The new electric Audi A6 e-tron arrives as a Sportback or Avant – and with S6 versions too. Goes on sale in the UK on 2 September.
Audi joins the German premium mid-size EV race with this, the new electric A6 e-tron, taking aim at the BMW i5 and Mercedes EQE.
Rather than deliver an EV blob – like the Mercedes EQE – or simply add electric power to an ICE car – as BMW has done with the i5 – Audi looks to have managed to deliver a very slippery car – vital for an efficient EV – that actually looks good and has bespoke EV underpinnings offering good efficiency and long range.
As we reported yesterday when Audi teased the A6 e-tron, this production version of the A6 e-tron stays close to the A6 Avant Concept we saw a couple of years ago, with just the more fanciful bits changed for production.
Underpinned by the new Premium Platform Electric architecture (PPE) which comes with an 800V electrics and supports a range of drivetrains, battery sizes and motors.
In the A6 e-tron that means RWD in the regular models, powered by a 94.9kWh battery which Audi reckons is some 30% more energy dense than those in the Q8 e-tron and e-tron GT, promising range of 466 miles and the Sportback and 447 miles in the Avant.
The entry-level A6 e-tron’s motor delivers 362bhp – good for 0-62mph in 5.4 seconds – with the, for now, range-topping S6 e-tron getting an extra motor at the f front to deliver 496bhp, boosted to 543bhp if you use launch control to get to 62mph in 3.9 seconds. Expect a much more powerful RS6 to follow.
Inside, things are pretty similar to the new Audi5, with an 11.9″ driver display, 14.5″ infotainment and (optional) 10.9″ passenger display and, if you spend more, a pair of camera door mirrors.
Audi says the new A6 e-tron and S6 e-tron Sportback and Avant will go on sale in the UK on 2 September with prices and specs revealed then, but expect the starting price to be over £60k.
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