Here’s a fun fact – Audi has been selling a Q6 for more than a year. You might not have heard of it because it’s available only in China where it has combustion engines. An entirely different Q6 will go global in 2024 when the Four Rings will introduce this Q6 E-Tron. Completely electric and underpinned by the PPE platform co-developed with Porsche, the EV has been spotted without any camouflage. That said, there’s still some protective wrap on its body.
Eagle-eyed readers will notice we are dealing with two prototypes. One is the conventionally shaped Q6 E-Tron while the other is the coupe-styled Q6 E-Tron Sportback with its sloping roofline. These are production-ready prototypes with all the final bits in place, revealing 99 percent of the exterior design. As part of the tie-up with Audi, Porsche will have its very own version by rolling out a next-generation, electric-only Macan in 2024.
The styling is typical E-Tron as the Ingolstadt-based luxury marque isn’t taking any design risks. If you’re thinking it looks like an enlarged Q4 E-Tron, you’re not alone in your assessment. Audi is certainly playing it safe with the design of its two new EVs rather than coming out with something more daring. That’s not to say the electric SUVs look boring but a bit more variety would’ve been nice. In its defense, the Q6 E-Tron does seem better proportioned than the Q4 E-Tron, but to each his own.
Although car paparazzi couldn’t peek inside since the Q6 E-Tron models were caught from afar, Audi has already revealed their cabins. As expected for an EV coming out in 2024, the two will share a screen-heavy interior with an 11.9-inch OLED driver’s display, a 14.5-inch infotainment, and a 10.9-inch screen for the front passenger. Naturally, the two EVs will be more spacious than the smaller Q4 E-Tron models, which sit on the less sophisticated MEB arhitecture.
When we drove a prototype back in July, Audi told us there would be Q6 and SQ6 variants with a dual-motor setup and a 100-kWh battery pack. The regular model is going to have an estimated 375 horsepower while the hotter one will pack 483 hp, with a temporary boost to 510 hp. The SQ6 is going to need less than four and a half seconds to hit 60 mph from a standstill.
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Audi has said the new Q6 models will be roughly the same size as the combustion-engined Q5 but with shorter overhangs and a longer wheelbase. This will be possible by achieving better packaging thanks to a dedicated electric platform. An adaptive air suspension has been confirmed, along with an 800-volt electrical hardware and regenerative braking. The EVs have been developed to support a maximum charging power of 270 kW, in which case it’ll take about half an hour to juice up the battery from 10 to 80 percent.
Arriving next year, the Audi Q6 and SQ6 will have to face stiff competition from day one by going up against the Mercedes EQE SUV and the AMG EQE SUV. We mustn’t omit the Tesla Model Y as well as the Polestar 3 and Maserati Grecale Folgore.
