Electric car, the return of the revenge sedan

Several electric sedans will be launched in the coming months. What is to overshadow the SUV armies?

I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but as manufacturers flood the market with electric SUVs, driving in these types of machines seems increasingly unpopular, for a variety of reasons that have already been mentioned several times.

Accused of all sorts of evils (polluting the environment, dangerous for pedestrians, taking up too much space, etc.), SUVs are now also the target of hordes of “activists” who have found nothing better than to deflate their tires to supposedly save the planet while parking rescue . Worst of all, electric SUVs are no exception to these somewhat silly moves. Given this, it is not surprising that political environmental protection has long declared war on the car, regardless of its mode of propulsion, and it is certain that the electric vehicle will not long escape its secular arm. E-bikes will probably be next, then muscle bikes. Then the shoes.

So will the limousines long escape the blind vengefulness of these Che Guevaras of Valve? Not sure. In the meantime, they don’t seem to have caught the attention of their Avenging Hand.

All the more reason to take a look at the current market and take a small inventory of the forces in place, with promising new products set to land by 2023. If we count the current models already marketed in Europe, such as the Tesla Model 3 and S, the Porsche Taycan, the Audi e-tron GT, the Mercedes EQS and the BMW i4, we can count on more than a dozen available ones Electric limousines count, say in the next 18 months. I don’t know about you, but personally it makes me happy.

What cars are we talking about? Of these.

Hyundai Ioniq6

Gradually unveiled as part of a teaser lasting several months, the Ioniq 6 was finally officially presented in its final dress at the end of June. We have been there. Of course, as is so often the case in this case, the version to be marketed no longer quite resembles the first living room prototypes, but the idea is there. That of a fairly long car (almost 5 meters) and very streamlined, with a line that leaves no one indifferent – ​​which means, without using the language of the wood we love or hate – a front end with a very eighties design and an interior that presents all the trappings of an excellent premium. The machine will likely inherit the characteristics of the Ioniq 5 with which it shares the E-GMP platform, notably with an 800 volt architecture that allows for very fast charging and a 77 kW battery that will have a range of up to 600 kilometers guaranteed (so between 400 and 450 in real life, which is not so bad).

Audi A6 etron

The manufacturer with the four rings has made electric powertrain a priority and promises a fully electrified range by 2030. The transition is already in full swing as Audi already has no fewer than 3 models and 6 100% electric versions in its catalogue. However (see above), four of the six models are currently SUVs, and Audi doesn’t want to forget its clientele, used to large, comfortable sedans. The Audi A6 e-tron concept presented in Shanghai in 2021 is contemporary and shows what the mid-size and electric sedan of the future will look like. If we are to believe the figures presented by the brand, the sedan, which looks superb if its line stays true to the presented concept, will be able to travel around 700 km on a single charge, according to WLTP figures. The Audi A6 e-tron is scheduled to hit the market in 2023.

BMW i7

After the i4, which started arriving at the first customers a few months ago and had a good critical success, BMW has shown that it has learned quickly in the transition to electric. And it has only just begun, because the Bavarian manufacturer is already preparing the arrival of an electric 7 Series, simply called the i7. The design is likely to be pretty devastating (if it doesn’t fall into some pretty serious flaws, particularly seen on its electric SUVs), but of course this new big German’s level of luxury should continue the Series 7’s tradition of excellence, in electric version, and inevitably very high-tech. In terms of performance and autonomy, BMW announces 544 hp and more than 600 km of range. At a high price, of course, because it will cost at least 135,000 euros for a “basic” version, but it is already well endowed.

Mercedes EQE

In terms of finishes (obviously), size, equipment, driving pleasure, comfort and autonomy, the Mercedes EQE could well represent something like the ideal electric sedan. This mid-range flagship announces a range of between 459 and 712 kilometers, depending on the version, and its latest-generation MBUX infotainment system promises to be one of the most advanced on the market, especially when viewed on the hyperscreen, that impressive touch screen, that covers the entire dashboard. While Mercedes goes to great lengths to hide its prices, whether on its website or in the downloadable PDF “Prices” brochure where they don’t appear, we know the EQE will start at €75,000 when one relies on configurator. Definitely not Mr. Everyman’s car, but ultimately relatively reasonable given the beast’s merits.

