AUDI has given its strongest hint yet at the looks of its new all-electric Q4 e-tron which is due to arrive in 2021.

The German brand has now launched the model as a concept coupe which it says will be the basis of a production car.

It joins the Q4 e-tron which was first seen at the Geneva Motor Show in 2019 and the new Sportback variant will become the seventh fully electric Audi.

Andrew Doyle, director of Audi in the UK, said: "With the Q4 e-tron concepts we are outlining our plans to cascade e-tron technology into the compact SUV class."

He added: "Like the two e-trons that paved the way for them, both versions are hugely attractive interpretations of the SUV and Sportback brief underpinned by the very latest electrification technology."

The two Q4 e-tron concepts are the first Audi models to be built on the Volkswagen Group's modular electrification platform (MEB), which will provide the foundations for a number of electric vehicles from the compact class upwards.

With almost identical measurements - both are 1.9 metres wide with a 2,77 metre wheelbase - the Sportback is slightly longer and lower at 4.68 metres in length and 1.6 metres high, one centimetre more than the regular Q4 e-tron.

Audi says the new model has a range of up to 310 miles and performance versions of the car have an electric motor on each axle to give all-wheel quattro driving characteristics.

The electric motor on the rear axle has an output of 150kW and delivers peak torque of 310Nm while the front unit supplies the front wheels with up to 75kW and 150Nm. The full system output is 225kW.

In most circumstances the car will be driven by the rear wheels with the front brought into play only when required and both versions of the Q4 will have a 0 to 60 acceleration time of less than 6.3 seconds with a top speed restricted to 111mph.

Recharging to 80 per cent battery capacity can be done in 30 minutes from rapid charge points.

By 2025, Audi intends to offer more than 20 models with all-electric drive in the most important markets worldwide and achieve roughly 40per cent of its sales with electrified models.

The SUVs within this portfolio include the e-tron and the e-tron Sportback. In addition, there will be a range of models with classic body layout such as the Avant estate cars and Sportback vehicles.

Audi says the range will cover every relevant market segment from the compact class to the luxury class.