Audi wants to break the mold when it comes to its future family of SUVs, and a zero-emission Q5 could play a part in this.

Helping the VW Group-owned brand reinstate its “green” credibility after the cheating emissions scandal, the electric vehicle is said to hit the assembly line at the brand’s new factory in San Jose Chiapa, Mexico, which has seen a $1.3 billion investment and will build 150,000 cars annually.

There is not an exact date yet as far as when production will commence, but the factory has already started “training personnel”, as two sources “with knowledge of the project” have confirmed with Reuters. The San Jose Chiapa plant will produce the petrol-powered Q5 at first, while the electric version should follow it “in the near term”.

Audi’s electrification plan has been partially confirmed before and we already know that zero-emission variants of the Q1 and Q8 will hit the market by the end of the decade, while the anticipated Audi Q6, which will be inspired by the Quattro Concept, shown in Frankfurt last year, is expected to make its way into production in early 2018.

Note: Next-Gen Audi Q5 prototype pictured

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