Audi A6 e-tron goes official as the second model on the Premium Platform Electric (PPE)

As the second model on the Premium Platform Electric (PPE), the Audi A6 e-tron continues PPE's familiar product strengths of performance, range, efficiency, and charging. The model is available as an Audi A6 Sportback e-tron and Audi A6 Avant e-tron and impresses with its outstanding range and strong driving dynamics. It stands for progressive, expressive design and brings a new interior architecture tailored to the occupants in terms of aesthetics and ergonomics. It is also the platform's first model with a flat floor concept. The exterior is powerful, sporty, and perfectly proportioned. Audi's new design philosophy defines the interior.

The body’s clean design focuses on dynamism, progressiveness, and elegance. The front is simultaneously harmonious and expressive. The slim design of the daytime running lights and the wide grille make the A6 e-tron appear flat and wide on the road. A black mask surrounds the closed and inverted single frame, reflecting the distinct design language of the e-tron models. The main headlights and other functional elements, such as the Advanced Driver Assistance System (ADAS) sensors and the air intakes, are integrated into the dark mask, making them almost invisible. The rear conveys a mixture of sporty elegance and full power. A striking spoiler lip finishes off the rear of the Sportback, and the eye-catching rear diffuser further emphasizes the sporty and dynamic look of the rear.

The exterior of the Audi A6 e-tron differs between the variants basic, S line and S model. Up to eight exterior colors are available at market launch, including the standard color Magnetic gray solid as well as Glacier white metallic, Typhoon gray metallic and Mythos black metallic. They emphasize the exterior’s powerful and progressive design. Two blue shades, Plasma blue metallic and Malpelo blue metallic, are also available. Daytona gray pearl effect and Siam beige metallic are reserved exclusively for the S line variant and the S model.

The Audi A6 e-tron comes with 19-inch five-arm dynamic wheels, designed as aero wheels, as standard while the S line gets 20-inch "five-spoke tripod" wheels in graphite gray. The S6 e-tron comes with 20-inch wheels as standard. Stunning wheels up to 21 inches are available as an option. Nine distinctive designs - from sporty to elegant, are available, including six from Audi Sport. The A6 e-tron offers generous space, ultimate comfort, and everyday usability. It measures 4,928 millimeters in length and 2,137 millimeters in width (including mirrors), with a wheelbase of 2,946 millimeters. The Avant model is 1,527 millimeters high, while the Sportback model is 1,487 millimeters high.

Superior aerodynamics is a core component of the long history of successes for Audi. Optimal basic tuning and numerous detail optimizations contribute to excellent aerodynamics and ensure an exceptionally low cw value of 0.21 for the Sportback, making it the best Audi of all time in terms of aerodynamics and the most aerodynamic vehicle in the entire VW Group. The Avant also achieves a very good cw value of 0.24, making it one of the best in its segment.

The headlights and rear lights have a three-dimensional design and offer digital light signatures, bringing the physical and digital worlds together. At the front, the Audi A6 e-tron family offers digital daytime running lights with LED technology as an option as well as second-generation digital OLED rear lights. With around 45 segments per digital OLED panel, the A6 e-tron12 enables car-to-x communication and increases road safety. Turning to the second-generation digital OLED rear lights, ten OLED panels with 450 segments use a specially developed algorithm to generate a new image several times per second. A software module in one of the five domain computers of the Audi A6 e-tron makes this light signature possible. At the front, the active digital light signature is created by the algorithm’s interaction with twelve dimmable segments. At the rear, all digital OLED segments are used for this purpose. The individual light segments interact in such a way that the overall luminous intensity of the light signature does not vary.

The interior of the Audi A6 e-tron is consistently geared towards the users’ needs. The three-dimensional and high-contrast design deliberately places elements in the foreground or background, creating a spatial architecture tailored to the occupants in terms of design and ergonomics. The MMI panoramic display, with its curved design and 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. Active Privacy Mode allows the front seat passenger to enjoy entertainment content while traveling, such as watching movies or streaming series, without distracting the driver. Depending on the current speed, and seat occupancy, the light is directed (privacy mode on) or diffused (content visible to all). Audi is taking a significant step forward in display technology with the optional augmented reality head-up display (AR HuD).

