For all the attention Audi's silent and sexy electric e-tron concept is getting, building the two-seat, four-motor EV apparently has been emasculating. What else could explain all the tough-guy posturing we've seen lately?
Though the e-tron stole the limelight at the Frankfurt auto show and was even sexier in person at the Los Angeles Auto Show, Audi seems to be overcompensating for something. First there was the ridiculous claim the e-tron produces 3,319 pound-feet of torque (which we admit falling for until a reader set us straight). Turns out Audi is measuring torque at the wheels, not at the motors' output shafts like everyone else.
Now it's doing the grip-and-grin with California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger -- perhaps to invite comparisons to another muscle-bound, Teutonic force that took L.A. by storm. Heck, in the Terminator movies he was battery-powered, and those LED-headlights are reminiscent of the creepy glowing eyes on Model 101.
The jokes were just too plentiful for us to enjoy by ourselves, so we're letting readers in on the fun. Welcome to the Autopia WTF? Caption Contest: Governator Edition.
We've seen the guv promote green technology from behind the wheel of an exotic car about as often as we've seen him threatening a dire future for cash-strapped California, so it comes as no surprise that he was at the L.A. Auto Show checking out the e-tron. Audi seemed pleased he stopped by.
"We believe the e-tron will become a lasting icon of electronic vehicle design, so it’s great fun to share it with a green-design supporter like Governor Schwarzenegger in these early stages," Audi marketing and sales board member Peter Schwarzenbauer said.
If it's true Schwarzenegger is too big to fit in his Tesla, he might be a future customer for the e-tron, which falls between the TT and R8 size-wise. If anything, it might prove the e-tron isn't for girlie men.
Your turn. Use the Reddit widget to tell us what Ah-nold is saying about the e-tron and vote for your favorite caption. You know the rules: Include an e-mail address. If you get the most votes, you get a prize. No e-mail, no prize.
To help get your creative juices flowing, we've included a bonus photo of the Governator in the new R8 Spyder.
Photos: Audi
While you can submit as many captions as you want, you can only submit one every 30 minutes. No HTML allowed.
