What's all this about?
This is a coupe version of the Audi e-tron Concept SUV we saw at the tail end of 2015, and the newcomer, debuted at the Auto Shanghai show in China, is called the Gran Turismo e-tron Sportback Concept.
OK, is it much different to the e-tron SUV?
Nope. The e-tron Sportback has exactly the same three-motor (one front, two back) electric drivetrain set-up, making 435hp in normal conditions and 503hp on overboost. It has the same 312-mile quoted range and a 95kWh lithium-ion battery pack mounted between the axles in the floor. It has the same futuristic exterior appearance, the Gran Turismo Audi featuring 250 LEDs arrayed in two 'light fields' either side of its single-frame grille. The 0-62mph time is just 4.5 seconds and the e-tron Sportback is said to have a 52:48 front-to-rear weight distribution. In short, it's simply the coupe version of the Audi e-tron Concept SUV. As we said at the outset.
So is it much less spacious inside?
Not really, although it is only a four-seater. It does also display the three-screen Audi Virtual Cockpit that we saw at a technical day in Germany last year, this cabin originally slated for the next-generation Audi A8.
Why is Audi debuting this in China?
Dr Dietmar Voggenreiter, member of the board of management for Marketing and Sales at Audi, explained both the Shanghai debut and the company's e-tron vision going forward: "We have made a conscious decision to give the Audi e-tron Sportback its first showing here in Shanghai, because China is the world's leading market for electric automobiles. In the next five years, we will be offering five e-tron models in China, including purely battery-powered vehicles with ranges well in excess of 312 miles, such as the Audi e-tron Sportback."
Matt Robinson - 19 Apr 2017