The interior offers plentiful storage space and various compartments. The center console includes two cup holders, a cell phone charger, and a storage compartment below the armrest with over five liters of capacity. The trunk provides 502 liters of storage space in both the Avant and Sportback models. Folding down the rear seat bench increases the storage capacity to 1,422 liters in the Avant and 1,330 liters in the Sportback. The standard front luggage compartment (frunk) under the hood offers an extra 27 liters of space, ideal for small travel bags. The towing capacity is 2,100 kilograms.

An optional innovative panoramic glass roof further enhances the vehicles. In contrast to previous types, the panoramic roof’s smart glass minimizes direct sunlight and becomes opaque at the touch of a button. This works with PDLC technology (polymer-dispersed liquid crystal), which can switch from transparent to opaque. Electrically switchable glass components contain two PDLC film elements, between which the liquid crystals giving them their name float. If no voltage is applied, the crystals form an opaque layer, making the glass roof non-transparent. If voltage is applied, the crystals align so the roof becomes transparent. It can be individually controlled like a "digital curtain" via a button in the roof module; customers can choose from four presets.

The infotainment system uses Android Automotive OS as its operating system. The A6 e-tron12 updates its content via over-the-air updates. Therefore, the latest Audi connect services and the enhanced e-tron route planner, which comes as standard, are always up to date. Apps such as YouTube are available via the Audi Application Store for third-party apps, which is integrated directly into the MMI and does not require a smartphone to use. The Audi assistant has access to additional online content, such as weather and general knowledge. Via a connection to ChatGPT (provided via Microsoft Azure OpenAI Service) customers can interact with their car using natural language and listen to the information they would like to know while driving.

The Bang & Olufsen Premium Sound System with headrest loudspeakers ensures optimum sound. A highly efficient amplifier drives 20 loudspeakers with 830 watts of power. Four of these are integrated into the front seat headrests, enabling Audi to provide personal surround sound, personal navigation announcements, and one-on-one phone calls. Additional loudspeakers in the A-pillar and mid-range speakers create an incomparable 3D surround sound. The dynamic interaction light offers a variety of communication functions, supporting the vehicle's interaction with the occupants. It spans the interior and cockpit below the windshield in the shape of a generous arc.

Powerful, compact, and highly efficient electric motors and a lithium-ion battery newly developed for the PPE consisting of twelve modules and 180 prismatic cells with a total gross capacity of 100 kWh (94.9 kWh net) ensure a range of up to 756 kilometers (A6 Sportback e-tron) and up to 720 kilometers (A6 Avant e-tron). With a system output of up to 270 kW in the A6 Sportback/Avant e-tron performance (power consumption in kWh/100 km (62.1 mi) combined: 17.0-14.0; CO2 emissions in g/km combined: 0; CO2 class: A), the new Audi A6 e-tron provides the sporty driving experience Audi is known for. The Audi A6 e-tron performance accelerates from zero to 100 km/h in 5.4 seconds. Its top speed is 210 km/h. The S6 e-tron provides a system output of 370 kW (405 kW with launch control).

The Audi S6 Sportback e-tron and the Audi S6 Avant e-tron accelerate from 0 to 100 km/h in 3.9 seconds (power consumption in kWh/100 km (62.1 mi) combined: 17.4-15.7; CO2 emissions in g/km combined: 0; CO2 class: A). The top speed is 240 km/h. Its range is up to 675 kilometers (S6 Sportback e-tron3 ) and up to 647 kilometers (S6 Avant e-tron4 ). The A6 e-tron performance (270 kW) with rear-wheel drive and the S6 e-tron34 (370 kW) with quattro all-wheel drive, both as Sportback and Avant, will be available on launch. Depending on the market, further models with rear-wheel drive or quattro all-wheel drive will follow at a later date.

