The nominee list for the numerous categories for this year’s World Car Awards was dominated by electric vehicles, of which there were many newly launched to the market in the last twelve months.
The World Car of the Year category to World Luxury Car and even the World Car Design of the Year featured number of EVs. One could see it as a sign of the times, but to further drive home the growing potential of electric vehicles in the changing automotive landscape, the Audi E-tron GT Quattro has won the WCA’s Performance Car award.
The electrification drum has most certainly been beaten of late, with constant innovations and new models within the EV market, the practicality and appeal of these silent movers has grown, and one could argue that in many regards, they are now are on equal footing with ICE vehicles. Audi plans to exclusively produce electric vehicles from 2026 onwards. All of the firm’s production plants will also conform to standards and practices that are in line with the desire to adopt carbon neutrality.
Surprisingly, this electrified newcomer has managed to trump industry favourites such as BMW’s titanic M3 and M4 nameplates, as well as the revitalised and the esteemed Toyota GR86 and Subaru BRZ. While the M siblings sport ridiculous power figures and the reborn GR86 and BRZ counterparts are great handling cars, the E-tron seems to slot in between these contrasting attributes with an electric flair.
Sporting a dual-motor setup propelling this two-tonne behemoth from 0 to 100 km/h in just under four seconds, the E-tron GT delivers a sensational driving experience from the lap of luxury. Although the power delivery is not quite the same as in the M4, the E-tron’s flair and exciting design coupled with everyday usability and state-of -the-art performance seems to have won over the jurors.
In the end, the four-ringed electric sedan came out on top. While this isn’t the first time one of Audi’s range toppers has achieved success in the competition, it is the first instance of one of the firm’s electric vehicles having been awarded such a prestigious victory. The Audi R8 was the last car born from the Ingolstadt stable that received the “World Performance Car” award.
Over one hundred jurors were involved in the testing and voting process and eligible cars in this category needed to be rooted within the idea of being performance-orientated.
“The Audi E-tron GT Quattro proves that electric mobility can be sustainable, dynamic, and fascinating all at once. That’s why it is an important part of our commitment to electric mobility,” said Oliver Hoffmann, a Member of the Board of Management for Technical Development at Audi.
The Audi E-tron GT has recently gone on sale in South Africa and pricing starts at R2 715 000.
Keyword: Audi E-tron GT dubbed World Car Awards Performance Car of 2022.