly, and the proportions of the 3 are all off, plus just a cheaper looking S which is already dated. The "top selling" 3 is only top selling because they were backlogged by their horrible production processes and Musk in control of too much. The production time is already reduced to like 2 weeks on a model 3 so that means the sales will start dropping and especially now that their subsidy is coming to an end soon. Not to mention the debt Tesla has racked up that will be due soon.

Then take Audi, who has a history of making cars that are done the right way, not rushed because they are out of money, not taking deposits so they can fund their liabilities without having to raise capital and issue another junk bond. Audi will have a car that won't be as fast, but will be more reliable, better fit and finish, and have a company that has a lot more capital to fund the future of the vehicles and charging systems.

I'm not sure if you know what good looks like if you think the S only looks good from certain angles. Maybe you haven't seen enough of them where you live.