Thanks to 800-volt technology and a maximum DC charging capacity of 270 kW as standard, short charging stops are possible with the Audi A6 e-tron. This means the A6 Sportback e-tron performance1 can be recharged at an appropriate charging station (High Power Charging, HPC) for a range of up to 310 kilometers in just ten minutes. The State of Charge (SoC) increases from 10 to 80 percent in 21 minutes. Intelligent high-performance and predictive thermal management are key components of this impressive charging performance. Equipped with Plug & Charge, the vehicle authorizes itself at compatible charging stations when the charging cable is plugged in and activates the charging process. The charging process is fully automatic. If a charging station works with 400-volt technology, the Audi A6 e-tron can use bank charging. To enable this, the 800-volt battery is split into two banks, each with a voltage of 400 volts, which can then be charged in parallel with up to 135 kW. AC charging with up to 11 kW is possible at standard home chargers. A 22 kW AC charging option will be offered later.

The advanced recuperation (regenerative braking) system is an important component in increasing the efficiency and range of the Audi A6 e-tron. This system can handle around 95 percent of everyday braking processes. The Audi A6 e-tron recuperates up to 220 kW. The temperature and the battery’s state of charge play a key role here. Recuperation occurs on the front and rear axles, with minor deceleration handled by the rear axle for efficiency reasons. In addition, a higher regenerative braking performance is possible on the rear axle due to the more powerful electric motor.

The integrated Brake System (iBS) that is familiar in previous e-tron models has been enhanced significantly as part of the Premium Platform Electric. Now, the described axle-specific brake blending between the mechanical friction brake and regenerative braking via the electric motors is possible.

As is typical for Audi, the Audi A6 e-tron also offers the option of two-stage recuperation, which can be adjusted using the paddles on the steering wheel. Coasting is also possible. Here, the vehicle rolls without additional drag when the driver takes their foot off the accelerator pedal. Another variant of the A6 e-tron is the “B” driving mode, which comes close to what is colloquially called the “one-pedal feeling”. This mode offers the strongest recuperation deceleration. With an anticipatory driving style, almost all deceleration can be managed without pressing the brake pedal in driving mode “B”.

The directly tuned front axle significantly influences the driving dynamics of the A6 e-tron, making the vehicle feel particularly agile. The optional adaptive air suspension – an air suspension system with controlled damping – lends the vehicle a broad spread between high ride comfort and sporty handling. Depending on the speed and individual preferences, it adapts to specific road conditions and regulates the body’s ride height at four different levels.

The rear-biased all-wheel drive system in the Audi S6 e-tron enhances the driving dynamics with a highly variable torque distribution. The different dimensions of the electric motors on the rear and front axles enable rear-biased torque distribution even under full load. The Audi S6 e-tron and A6 e-tron are equipped with differently sized tires on the front and rear axles, further improving stability and sportiness.

The adaptive driving assistant plus is a new feature of the A6 e-tron. It supports the driver when accelerating, braking, maintaining speed and the set distance, and with lane guidance. This can increase driving comfort, especially on long journeys. In addition to various sensors, depending on the region, the system uses high-resolution map data and swarm data from other vehicles aggregated in the cloud to improve driving behavior. Applying this fusion of information, the vehicle calculates the route ahead to enable a comfortable driving experience across the entire speed range and in traffic jams.

Park assist plus, a reversing camera, the traffic sign-based speed limiter, camera-based traffic sign recognition, adaptive cruise control, park assist plus with distance display, lane departure warning, and distraction and drowsiness warning will come as standard at market launch.

The powerful, sporty and perfectly proportioned A6 e-tron and the S6 e-tron, both as Sportback and Avant, will be available to order from September 2024. Prices for the upper mid-range model at market launch are 75,600 euros for the A6 Sportback e-tron performance and 77,250 euros for the A6 Avant e-tron performance. The S6 Sportback e-tron costs 99,500 euros and the price for the S6 Avant e-tron is 101,150 euros. Further models with rear-wheel or quattro drive will follow at a later date, depending on the market. A model with a smaller battery will represent an attractive entry into the A6 e-tron family.