German luxury car maker Audi on Monday took the wraps off of its new Q6 e-tron premium SUV, built on the company’s new architecture PPE (Premium Platform Electric), at the company’s main factory in Ingolstadt, Germany.

The new luxury electric SUV comes with a range of 625 km and joins Audi’s e-tron SUV family—the Q4 e-tron (for the premium entry segment) and Q8 e-tron (upper premium segment). The new 4.8-metre length Q6 e-tron1 is positioned in the premium midsize segment and offers space for five passengers.

“We will have electric offerings in all car segments by 2027. Our goal remains clear and the focus will be on offering fully electric cars,” said Gernot Döllner, Chairman of the Board of Management of Audi AG, at the world premiere in Ingolstadt. 

With a range of more than 600 km, innovative battery charging management with 800-volt technology and completely a new electronics architecture, Q6 e-tron1 is the next technological leap in premium electric mobility for our customers, he added.

The new Q6 e-tron comes in two variants—Q6 e-tron quattro and SQ6 e-tron—and both are powered by a newly developed lithium-ion battery consisting of twelve modules and 180 prismatic cells with a total gross capacity of 100 kWh.

The Q6 e-tron quattro accelerates from 0 to 100 km/h in 5.9 seconds, while SQ 6 e-tron will take just 4.3 seconds. The vehicles’ top speeds are 210 km/h and 230 km/h, respectively.

Thanks to 800‑volt technology and a maximum charging capacity of 270 kW as standard, short charging stops are possible with the Q6 e-tron1. Up to 255 km can be recharged in just ten minutes at high power charging stations. The state-of-charge (SoC) increases from 10 to 80 per cent in around 21 minutes.

“This product is the starting point for the wide product initiatives we are launching—not only electric cars but next-generation ICE cars,” he added.

The brand with four rings also plans to launch A5 and Q5 as the first set of products on the new premium platform combustion. “Having a new generation of highly efficient ICE cars, the launch of more and more electric cars will give us the flexibility to meet customer needs in the coming years,” said Döllner.

Launch plans for the Indian market will be announced later. Audi India already offers 4 electric models for Indian customers.

The new Q6 e-tron will be produced out of a new line at the Ingolstadt factory where the company has also created a battery unit with a capacity of 1,000 units a day. A new 30,000 square feet production line has been established for the battery assembly with 90 per cent automation and 72 robots.

Audi registered a little over 50 per cent increase in its electric vehicle sales in 2023 when compared with 2022 and EVs make up 10-12 per cent of the company’s sales.

This correspondent is in Ingolstadt at the invitation of the company

Related Topics
comment COMMENT NOW