Volkswagen ID.AERO

A good “classic” sedan that will not really surprise you with the boldness of its shapes or its technical characteristics, but which will certainly serve its purpose. Volkswagen has been struggling a little to deploy its first electric models, particularly a promising ID.3, but it may have come a little too early with its many teething problems, particularly in terms of finishes and the reliability of its on-board computing. . All that now seems to be a thing of the past, and with the ID.4 and ID.5 the lineage is confirmed. The future ID.7 sedan shows a successful pencil line, which also translates into a CX of 0.23 and an efficiency that would allow around 600 kilometers of autonomy.

Clear air

An “exotic” and not yet marketed in Europe, but it won’t be long before the American manufacturer has recently opened a representative office in Germany. The Lucid Air is a bit the electric sedan of all superlatives. More powerful than a last generation Tesla Model S, it also offers better autonomy, up to the production car with the longest range in the world with more than 830 kilometers according to the EPA standard (hence even more according to the European WLTP standard) . This car represents the best of today’s electric sedans, so much so that it literally enchanted our colleague Soufyane during his exclusive test drive a few weeks ago. Of course, skeptics will counter that “more” doesn’t necessarily mean “better” and that a car of this weight, performance and price doesn’t quite have the sobriety desired when it comes to a bit of the environment.

NOK ET7

Already available in Norway, the NIO ET7 is a Chinese sedan (sorry, but it’s a bit unavoidable in the market we’re interested in) that offers a lot of advantages. It has two engines, one in the front and one in the back. These combine an output of 480 kW or 650 hp and the sedan has a torque of 850 Nm. Thanks to this cavalry, the electric sedan can accelerate from 0 to 100 km/h in 3.9 seconds. But also the Nio ET7 could make the difference with its three battery packs with a capacity of 70 kWh, 100 kWh and 150 kWh, which would allow it an autonomy of 500 to 1,000 kilometers.

XPeng P7

Come on, a little last one – also in Chinese – for on the go, and last but not least. A sedan without big surprises on the line side, but which also has some under the hood. I had the opportunity to sit on board for some first static handling during the EVS35 show in Oslo last June and I was impressed by two things: the level of workmanship and comfort on board and the fluidity and number of operating system commands. Not to mention the ability to power open the front scissor doors with a simple press of the central screen (or by voice command). Not really important, but it will if you want to show off a bit. It is already available in Norway and offers two engines. The first is a drive version with 196 kW of power or 266 hp. The second version has four-wheel drive and two engines for a total power of 410 hp.

Sony Vision S01

The surprise of CES in Las Vegas 2020 or when an electronics giant is proud to launch an electric car (and connected, of course). What first seemed like a pure exercise in style has become a realistic concept in a matter of months and we now know that Sony will be producing this car in collaboration with Honda. Or an elegant sedan with lines reminiscent of the Porsche Taycan or the Hyundai Ioniq 6. In terms of performance, we would be at a respectable 0 to 100 km/h in 4.8 seconds and a top speed of 240 km/h. However, we don’t know anything about autonomy and the release date is a bit beyond the scope of this article since we are talking about 2025. But it was worth mentioning… and maybe waiting.

Finally

That’s it, that’s it for the moment, but it’s not bad, although you will have noticed that there is no French woman in this inventory and that we see no trace of her on the horizon, not even in the distance. That being said, we’ll settle for this list while of course waiting for that truly ideal sedan we all want, that is, the line of an Audi, the efficiency of a Tesla, the finish of a Mercedes, the charging power of a Hyundai and the in-car -Technology of a Lucid. Everything for less than 40,000 euros including all options, of course. And if possible French, let’s be crazy.

Where do we sign?