1,800 Guests Including Journalists and Influencers

Gents and ladies, dressed in suits and dresses, enjoyed a cruise of about an hour and a half, gazing at the spectacular view of San Francisco Bay bathed in the red hues of the setting sun, champagne glasses in hand.


As night fell and San Francisco Bay was enveloped in darkness, the ship docked at a pier in Richmond, on the opposite shore of San Francisco. Before the guests' eyes, a colossal structure appeared, illuminated by projection mapping, while overhead, a formation of 850 drones outlined Audi's symbol, the Four Rings, and the e-tron logo. The guests were instantly captivated by the entertainment, which utilized digital technology befitting the world premiere of the e-tron, and erupted in cheers.

The 'Crane Way Pavilion,' the event venue, is an event hall with a vast space of approximately 42,000 square meters, renovated from a factory completed in 1931 and designed by American architect Albert Kahn. It is characterized by its state-of-the-art green technology, including a 1-megawatt solar panel installed on the roof. It could be said to be the perfect location for Audi to unveil its first EV.

Page 2.DJ Diplodocus Appears at After-Party, Venue Transforms into a Giant Club

DJ Diplodocus Appears at After-Party, Venue Transforms into a Giant Club

Stepping inside the venue, dramatic lighting and drone effects, similar to those outside, created an atmosphere that felt as if a fashion show or rock concert was about to begin, leaving guests in awe. Soon after, Abraham Schot, CEO of Audi AG, took the stage set up within the venue. Thus, the grand event commenced.

'We have brought together the collective power of our designers, engineers, dealers, and customers to create something truly special: the Audi e-tron, our first electric vehicle. We have merged our 100-year history as a premium car manufacturer with a new world of electric mobility. Audi is pioneering the new trend of mobility known as autonomous driving and is taking electric vehicles to a new level. The time is now.'

As he finished speaking, the e-tron, painted a striking blue, appeared on stage, and the venue erupted in thunderous applause.

At the after-party following the presentation, the world-renowned DJ and techno musician Diplo's beat-driven techno music further enhanced the dramatic atmosphere of the e-tron's world premiere, infused with Audi's latest technology. In the venue, transformed into a massive club space, guests savored the lingering excitement of the grand show while marveling at the unveiled e-tron.

Audi, a premium car brand forging the future through technology. This time, at a hip event hall renovated from a historic building, we experienced a creative and entertaining show blending digital art and music with guests invited from around the globe. It strongly reinforced the perception that Audi is not merely a car brand, but a lifestyle brand.

Page 3.'Tech Park' Held at San Francisco's Legendary Civic Auditorium

'Tech Park' Held at San Francisco's Legendary Civic Auditorium

What kind of car is the e-tron, signaling the dawn of Audi's new era? About 10 hours before the world premiere, a 'Tech Park' was held to showcase and present the e-tron's technical highlights, including its design, chassis, and powertrain. We will delve into that event first.

Bill Graham, the legendary promoter who operated historic music venues like the Fillmore West in San Francisco and the Fillmore East in New York, fostering the Flower and Psychedelic movements. The venue for Tech Park was the Fillmore Auditorium, named after this rock legend and known for hosting numerous legendary concerts.

Inside, in addition to exhibits and presentations about the e-tron, the venue was a veritable auto show, featuring displays of the 'PB18 e-tron concept,' a futuristic high-performance sports car unveiled at the 2018 Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance, the fully autonomous concept car 'AICON' exhibited at the 2017 Frankfurt Motor Show, and a Formula E car.

The e-tron, a full-size SUV, measures 4,901mm in length, 1,935mm in width, and 1,616mm in height. Its size falls between the Audi 'Q7' and 'Q5' in the lineup. Combined with a long wheelbase of 2,928mm, it offers a spacious interior comfortable for five adults and a luggage capacity of 660 liters.

The styling, which Marc Lichte, Head of Design at Audi AG, described as 'achieving perfect harmony between technology and design,' inherits Audi's design DNA. This is evident in its wide proportions, compact cabin, sharp and three-dimensional matrix LED headlights, and fenders adorning the wheel arches.

Notably, it features an octagonal Singleframe grille. According to Marc Lichte, while the grille doesn't require cooling functions as there's no engine at the front, it was deliberately retained as an Audi design identity to express the brand's character. However, the use of platinum gray for the grille color also adds a unique touch to the e-tron.

Page 4.Audi's First Virtual Exterior Mirrors

Audi's First Virtual Exterior Mirrors

As Lichte stated, 'We have improved fuel efficiency by reducing air resistance,' and aerodynamics was a major theme in the exterior design. In particular, when equipped with the optional Virtual Exterior Mirrors—which replace traditional door mirrors with small cameras projecting images onto interior OLED displays—the drag coefficient (Cd) achieves a class-leading 0.27 for the SUV segment. This excellent aerodynamic performance reportedly extends the driving range by approximately 40 km per charge.

The benefits of the aerodynamically optimized body extend further. In EVs, the absence of engine noise makes wind noise relatively more noticeable, but superior aerodynamics also contributes to the cabin's quietness.

The e-tron's chassis was also on display at Tech Park. According to the powertrain engineers, the vehicle is equipped with one electric motor on the front and one on the rear axle, providing all-wheel drive. The distribution of driving torque between the front and rear axles is continuously varied based on road and driving conditions.

The two electric motors together produce an output of 265 kW and 561 Nm of torque. Selecting S mode on the shift lever and pressing the accelerator pedal fully activates the boost mode, increasing output to 300 kW and torque to 664 Nm. The 0-100 km/h acceleration takes 5.7 seconds, with a top speed of 200 km/h (electronically limited). The estimated driving range exceeds 400 km, primarily due to an innovative regenerative system.

Production of the e-tron has already begun at Audi's CO2-neutral factory in Brussels, with deliveries in Europe scheduled for the end of 2018. The price in Germany has been announced starting at €79,900.

Audi aims to launch 12 electric vehicles in major cities worldwide by 2025, making electrified models account for approximately one-third of its total sales. The company announced the pure electric GT, the 'e-tron GT concept,' at the Los Angeles Auto Show in late 2018 and will debut the 'e-tron Sportback,' a derivative of the e-tron, in 2019, demonstrating steady progress towards mobility in the new era of electrification. The world premiere event 'The Charge' for the e-tron undoubtedly left a deep impression on the 1,800 guests from around the world, not only regarding Audi's latest technology but also the brand's future vision and worldview.


This short program was broadcast on National Geographic.

• Detailed Information on the Audi e-tron