Audi has unveiled its electric business saloon and station wagon, the A6 Sportback e-tron and A6 Avant e-tron. Both models are directly inspired by their concept versions from a few years ago, while the technical side is similar to the Q6 e-tron SUV launched earlier this year. And thanks to a very slippery design, the A6 e-tron manages a WLTP range of 750 km. Your move, BMW.

After a dry spell, partly due to software woes, Audi is finally relaunching new (electric) models. After the Q6 e-tron SUV usurped its older brother, the Q8 e-tron, threatening Audi’s Belgian production plant even further, the German manufacturer unveiled the technically related A6 e-tron.

A6 becomes EV, A7 with ICE coming soon

The A6 e-tron is not a direct successor to the current-gen A6 saloon and estate (Avant) models—they will soon be succeeded by the new A7, as Audi has started to differentiate its combustion-powered and EV models by odd and even model numbers, respectively. But the A6 e-tron is part of the same upper-mid business segment, where long range is king.

Audi has certainly one-upped its main rivals in this segment, the BMW i5 and i5 Touring. Whereas the i5 manages up to 582 km of WLTP range thanks to an 81.2 kWh (usable) battery, the A6 Sportback e-tron achieves a massive 756 km thanks to a 94.9 kWh battery pack, just like the Q6 e-tron.

Slippery shape, fast charging

This long-range, which puts the A6 e-tron at the top of its class and among the best in the EV market, comes from a very slippery design. The A6 Sportback e-tron has a drag coefficient value (Cd) of just 0.21, the best value of any Audi past or present. The Avant still manages a Cd value of 0.24, while the range drops to around 720 km for the more practical version.

Thanks to its 800-volt PPE platform, which it shares with the Q6 e-tron and the Porsche Macan EV, the Audi A6 e-tron can charge from 10 to 80% in just 21 minutes, with a maximum charging power of 270 kW DC. As for AC power, the A6 has an 11 kW charger as standard, although 22 kW will be available later as an option.

It is practical but not a huge

In terms of design, the Audi A6 e-tron has stayed very true to the concept versions from 2022 and 2021. It features a new, sharp nose with the double light clusters from the Q6 e-tron, while at the rear, the LED light bar is decorated with an illuminated Audi logo.

The A6 e-tron is 4,928 mm long, and trunk space ranges from 502 liters (Sportback & Avant) to 1,330 liters (Sportback) or 1,422 liters (Avant) with the rear seats folded down. A 27-liter frunk is also present to easily stow the charging cables, and the towing capacity is up to 2,100 kg—a strong number for an electric model.

On the inside, things are very similar to the Q6 e-tron. The dashboard is dominated by up to four displays: a virtual cockpit (11.9 inches), a central infotainment touchscreen (14.5 inches), an optional passenger display (10.9 inches), and an optional augmented reality head-up display. The Android Automotive-based infotainment system now supports third-party apps such as YouTube, while the voice assistant can work with ChatGPT to answer general knowledge questions.

From €75,600, market launch in September

Two powertrain options will be available at launch in September 2024: the A6 e-tron performance (270 kW/367 hp, 0-100 km/h in 5.4 seconds) and the S6 e-tron (up to 405 kW/551 hp, 0-100 km/h in 3.9 seconds). Prices start at €75,600 for the A6 Sportback e-tron performance and €77,250 for the A6 Avant e-tron performance. The S6 Sportback e-tron costs €99,500, and the S6 Avant e-tron costs €101,150.