Audi A6 e-tron previews EV future

It’s not something that resembles the A6 you can currently buy, that’s for sure. That car’s not been with us for long and already, seemingly, we have a concept previewing its successor. It carries a number of styling tropes recently introduced with the e-tron GT – a body-coloured ‘grille’, black accents flanking, sharp lighting and a swooping roofline. 

At the back, we have a distinctive width-spanning light treatment with jewel-like highlights – simple but attractive. Again, this all feels like a departure from the current car that goes beyond a simple facelift. Note too, the Porsche 959-style width-spanning Whale-tail spoiler. Very cool...

There are projectors all around the car, that can beam images onto the ground, for instance, an arrow in addition to your indicators. Those front lights are, according to Audi, the thinnest they’ve yet made. With the three rows of customisable LED modules in the headlights, even they can even be used as projectors, allowing drivers to play games on their phone projected out from the lights. Some light entertainment while the car charges… though that might not be time enough to get a few decent rounds in.

The 800-volt architecture, first featured on the e-tron GT, is combined with a 100kWh battery, capable of charging from five to 80 per cent charge in 25 minutes. Audi claims around 180 miles (300km) of range can be added in 10 minutes when charging at max capacity. The big number? Total range is 434 miles (700km). Performance numbers are scarce as this is a concept, but the production versions are all mooted to be capable of 0-62mph in under seven seconds. There will be a rear-driven entry-level model, as with the Porsche Taycan and all-wheel-drive models will boast up to 470PS (346kW). RS-badged performance models are likely to follow with even more punch...

Underpinning the A6 is an all-new global premium platform, named ‘Premium Platform Electric’ or confusingly, PPE, for short. It’s due to serve as “a technology platform for vehicles in the future”. Premium models in the C- and B-segments are incoming, including high-riding SUVs and indeed, more traditional lower-riding models, like the A6 e-tron. It’s being developed by Audi in conjunction with Porsche, meaning we can probably expect it to underpin the coming all-electric next-generation Porsche Macan. We won’t be surprised if in the coming years, we get all-electric Bentleys using this new platform too. 

As for the immediate future, the first PPE-based model from Audi is due to go into production at the end of next year. Far from just an isolated concept previewing the future of a single model line, the A6 e-tron Concept with its new PPE underpinning is a big statement of intent.

Will you be pleased if the next A6 comes out looking like this? Is Audi’s premium all-electric future looking promising? Let us know what you think.