Making EV versions of established models is one-way automakers might win people back to sedans. This concept won't replace the gas-powered A6 but will join it in the Audi lineup.
Key Points:-
- The Audi A6 e-Tron, revealed today at the Shanghai auto show, is a concept for an upcoming production electric sedan that will be offered alongside the internal combustion engine version of the A6, not as a replacement.
- Audi says the stylized Sportback concept is "95 percent" of what the production car will look like.
- The A6 is built on the new PPE platform, a modular and scalable design that will allow Audi to design electric vehicles from sports cars to SUVs, and is the basis for an aggressive electric-vehicle release schedule.
Revealed alongside the Q4 E-Tron at the Shanghai motor show, the A6 E-Tron concept will be the second production car from Audi to use the PPE underpinnings. It will follow the Q6 E-Tron SUV, which has not yet been officially shown but will be revealed in the second half of next year.
Unlike the performance-oriented J1 underpinnings of the E-Tron GT, the PPE architecture is designed for premium-focused SUVs and lower-slung models in the B, C, and D segments. Porsche will first use the PPE for the all-electric version of the next-generation Macan, which launches next year as a sister car to the Q6 E-Tron.
The A6 E-Tron concept’s platform houses a 100kWh battery that gives a range of more than 435 miles. The PPE structure enables the battery pack to be spread out across the chassis for minimal incursion into the cabin. This flexibility allows the platform to be used for both high-riding and low-slung vehicles “without any changes to the basic architecture”, according to Audi. The wheelbase and battery size are scalable, while the wheels are pushed into the corners to maximize both front and rear legroom.
Audi A6 e-Tron
The A6 E-Tron has been revealed with a motor on each axle and combined outputs of 469bhp and 590lb-ft, but Audi says some PPE-based models will be offered with a single motor on the rear axle for improved range and a lower price. Like the E-Tron GT and Porsche Taycan, all PPE cars will come with 800V charging capability, allowing for charging at speeds of up to 270kW – a first, Audi says, for the “high-volume mid-range and luxury segment”. The firm estimates that some 186 miles of charge can be added in just 10 minutes.
An air suspension system with adaptive dampers features and a five-link set-up “specially optimized for electric vehicles” is fitted to the front axle, and there is a multi-link axle at the rear. The most potent variants – likely to be badged RS – will accelerate from 0-62mph in “well under” four seconds, while the more efficiency-focused models will be capable of the same sprint in less than seven seconds.
Not having to work around large front-mounted engines and bulky transmission tunnels gives the designers more creative space and passengers more cabin space. The A6 e-Tron has almost the same exterior dimensions as the current A6/A7 but should have an even more spacious interior. We can't say for sure, because Audi has yet to release any interior images, but it looks big from the outside.
Along with fast charging, the A6 e-Tron's use of digital lighting technology in the form of matrix LEDs and OLEDs allows for very slim lights that still meet all headlight and taillight safety requirements, and go beyond, to offer customizable designs, projected turn signals for added pedestrian warning, and even play video games. The headlights act as a projector if you park the car facing a wall. What a concept! Electric cars aren't just starting to look cool and be viable as alternatives to gas engines; they're fun, too.
-by Amaan Attar
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