Audi just revealed its cheapest electric SUV yet, the Q4 E-Tron starting at less than $45,000

• Audi unveiled two new electric crossovers on Wednesday: the 2022 Q4 E-Tron and Q4 E-Tron Sportback.
• The base model will cost under $45,000 and have a range of around 250 miles, Audi said.
• The twin EVs will hit US dealerships toward the end of 2021.

Audi on Wednesday unveiled a pair of new electric crossovers: the 2022 Q4 E-Tron and Q4 E-Tron Sportback. Their addition to Audi's lineup slashes the entry price for an Audi electric vehicle by more than $20,000.

The two EVs will hit US dealer lots toward the end of 2021 with a starting MSRP of less than $45,000, Audi says. And that's before the federal tax incentive that could effectively knock the price down another $7,500.

The two models are essentially twins, with the Sportback version aimed at customers interested in sacrificing a bit of trunk space for a roof that slants down in the back. Audi says they're roughly the same size as its gas-powered Q5 SUV.

They're Audi's fourth and fifth battery-powered vehicles for the US market, after the larger E-Tron and E-Tron Sportback crossovers and the E-Tron GT sport sedan. A 2021 E-Tron will run you at least $66,000.

The entry-level, single-motor Q4 40 E-Tron will be able to travel around 250 miles on a charge, according to Audi's estimates. That range puts it in the same wheelhouse as many other EVs on the market, but behind Tesla, whose "Long Range" Model Y crossover has an EPA-estimated range of 326 miles.

There will also be a Q4 50 E-Tron and a Q4 50 E-Tron Sportback, which come equipped with an extra motor powering the front wheels. Those models will put out 295 horsepower, compared to the base version's roughly 200.

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Audi didn't release range figures for the dual-motor Q4 models but said they will be nearly as efficient as the single-motor version thanks to a system that switches on all-wheel drive only when the extra power or traction is needed.

Inside, buyers get a 10.1-inch touchscreen display and a 10.25-inch digital instrument cluster as standard, and those desiring more screen can opt for a larger 11.6-inch display.

Audi is also offering an augmented-reality display that shows some driver-assist and navigation information as if it's floating in front of the windshield. A Sonos sound system is available too.

The duo of lower-cost EVs is all part of Audi's plan to have 30% of its global lineup be electrified (that is, fully electric or hybrid) by 2025. Audi says it plans to have more fully electric models on the US market than any other luxury brand by the end of 2021 - and it's making good headway toward that goal. BMW currently only sells the i3 hatchback, while Mercedes-Benz doesn't sell any EVs at all in the US yet.