- Digital presentation as part of the Day of Progress
- CEO Duesmann: "A sign of Audi's fitness for the future"
- The fully electric gran turismo continues the electrification offensive
Ingolstadt, 10 February 2021 – With an energized driving demonstration and a world premiere featuring high-caliber participants, Audi has presented its new electric spearhead – the Audi e-tron GT. In two events on the digital Day of Progress, the Four Rings showcased the highlights of this fully electric gran turismo: dynamic driving performance, emotional design, and sustainability.
"The e-tron GT is a stand-alone Gran Turismo, reinterpreted for the future. Its looks are a testament to premium automotive design. Bringing impressive driving performance, this is electro-mobility in the most emotive way. And with its sustainable concept, it takes a stand.," explains Markus Duesmann, CEO of AUDI AG. "Because it's not just the drive concept that is sustainable. The entire production at our Böllinger Höfe site now has a carbon neutral energy balance.This sends an important signal – for the site, our workforce and the future viability of Audi."
Audi also set a new benchmark with the digital world premiere, the Day of Progress. Two digital events presented the Audi e-tron GT: in the Sprint of Progress, the Formula E driver Lucas di Grassi and the sustainability entrepreneur and Formula 1 world champion Nico Rosberg demonstrated the dynamic driving performance of the Audi RS e-tron GT alongside the current Formula E racing car of the Four Rings, the Audi e-tron FE07. In a trip around the circuit of the Audi Driving Experience Center in Neuburg an der Donau, the spotlight was on the dynamic performance of the new model.
In the Celebration of Progress, the brand with the Four Rings introduced the Audi e-tron GT to the public for the first time. In the hour-long virtual show, Markus Duesmann and Hildegard Wortmann, Board Member for Sales and Marketing, together with further Audi protagonists such as Henrik Wenders, Senior Vice President for the Audi Brand, and Marc Lichte, Head of Design, presented the highlights of the new model.
A varied program emphasized the forward-looking attitude of the Four Rings brand. With reference to the importance of design, sustainability and performance, the actor and producer Tom Hardy, the designer Stella McCartney and Nico Rosberg added their personal insights. The musical accompaniment to the unveiling of the car was performed by the US-American singer and songwriter Janelle Monáe, while Steven Gätjen as moderator guided the audience through the show.
The GREENTECH FESTIVAL and Audi, a founding partner of this platform for sustainability, together presented the GREEN FUTURE Award for the first time as part of the world premiere of the Audi e-tron GT. The prize, part of the festival's GREEN AWARDS, is given to projects and persons that promote environmentally compatible urbanization and at the same time make an important contribution to improving the quality of life in urban infrastructure. The winner is the start-up Zencity, based in Tel Aviv, with an algorithm that collects and analyzes social media posts and local news from cities.
Both events are still available to be accessed online.
For journalists:
Quotes from the Celebration of Progress:
"The Audi e-tron GT is the beginning of a new era for Audi. Our aim is to shape the future of electric premium mobility. Love of detail, maximum precision, and design that points the way to the future show how much passion we at Audi put into designing and making vehicles."
Hildegard Wortmann, Board Member for Sales and Marketing, AUDI AG
"With the Audi e-tron GT we are putting the DNA of Audi on the road. The gran turismo superbly reflects our innovative strength and our pioneering spirit. For us it is already part of a line of icons of the brand, alongside the Audi TT and the Audi R8."
Henrik Wenders, Senior Vice President, Audi Brand, AUDI AG
"For me, progress means creating something new. Something that no one has ever done before in this form. Designing a fully electric vehicle is like this: the entire design process has to be thought through anew."
Marc Lichte, Head of Design, AUDI AG
"The Audi RS e-tron GT is a milestone in the development of electrified high-performance models."
Lucas di Grassi, Formula E driver and entrepreneur
"Electric mobility is the future. Of course the path to the goal is a long one. It's great to see that Audi is taking this path with determination."
Nico Rosberg, sustainability entrepreneur and Formula 1 world champion
"I have dedicated my life to making the fashion industry look at itself and its impact on Mother Earth. I am grateful to be able to continue to share my message of today for tomorrow with a new audience."
Stella McCartney, designer of sustainable luxury fashion
"As a long-standing ambassador, it has been an honor and a pleasure to witness Audi's pursuit to continuously progress with the times. Now by transitioning their primary focus towards electric vehicles, they continue to evolve even further with the passion of mindful, highly skilled technical engineering and a masterful professionalism - meeting the requirements of the future with integrity and above all, conscious eco-driven sustainability and high-performance quality. A perfect blend of passion, skill, and progression."
Tom Hardy, actor and producer
For further media material on Audi e-tron GT please refer to the microsite.
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The Audi Group, with its brands Audi, Ducati and Lamborghini, is one of the most successful manufacturers of automobiles and motorcycles in the premium segment. It is present in more than 100 markets worldwide and produces at 17 locations in 11 countries. 100 percent subsidiaries of AUDI AG include Audi Sport GmbH (Neckarsulm, Germany), Automobili Lamborghini S.p.A. (Sant'Agata Bolognese, Italy) and Ducati Motor Holding S.p.A. (Bologna, Italy).
In 2020, the Audi Group delivered to customers about 1.693 million automobiles of the Audi brand, 7,430 sports cars of the Lamborghini brand and 48,042 motorcycles of the Ducati brand. In the 2019 fiscal year, AUDI AG achieved total revenue of € 55.7 billion and an operating profit of € 4.5 billion. At present, about 87,000 people work for the company all over the world, 60,000 of them in Germany. With new models, innovative mobility offerings and other attractive services, Audi is becoming a provider of sustainable, individual premium mobility.