All of it will be revealed next spring.
Audi is fashionably late to the EV party but it’s still working hard to bring new zero-emissions models to market. The Q6 Etron will be arriving in 2022, following the Etron GT and the Q4 E-Tron /Q4 Sportback Etron that were revealed earlier in the year. It will not share a platform with an existing ICE-less production vehicle from the Four Rings.
The sedan rides on the same J1 platform as the Taycan, and the Q4s use VW Group’s ubiquitous MEB architecture. Meanwhile, the new Q6 E-Tron is one of the first to receive the Porsche-developed PPE platform. This model will be a separate model, with the Macan’s next generation coming exclusively in EV form.
The spy shots have shown us a larger Q4 Etron. This new rendering by Motor.es emphasizes this familiar, upsized appearance. Ingolstadt, Germany’s next electric SUV will be similar in size to the Q5, but have a larger interior than the Q7. We are left wondering why the E-Tron SUV is so expensive. It was built on a platform that was originally designed for cars with combustion engines. Therefore, the packaging has been compromised.
Audi already confirmed that the PPE will be capable of 350-kW charging, rear-wheel steering, torque vectoring, and air suspension. None of these options are available on the QRon, Skoda Enyaq, or the VW ID.4. The battery can be charged for up to 300 miles (483 km), which isn’t bad, but it is not extraordinary.
Audi will continue to offer the gasoline-powered Macan, just like Porsche, until the EV arrives in 2023. However, the Q5 will remain in the Audi lineup for a while before it discontinues the ICE-powered model. There are rumors about a Q6 Sportback E-Tron, and an RS Q6 E-Tron. Both will have close to 600 horsepower and a huge 612 pound-feet (830 Nm) of torque. This is all thanks to a Quattro-AWD system. It’s too soon to tell if these reports will come true.