Janelle Monáe Presents the Audi RS e-tron GT

In this new ad from Audi, Janelle Monáe asks the question of whether we can have both reason and fun, luxury and mindfulness, speed and longevity? Why can’t we have both? The idea is that we can, with the Audi RS e-tron GT.

Okay, okay, okay, aside from the automotive marketing jargon, Audi and Monáe actually have a good point, regarding the RS e-tron GT. Not only is it an incredibly fast car but it also burns not a drop of fossil fuel. Not only is it agile and exciting to drive but it’s also comfortable and practical. It’s a car with very few compromises (if you don’t count a 200-mile range as a compromise).

The Audi RS e-tron GT is both the brand’s flagship performance car and its flagship EV, which isn’t always the case with automakers. With two electric motors; one at the front axle and one at the back; the RS e-tron GT makes 637 horsepower and 612 lb-ft of torque. That helps it get from 0-60 mph in a claimed 3.0 seconds but we’ve seen several journalists clock 2.8 seconds, which makes it as fast as the R8 V10 Performance. It’s a rocket ship.

More importantly, though, it’s fun to drive. It might not be quite as precise as the Porsche Taycan but, as we’ve seen in the hands of Chris Harris, it can be every bit as fun and even more of a hooligan. So the Audi RS e-tron GT is just as capable of going fast laterally, as it is in a straight line.

And yet, it can travel over 200 miles in a single charge. That might not be the best range in the business, and it’s quite a bit lower than most Teslas, but it’s more than enough to be useful for 90 percent of most customers’ journeys. So, yes Janelle Monáe, you can have both with the Audi RS e-tron GT.