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Audi has unveiled the A6 e-tron, which replaces the ICE-powered A6 globally. The A6 e-tron comes in two body styles – Sportback and Avant, and in four variants – A6 e-tron, A6 e-tron performance, A6 e-tron quattro and the S6 e-tron. It features Audi’s radical new design language, fresh interiors and is based on the PPE platform. This unveil follows Audi’s Audi’s announcement where they said odd numbers (3,5,7) will be reserved for combustion engine models and even numbers (4,6,8) for electric vehicles. The A6 e-tron Sportback should make it to India and there is also possibility that the Avant would make it here – how exciting is that!
The design language of the A6 e-tron aligns with Audi’s new EV design and architecture. At first glance, the A6 e-tron looks like a younger cousin to the RS e-tron GT. Up front, you get split headlamps with LED DRLs up top, with multiple signature animations. There’s a blanked-out singleframe grille, possible since an EV doesn’t require cooling. The bumpers look aggressive, even on the standard non S / RS models, a clear indicator of how Audi is pivoting towards sportiness. The A6 e-tron rides on 19-inch wheels and the S6 e-tron rides on 20-inch wheels and standard, while 21-inch wheels are optional for all variants. The tail lamps bear a resemblance to the e-tron GT, but there’s a new LED light bar with illuminated rings. The Sportback gets a hatch at the rear and the body ends in a spoilertail. The car also gets digital ORVMs, flush door handles and a 27-litre frunk storage. The Avant is Audi’s first all-electric Avant model and gets similar features as the sedan but with the estate bodystyle, comes more luggage carrying capacity.
The A6 e-tron’s cabin gets Audi’s new interior design architecture, similar to the Q6 e-tron and the A5. Taking centrestage inside the car is an 11.9-inch OLED panoramic curved instrument cluster and a 14.5-inch infotainment system, paired with a Bang & Olufsen sound system. There’s also an optional 10.9-inch LCD passenger-side screen available, but its downside is that the driver can still see the passenger display while on the move, unlike some cars such as the Porsche Cayenne which have a filter to keep this from distracting the driver. The big change compared to the Q6 e-tron and A5 is the panoramic sunroof with a switchboard to control the opacity, and digital screens on the front doors for the relay of the ORVM camera.
At the entry level, Audi A6 e-tron gets a single motor that makes 281bhp and drives the rear wheels only. It gets an 83kWh battery with a WLTP claimed 610km range. One step up in the range is the A6 e-tron performance also gets the same motor that drives the rear wheels but makes 362bhp. The A6 e-tron quattro does what it says on the box – gets AWD. It gets two motors (one on each axle) that make a combined 422bhp. Topping things out is the sportier S6 e-tron. With two motors (one on each axle), it makes 496bhp (543bhp with launch control) and can go from 0 to 100kmph in 3.9 seconds. The Audi A6 e-tron performance, A6 e-tron quattro and the S6 e-tron get a 100kWh battery with up to 750km WLTP claimed range. Using a 270kW charger, Audi claims that the cars with the bigger 100kWh battery can juice up from 10 to 80 per cent in just 21 minutes.
The Audi A6 e-tron will rival the BMW i5, which is on sale in India in its M60 variant at ₹1.19 crore and the Mercedes-Benz EQE sedan (not available in India yet). The Audi RS6 was the last Avant model to be sold in India and while the launch dates for the A6 e-tron for India aren’t disclosed yet, it seems likely that we will get the Sportback and the Avant. And what’s next for Audi? The Q6 e-tron Sportback.
