It appears that a test mule of the e-tron GT was spied cruising around in Ingolstadt traffic this week. The GT’s J1-chassis mate Porsche Taycan has already been seen testing a facelifted version, so it was probably only a matter of time before the GT followed suit.
As you can see, the car’s got cladding in all the typical “soft” areas. While stampings for body panels tend not to change in mid-lifecycle updates, components such as front fascia, side skirts and rear fascia do. Not surprisingly, it’s these key areas that are covered up by camouflage on the mule. Expect visual changes to centralize here, and of course the addition of Audi’s new simpler four ring logo design already seen on the updated Q8 e-tron and the updated Q8 ICE version.
If you take the Q8 e-tron as an example, it’s entirely likely that the J1-based e-tron GT will also get an upgrade with more efficient motors and optimized batteries. Similarly, Audi seems to be honing the drivability of its EVs too, so we wouldn’t be surprised to see more intentional use of torque braking either in Dynamic drive mode like the new Q8 e-tron, or with a more aggressive R (for regenerative) transmission mode as seen in the Q4 which shares transmission switchgear design with the GT. In EV parlance, regenerative braking and one-pedal-style regenerative modes were designed for putting power back into the batteries when slowing, but it also turns out to be a great way to control torque braking as one would do by shifting down in a multi-gear internal combustion application. Given the e-tron GT range is Audi’s most sporting EV offering, it is expected it will also benefit from these sorts of upgrades in its next facelifted evolution.
