e-tron

Make
Audi
Segment
SUV

Audi's first electric mass-production vehicle, the e-tron, combines electric power and zero emissions with that revered badge and the quality that is typical of every Audi. While we always expected the e-tron to do well, Audi has made some bold claims about the e-tron's sales figures, dubbing it the world market leader in its segment and the top-selling electric SUV in Europe.

This bodes well for newer Audis that also wear the e-tron badge, such as the 2021 Audi e-tron S and e-tron S Sportback. Naturally, Tesla fans are likely to look at Audi's claims with some doubt, so is it really true? Well, according to Audi, global deliveries of the e-tron increased by a massive 86.8 percent in the first half of 2020 compared to the same period last year, in spite of the effects of the pandemic.

A total of 17,641 e-trons found new homes around the globe. In Norway, which has long shown an affection for EVs, an incredible 92 percent of all Audi deliveries there were for the e-tron.

Worth noting is that the Tesla Model Y, which is expected to become the brand's best-selling vehicle, is only slated to launch in Europe next year when Tesla's Gigafactory outside Berlin is completed.

According to CarSalesBase, the more expensive Model X sold 1,483 units in Europe from January to April 2020 (May and June's figures aren't yet available). Audi did not release specific European sales figures for the e-tron, but in Q1 alone, it moved nearly 8,000 units - more than five times that of competitors like the Jaguar I-Pace and Mercedes-Benz EQC.

In the US, the e-tron has sold 2,872 units in Q1 and Q2 combined compared to just 1,046 examples of the Jaguar I-Pace. Audi says that US e-tron sales have jumped 50 percent relative to 2019. The only question that remains is whether the e-tron is indeed outselling the Model Y, which has only been on sale for a few months. In total, Tesla delivered 80,050 Model 3 and Model Y models globally in Q2 alone, but the automaker did not say what the split was between these two. It's no secret that the Model 3 is selling strongly in multiple markets, though.

What does it all mean? Audi's claims appear to be spot-on: the e-tron is a hit and, at least until the Model Y reaches Europe and other regions for us to get a clearer picture, Audi's EV should continue to dominate.