Volkswagen’s luxury units are stepping up to the challenge posed by Tesla with a pair of all-electric luxury vehicles. It’s just the beginning of a huge push into electrification for the Volkswagen Group.
Audi says that last fall’s e-tron quattro concept is a “concrete foretaste” of an all-electric luxury sport SUV that it will produce starting in 2018. Image source: Audi.
The concept Audi featured a new fast-charging system that — it was claimed — could recharge the SUV to its full 500-kilometer range in just 50 minutes. If that technology makes it to production, it could give the new Audi an edge over the Model X, at least in recharging at home.
Audi’s electric SUV will be just the beginning of the Volkswagen Group’s move into what Tesla calls “premium electric vehicles.” The next step is expected to come from another VW subsidiary known for its sports cars: Porsche. A spectacular new Porsche that happens to be electric

Audi’s upscale corporate sibling is also heading toward an electrified future. Porsche has already said that it will roll out plug-in hybrid versions of all of its models, including the flagship 911 sports car.
But Porsche has much more in mind: The company showed off a stunning (and fast) electric sports car concept last year and subsequently indicated that something very much like it is headed for production later this decade. I expect that it will follow the Audi SUV by about a y...