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Audi revealed what the inside of its Tesla challenger will look like, and it's impressive

Brian Pascus   

Audi revealed what the inside of its Tesla challenger will look like, and it's impressive
Finance2 min read

Audi Etron

Audi Media Center

  • Audi revealed the interior of its 2020 E-Tron all-electric SUV at an event in Copenhagen last week.
  • The car showcases multiple cool features, notably a virtual side mirror system that replaces traditional mirrors sticking out of the sides of cars.
  • The car is expected to retail at $89,000 once it hits the market sometime next year.

Audi unveiled it's all-electric 2020 E-Tron SUV this week, a direct competitor to Tesla's Model Y car and the newest addition to a cross-over market that is expected to see a flood of new vehicles hit the market in the next year.

At a recent event in Copenhagen, Audi revealed details about the car and what the interior features of the E-Tron will include for drivers. The 2020 E-Tron is a three-motor all-wheel-drive electric SUV with 429 hp, the latest in a line of electric and hybrid cars that were originally developed by Audi in 2009.

While the 2020 E-Tron SUV is undoubtedly impressive, one feature stood out: its virtual side mirror systems. Instead of having traditional side mirrors jutting off the car, the 2020 E-Tron boasts two small cameras (reducing the weight of the car's exterior and dramatically shrinking its width). The cameras then display live images of what's outside the car onto two seven-inch OLED screens snugly placed under the window and above the door handle on both the driver and passenger sides. The camera angles can be pre-programmed by the driver to help with merging into traffic, parallel parking, or making difficult turns.

U.S. regulators have not yet approved the camera technology, so as of right now the feature will only appear in European versions of the E-Tron.

Audi has indicated that the car will achieve 250 miles in the Worldwide Harmonized Light Vehicle Test Procedure (WLTP) and that it will only require 30 minutes to charge up to 200 miles worth of driving at a 150 kW station. Recent admissions by Nissan about the charging capacities by its own electric vehicle, the Leaf, have left some consumers skeptical of charging promises.

Back inside the driver's seat, the dashboard creates basically a virtual cockpit and showcases some cool stuff. There is a double-screen Multimedia Interface (MMI) system where the upper touchscreen handles navigation, music, and phone apps; the lower screen monitors climate controls for the driver and passengers. There are also a multitude of buttons on the steering wheel.

Additionally, the car features a 16-speaker, Bang & Olufsen-sourced 705-watt premium audio system which should be pleasantly amplified by the fact that Audi says it has sound-proofed the E-Tron's body so that wind and road noise are sealed off from disturbing the driver. All in all, it sounds like a pretty cool package.

The car is expected to be listed at a starting price of $89,000. Take a look inside at its high-tech interior.

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