The New Audi A6 Goes All-Electric with Up to 543 HP & 750 KM Range

The new Audi A6 goes all-electric, featuring both Sportback and Avant versions.

This is it. Audi has finally peeled the wraps off the new Audi A6, which now goes all-electric for its next-gen iteration. The electrification of the A6 is part of Audi’s lineup revamp plan, where we also saw the A4 being outright replaced with the A5 as the marque’s new combustion-powered saloon and wagon models.

As for the new A6, now known as the A6 e-tron, this new EV saloon is essentially an all-electric version of the A7, with said model set for a major facelift, and will arrive as the combustion-powered counterpart of the A6 e-tron.

Audi A6 Sportback e-tron (left) & A6 Avant e-tron (right)

Back to the new A6 e-tron, the new model arrives in both Sportback and Avant body styles, with both of them closely mirroring their respective concept twins unveiled a few years ago. Key design highlights include the split matrix LED headlights, a more prominent front grille surround, broadened full-width OLED taillights with eight different digital lighting signatures, and many more.

Depending on the variant, the new A6 e-tron’s wheel sizes range from 19 to 21 inches, all featuring different designs.

More importantly, the new A6 e-tron’s sleek design isn’t just for show, as Audi put a strong emphasis on the aerodynamic performance, where over 1,300 simulations and extensive wind tunnel tests had been conducted on the model. 

As a result, the new A6 e-tron is officially Audi’s most aerodynamic model to date, with the Sportback version featuring a very impressive drag coefficient rate of only 0.21 Cd. Meanwhile, the A6 e-tron Avant claims the title of the most aerodynamic station wagon in its class, with a drag coefficient of 0.24 Cd.

The new Audi A6 e-tron gets the same interior layout as the Q6 e-tron EV SUV, featuring a triple-screen setup at the front dash.

On board, the new A6 e-tron gains some design cues from its tall-riding siblings, notably the new Q6 e-tron EV SUV. Both the front dash and centre console are largely carried over from said EV SUV model, with the former featuring a triple display setup comprising a 11.9-inch digital instrument cluster, a 14.5-inch central infotainment display, and a 10.9-inch touchscreen for the front passenger. Just like the Q8 e-tron, the A6 e-tron also gets optional digital side mirror cameras instead of physical side mirrors.

Besides the plush upholstery and sleek interior trims, other luxury amenities primed here include the panoramic glass roof that can be dimmed at the touch of a button, a four-zone climate control with a fragrance dispenser and built-in ioniser, plus a 20-speaker Bang & Olufsen premium audio system.

The new A6 e-tron underpins the same PPE architecture used on both the Audi Q6 e-tron and Porsche Macan EV.

Just like the Q6 e-tron EV SUV, the new A6 e-tron also underpins VW Group’s new Premium Platform Electric (PPE) architecture, which is also being used on the group’s other electrified products, notably the new Porsche Macan EV. At launch, the A6 e-tron is offered in three powertrain flavours, with Audi promising more to come in the future, including a souped-up RS6 e-tron.

For starters, the baseline A6 e-tron Performance uses a single, rear-mounted electric motor setup rated at 362 HP (270 kW), which is good enough to allow a quick century sprint finish of 5.4 seconds. Those who want more grunt can opt for the A6 e-tron quattro model, which gets a peppier dual-motor all-wheel drive (AWD) setup that delivers 422 HP (315 kW).

Audi S6 Avant e-tron

Sitting atop the current A6 e-tron family tree is the sporty S6 e-tron, which gets a much peppier dual-motor AWD setup that produces a combined output of 496 HP (370 kW). Said figure can be temporarily increased to 543 HP (405 kW), allowing the car to accelerate from 0-100 KM/H in just 3.7 seconds, while its V-Max is electronically capped at 240 KM/H.

Battery-wise, all three variants of the A6 e-tron get the same 100-kWh battery pack, granting healthy EV range figures of 720-750 KM for the A6 e-tron and over 640-670 KM for the S6 e-tron, depending on the body style. Thanks to the PPE’s 800-volt battery architecture, the A6 e-tron can support DC charging at up to 270 kW.

As for the rest of its mechanical setups, the A6 e-tron is offered with an optional adaptive air suspension system that features four ride height levels, providing a healthy degree of flexibility for owners.

In its native Germany market, Audi will be starting to take orders for the new Audi A6 e-tron later in Sept this year, with the baseline A6 Sportback e-tron Performance starting at €75,600 (RM372,636), while the sporty S6 Sportback e-tron will set buyers back at €99,500 (RM490,440).

Beyond the Old Continent, the new A6 e-tron is slated to make its landfall in other key international markets, meaning that there’s a huge chance we’ll be seeing this sleek all-electric saloon in our backyard sooner or later.