The Revamped Audi Q4 e-tron: Faster Charging & More Range

Audi has announced significant upgrades to its Q4 e-tron EV in both the sportsback and sedan editions, including increased range and greater charging capacity.

The vehicle has been a popular offering. At Volkswagen's multi-brand site in Zwickau, Germany, 70,877 models of the Q4 SUV e-tron and Q4 Sportback e-tron were produced in 2025. 

This latest upgrade comes as both Audi and its owner Volkswagen Group seek to reorient themselves towards the Chinese market, releasing Chinese exclusive models and partnering with Chinese automakers.

The Q4 e-tron EV

Audi offers the Q4 e-tron as both an SUV and Sportback, each with two battery sizes: 63 kWh and 82 kWh respectively.

The enhanced Q4 Sportback e-tron performance now offers up to 592 km of range. An earlier Audi top model, the Q4 50 e-tron quattro, delivered roughly 478 km. 

In both offerings, the maximum SUV charging capacity has increased from 175 kW to 185 kW. 

The high-voltage battery charges from 10% to 80% in roughly 27 minutes. For the Q4 Sportback e-tron quattro performance, it is possible to add 185 kilometres of range in just 10 minutes.

The Q4 e-tron is the first Audi model to support bidirectional charging. Its high-voltage battery can both receive energy from the grid and feed it back to external devices.

Marco Schubert, Member of the Audi Board of Management for Sales and Marketing, says: “With this product upgrade, the Audi Q4 e-tron is not only more modern and striking in appearance but also impresses with an improved interior.

“New features and numerous improvements to the vehicle make the electric entry point into the Audi brand even more attractive, for families and our fleet customers.”

Deliveries of the models are expected in Europe in the summer of 2026

Audi’s place in the EV market

Audi, a subsidiary of Volkswagen Group, reported growth in its EV sales in 2025, with 223,032 electric cars delivered, compared to 164,480 in 2024, a year-on-year increase of 36%.

Audi’s CEO, Gernot Döllner, said when announcing the company’s 2025 results: “Geopolitical uncertainties and global competitive pressure kept the automotive industry on its toes again last year."

Volkswagen Group announced plans in March 2026 to cut 50,000 jobs across its German operations by 2030 as the automotive manufacturer grapples with a significant decline in profitability. 

Despite this, Audi saw relative stability in 2025 despite the issues faced, with an operating profit of €3.4bn (US$3.97bn) which is down from EUR€3.9bn(US$4.558bn) the year before.

Gernot continued: “In times like these, Audi has the right answers and takes bold decisions.

"In 2025, we introduced the first model from AUDI, our China-exclusive sister brand, and previewed a rigorously clean new design.

"We will continue to push our renewal forward in 2026, launching key new models, focusing on strong partnerships, and entering Formula 1 for the first time.”

Audi’s expansion into China

Audi is expanding into China, the world’s largest and most competitive EV market. It has two partners in the country: FAW and SAIC. 

The company produced some models of the Q4 SUV e-tron at FAW-Volkswagen’s site in Foshan, China in 2025, but did not disclose the exact amount. 

In total, Audi produced 584,902 vehicles in China in collaboration with its partners in 2025. 

Its models in the Chinese market span EVs and ICE vehicles. Under its Chinese sister brand AUDI, the company recently unveiled the AUDI E7X, a fully electric SUV exclusively for the Chinese market. 

Volkswagen has partnered with XPENG as part of its own “In China, for China” strategy, with the jointly developed ID.UNYX 08 recently rolling off the production line.