Audi e-tron 50 cost 25% less because it drives 25% less than e-tron 55. The price is on par with Tesla Model 3 Performance.
Audi announced in Norway prices of the e-tron 50, a slimmed-down version of the e-tron 55 with only a 71 kWh battery instead of 95 kWh.
As it turns out, the Launch Edition at 499,000 NOK (€49,940/$55,432) is about 25% cheaper than the e-tron 55 (662,900 NOK) which is about exactly the same as the difference in battery capacity (24 kWH or 25%) and range (300 km or 408 km WLTP).
Audi e-tron is one of the best-selling electric cars in Norway (2,783 new registrations in the first seven months of this year), but it’s not clear whether there will be high interest in a shorter range version. In winter, the range of the e-tron 50 might be significantly lower than 300 km, which might not be something that premium car buyers would like to see.
Interesting finding from Teslarati is also that the e-tron 50 is now comparably priced to the Tesla Model 3 Performance (499,900 NOK), which however can go up to 530 km (329 miles) under WLTP test cycle. The Standard Range Plus version with a range of 409 km (254 miles) WLTP starts at 367,700 NOK. Of course, those are a different type of cars, but at least if range is considered, it will be difficult to win customers.
In U.S. Audi e-tron 55 starts at $74,800 (before destination charge and federal tax credit deduction), which means that the e-tron 50 might start at $56,100 with over 150 miles of EPA range (if it will be offered).
Source: Audi, Tesla, Teslarati