Audi’s A6 successor is an E-Tron
BY PETER BARNWELL | 2nd Aug 2024
AUDI’S growing battery electric E-Tron line-up now includes four mid-size models that buck the SUV trend in the shape of rear-wheel drive A6 E-Tron Sportback five-door coupe-style liftback and Avant (wagon) along with performance-enhanced S6 E-Tron Quattro versions of both.
These newcomers are the first fully electric Audis available in mainstream passenger car body styles, with a local launch scheduled for the first half of 2025.
Icing on the cake is the fact that the A6 E-Tron Sportback is the most aerodynamic Audi of all time, rated at a low Cd 0.21 to assist a claimed range of more than 756km (or about 80km less for the sportier S6 version).
Competitors will be few given the hatchback and wagon configuration with cross-shopping possible against the Mercedes-Benz EQE, BMW i5, Polestar 4, Lexus RX450e Genesis GV60.
Both body styles are on Audi’s PPE platform, the brand’s second model line to use it (as well as the Porsche Macan), the BEV-specific architecture claimed to deliver strengths of performance, range, efficiency, and charging and a flat floor.
The latest E-Tron models have a “clean” design which Audi says places a focus on dynamism, progressiveness, and elegance, a look heightened by the handsome front and rear accentuated by slimline lighting to give a flat and wide appearance on the road.
A black mask surrounds the closed and inverted single-frame faux grille reflecting the electric-specific design language of all E-Tron models while the headlights and other functional elements such as the ADAS sensors and air intakes are integrated to make them almost invisible.
Both body styles have low rooflines, adding drama to the low stance and consequent efficient aerodynamics complete with “Quattro blisters that enhance their sculptural and muscular shape”.
The Avant in particular is characterised by a flat roofline with the D-pillar sloping steeply forward. Its rear has a continuous and three-dimensional light strip to distinguish it from other Audi models.
Nine wheel choices are available starting with a 19-inch five-arm unit designed as an aero wheel as standard ranging up through 20-inch and 21-inch model dependent while eight exterior colours are available at launch including the standard Magnetic grey solid as well as Glacier white metallic, Typhoon grey metallic, and Mythos black metallic.
Two blue shades Plasma blue metallic and Malpelo blue metallic are also available. Daytona grey pearl effect and Siam beige metallic are reserved exclusively for the S line variant and the S model.
Depending on the equipment level, the new A6 can shape up as a bit of a tech fest, with second-generation virtual exterior mirrors, a panoramic glass roof that becomes opaque at the touch of a button, and illuminated rings at the rear.
Audi says the soft wrap interior is geared towards the users’ needs, the three-dimensional and high-contrast design deliberately placing elements in the foreground or background creating a spatial architecture tailored to the occupants in terms of design and ergonomics.
The MMI panoramic curved display with OLED technology consists of the 11.9-inch Audi virtual cockpit and the 14.5-inch MMI touch display and together with the 10.9-inch MMI front passenger display forms a “digital stage” with visually clear design.
Android Automotive OS runs the infotainment system offering over-the-air updates with a broad selection of connect services and apps as standard. Available are a selection of apps for music, video, gaming, navigation, parking and charging, productivity, weather, and news services. Audi says its app store is constantly expanding and will soon offer a connection to Chat GPT
Bang & Olufsen audio is also available, with headrest loudspeakers among the 20 installed backed by an 830-watt amplifier.
Propulsion is by “compact and efficient” electric motors through an 800v lithium-ion battery system newly developed for the PPE consisting of twelve modules and 180 prismatic cells with a total gross capacity of 100kWh (94.9 kWh net) to give a claimed range of “over” 756km in the A6 Sportback E-Tron and “over” 720km in the A6 Avant E-Tron.
The RWD A6 E-Trons have a system output of up to 270kW for a zero to 100km/h in 5.4 seconds and v-max of 210 km/h while the Quattro S6 E-Trons have a system output of 370kW (405kW with launch control) for a 0-100 km/h sprint in 3.9 seconds claimed.
Depending on the market, further models with rear-wheel drive or Quattro will follow at a later date.
The 800v technology and a maximum DC charging capacity of 270kW as standard for shorter charging stops. The A6 Sportback E-Tron, for example, can be recharged at appropriate High Power Charging (HPC) stations for range replenishment of up to 310km in ten minutes.
Keep going and the state of charge (SoC) increases from 10 to 80 per cent in 21 minutes due to the use of predictive thermal management while an advanced recuperation (regenerative braking) system that Audi says can handle about 95 per cent of everyday braking processes further helps range.
“The A6 E-Tron is the first purely electric Audi model available as a Sportback and Avant,” said Audi AG chair Gernot Döllner.
“Its striking design enables the best aerodynamics in the portfolio and therefore greater efficiency. It will inspire enthusiasm for e-mobility with its long range of well over 700 kilometres and outstanding driving dynamics.”
