Sedans are dead, or so we were told. And yet, as true as that is for traditional gas cars, EVs are flipping the script. The new Audi A6 Sportback e-tron is the brand’s newest EV, and it’s a handsome thing. We’ve gotten a little sneak peek, and what we’ve seen so far is good.
We weren’t supposed to see this just yet. However, leaks happen. CocheSpias and one Mike Juergens were kind enough to share it on Twitter. From the drop, it looks just how you’d expect. It’s a smooth four-door liftback with a shrouded grille, reminding you this is very much an electric vehicle. Perhaps the biggest outright surprise is that Audi’s photos show it off in a kind of Supersonic Band-Aid color.
Opinions on beige aside, it’s a car with some polarizing features. The overall proportions are clean enough, but the details elevate it to something greater. The sideskirt treatment, rear lighting design, and bold red badging all do their part. As do the slimline camera-mirrors. You’ll either love the sportier touches, or find the detailing overwhelming rather than impressive. But enough about aesthetics—what about the rest?
The Sportback will also be joined by the Avant wagon version—of which no images are yet available. No conventional sedan (with a trunk) will be offered. Yes, Europe is keeping the wagon dream alive, even as America turns ever more towards the SUV. Rumor has it a wilder RS6 Avant e-Tron may also be in the works as a tribute to the legendary combustion-powered models of years past.
Since it’s a leak, we don’t have full specs yet. But the leak tells us that energy consumption is expected to be around 3.90 to 4.43 mi/kWh. For a reasonably sized battery around 100 kWh or so, you’d expect the A6 e-tron to easily do over 300 miles on a single charge. (I mean, technically with those specs it should do over 400, but we’ll see the EPA ratings when they drop later).
Audi have previously confirmed the sleeker, more aerodynamic A6 will deliver longer range than the Q6 e-tron, which is EPA rated for 307 miles of range. The leaked press release confirms the model has a devastatingly slippery drag coefficient (Cd) of just 0.21, while the Avant achieves 0.24. This was achieved after running over 1,300 simulations and countless hours in the wind tunnel. A neat detail we learn is that tweaks to the sideskirts on the Avant version alone scored an extra 5 miles (8 km) of range.
The new electric A6 is based on Volkswagen’s Premium Platform Electric. It’s the same platform underpinning the Q6 e-tron and the EV Porsche Macan. It’s an 800V platform, which is a big aid to fast charging. As a guide, the Q6 is able to charge from 10-80% in just 21 minutes at rates of up to 270 kW. The A6 should achieve similar numbers.
Audi first previewed the model with a concept version in 2021, shown off in a more appealing silver shade. At that time, the concept was said to offer 470 hp from its dual-motor all-wheel-drive setup. No word on whether or not that’s confirmed for the production model—we’ll have to wait for the official launch tomorrow to find out. With the Q6 e-tron offering 456 horsepower, the A6 might be closer to that figure in reality.
We’ll have to wait for Audi’s full reveal for details on pricing and timing. In any case, the A6 e-tron is expected to reach customers sometime around late 2024 or early 2025. It marks a further step for Audi towards electrification, as the broader Volkswagen Group increasingly leaves combustion power behind.
Image credits: Audi
Oh well. If this is how Audi’s brings the fight to Tesla/Lucid/etc, then Audi is toast
I don’t understand Audi. A7 is their sport/liftback body style. A6 is either a sedan or a wagon.
Mmm idk is that red badging bold or does it look like a high schooler “modding” their first honda…
The tech and range are good.. otherwise pretty forgettable. These new Audi interiors are a hot mess
Remember when Audis were so cleanly designed that they were referenced as “Bauhausian”?
Pepperidge Farm remembers.
(What an overdesigned mess)
Audi still hasn’t gotten over Peter Schreyer leaving, so they made this car look like a Hyundai Sonata.
I get the impression the designers felt that the first generation A7 looked a little bit too handsome, so they needed to correct course with this.
Oooh jeez, there we go again with split headlights. I really have a problem with split headlights. Are they somehow an improvement over traditional lights? Do we really need more squinty looking cars? Is there an end to this madness? Designers, why don’t you stop copying this awful trend, and start getting a bit more CREATIVE with your headlight design? This is super dumb. And super ugly. It was okay on a Nissan Juke, it doesn’t need to exist on a luxury sedan.
Those black plastic side trim pieces really emphasize the wasted space that EV’s have to contend with. It looks as thicc as the new Toyota Crown (which I presume would be a lot more practical on the inside.)
And yet Lucid was able to design their car without resorting to such visual stupidity.
Hmmm….
They plan to beat Lucid and Tesla by making it look like a Hyundai?
The EV formula is simple: MAKE WHAT YOU ALREADY MAKE, JUST WITH AN ELECTRIC MOTOR.
This is almost as pathetic as the 50 year old accountant sweating bullets as he tries to hold on to his toupee as he parties with da yutes.
It looks way better in teal than whatever the kitchen counter hell this is, but even then it looks… I dunno, chubby? It has a ton of “dazzle camo” styling, the way SUVs do, because it’s got a lot of bulk to hide, namely its reported >60″ height. That’s a 5″ growth spurt over the concept, and <1″ from an EV6. And I don’t think you can blame batteries: the XC40 Recharge battery adds 1.2″ from roof to skidplate, and the Electrified G80 gains just 0.2″.
No, looking at the interior photos, I think the A6 is a victim of the normative power of sports and/or utility. The headroom is like a grey cathedral, the legroom is cavernous, and the seats seem to proudly advertise that “upright, commanding” near-vertical driving position that a certain SUV-obsessed generation lusts after.
This is not a sedan, it’s a crossover trimmed down to give the impression of a sedan. And who am I to say that Audi is wrong here? Sedans are dead. Hatchbacks are dead. Wagons are dead. If you want to sell anything but a Canyonero, you have to make a convert from the SUV market, so you’d better appeal to their sensibilities.
Don’t get me wrong, if an A6 leapt into my driveway, I wouldn’t exactly turn it down. It’s far from hideous (especially compared to modern competition), it’s still an 800V liftback, and I’m all about that. But by the time this depreciates into my wage bracket, I’m guessing something else will have filled that spot already.
Similar to the B10 A5, I think a lot of the height comes from a compromise between a sedan and a sleek sportback. Now that the true sedan versions of both cars are dead, the roof had to come up to make space for rear passenger headroom while also keeping a liftback form. Look at the B9 vs B10 and look at this vs an A7 sportback. Something had to give.
Yeah and that height ruins the efficiency in the highways speeds. Even if the Cd is low, it’s only half of the equation.
I think the WV platform is just not suitable for sedans. I guess they cannot add slots for the feet in the battery pack so that they could get it lower.
Totally agree. I have a B9 A5 Sportback now and have been thinking the A6 e-tron could be my next car. I am underwhelmed by these photos. Too bulky/bloated compared to the sleek look of the current gen A5 and A7. That said, if it has a nice interior and the other specs are good, I’d probably deal with the looks. I’m curious to see it in black – maybe it would have a slimming effect.