Audi A6 e-tron concept – the next e-volution
- Audi presents fully electric luxury-class Sportback concept car
- New technology platform: Premium Platform Electric (PPE) beginning in 2022
- Fast charging with 270 kW – range of more than 700 km
Audi is resolutely pushing ahead with its “e-volution” towards electric mobility and will be unveiling the forerunner of an innovative family of fully electric, production cars – the four-door Audi A6 e-tron concept – at the Auto Shanghai 2021 show. A completely new technology architecture, the “Premium Platform Electric,” or PPE for short, will serve as the technology platform for these vehicles in the future. Beginning in late 2022, the first production cars in the C- and later also B-segment will be relaunched with PPE technology, including – a first in the market for electric vehicles – both SUVs with a high ground clearance and dynamically styled models with a lower ride height, such as the upcoming Audi A6 e-tron.
Sporting the Audi A6 emblem, the concept car underscores its place in the brand’s luxury-class model series. This model has represented the brand in one of the world’s highest-volume segments since 1968 – initially, and until 1994, as the Audi 100. First the Sedan, Avant, and allroad, then later the Sportback – which was introduced as the A7 – rounded out the model family. An electrified drive system already has a long tradition in the Audi A6 – after a full hybrid version that was released back in 2011, the current Audi A6 TFSIe made its debut in 2019 with a plug-in hybrid drive and an electric range of up to 91 kilometers (NEFZ).
Unlike the latter, however, the Audi A6 e-tron concept being exhibited at the Auto Shanghai 2021 show relies exclusively on electric power, based on the future PPE platform developed under Audi’s leadership. At the same time, it also represents an entirely new design concept – the only thing it has in common with the current A6 are its dimensions. The 4.96-meter-long, 1.96-meter-wide, and 1.44-meter-high body is designed as a Sportback, and its lines are an obvious reflection of the systematic advancement of Audi’s current design language.
The Audi A6 e-tron concept exterior model making its debut in Shanghai is far more than just a simple design exercise – its body is a foretaste of Audi’s future production models and provides clear indications of just how dynamic and elegant the electric-powered luxury class from the brand with the four rings will look.
For its part, the PPE technology will ensure that what the car’s lines imply is actually translated into dynamic driving performance and everyday suitability befitting use as a primary vehicle. Specifically, this means that depending on the selected drive system and model version, an Audi A6 e-tron is expected to boast a range of more than 700 kilometers (based on the WLTP standard) in the future – and the most powerful members of the family will sprint from 0 to 100 km/h in less than four seconds.
E for e-tron, E for elegant – the Audi A6 e-tron concept’s design
Based on its dimensions, the Audi A6 e-tron concept is clearly a representative of the luxury class – 4.96 meters in length, 1.96 meters in width, and 1.44 meters in height, the same as the current members of the Audi A6/A7 series. With its dynamic proportions and elegant lines, including the fastback design typical of the brand, it’s obvious at first glance that this vehicle was conceived in a wind tunnel.
Aerodynamics has always played a key role in Audi’s long history of success in the luxury class. The cW value of the Audi 100/C3 remains legendary – at the time it was the aerodynamics world champion across all classes, and with its cW value of 0.30, Audi was already far outperforming its competitors as early as 1982, and continued to do so for many years to come. With its flowing lines, the third generation of the Audi 100 also revolutionized and profoundly transformed automotive design in the luxury class, which until then had been highly conservative. Now the Audi A6 e-tron concept is writing a new chapter in this success story, proving once again that the brand always combines form and function in a perfect symbiosis. A cW value of just 0.22 is unprecedented in the electrified C-segment. In layman’s terms, this means the car exhibits minimal aerodynamic drag – which initially translates into lower energy consumption and therefore extended range. At the same time, the fine-tuning in the wind tunnel has once again resulted in an organic design with exceptional elegance and harmony down to the last detail. Large 22-inch wheels and short overhangs, the flat cabin, and the wide coupe roof arch give the vehicle proportions distinctly reminiscent of a sports car. The absence of hard edges results in smooth transitions between convex and concave surfaces throughout the body, as well as in soft shadows. The Audi A6 e-tron concept appears monolithic, as if from a single mold – particularly when viewed from the side.
The slope of the rear side window is a typical feature of Audi Sportback window design; as a result, the D-pillar rises up from the stable base of the vehicle’s rear end in an especially streamlined manner. The eye-catching quattro wheel arches effectively accentuate the width of the body and are simultaneously integrated organically into the side surfaces.
The wheel arches are connected by the specially sculpted battery area above the rocker panel, which is highlighted with a black inlay – a design element that is now a hallmark of the Audi brand’s fleet of electric vehicles. Also typical of Audi e-tron models are the sleek, camera-based virtual exterior mirrors at the base of the A-pillar.
Looking at the front, it is immediately apparent that the Audi A6 e-tron concept is an electric-powered representative of the brand with the four rings. A characteristic feature is the large enclosed Singleframe grille, which is bordered at the bottom by deep air intakes for cooling the drivetrain, battery, and brakes. The flat headlight bezels extend far into the sides of the laterally sweeping front end, underscoring the horizontally aligned architecture of the vehicle body.
The influence of the wind tunnel on the rear end is unmistakable. The upper rear end is shaped to create an aerodynamically functional breakaway edge. And in the lower section, the rear diffuser’s generously sized air outlet is integrated into the spoiler area.
This element channels the air that flows under the vehicle in a manner that reduces turbulence – a perfect combination of reduced aerodynamic drag (i.e. the cW value) and minimized lift.
