Audi Q6 E-tron shares its underpinnings with the upcoming electric Porsche Macan
Audi’s long-awaited electric alternative to the Q5 ushers in a radical new approach to cockpit design
Audi’s new Q6 E-tron SUV will set the tone for a wide-reaching rethink of the German firm’s interior designs, adopting a ‘human-centric’ arrangement that majors on digital functionality and ease of use.
The launch of the electric SUV will kick off a full-scale assault on the premium electric car market when it launches the Mercedes-Benz EQE SUV rival later this year, having revealed the interior at the 2023 Munich motor show.
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Due on sale in February, the new Audi Q6 E-tron is the first car to ride on the new PPE EV platform, opening up new packaging possibilities and introducing a new electronic architecture which allows for a near-total rethink of Audi‘s digital interfaces.
Audi highlights the focus its designers have placed on the real-world needs of its driver and passengers, with a newly designed interior.
“By understanding the interior as the centre of our customers’ lives and experiences,” head of design Marc Lichte said, “we are rejecting the status quo and systematically designing the vehicle from the inside out.”
Bootspace is rated at 526 litres, or 1529 litres with the rear seats folded down, and there is a 64-litre frunk for charging cables and small luggage. Audi highlights an array of storage cubbies, and says the lack of transmission tunnel makes for extra legroom and a comfortable middle seat.
Each Q6 E-tron gains a curved, panoramic display measuring 14.5in, paired with an 11.9in digital cockpit. Front passengers also receive their own screen, with a 10.9in display integrated into the dashboard, capable of setting navigation routes and music selection.
Elsewhere, softwrap materials feature in the cockpit and on the centre console, made with sustainable materials. The instrument panel can be specified as wood or brushed aluminium. Both the driver and passenger get a cupholder and two USB charging ports, plus a wireless charging pad.
Driver display and central infotainment screen are housed in a curved wraparound panel on top of the dashboard, complemented by an optional augmented reality head-up display. There’s a separate infotainment screen for the passenger, too, which can be shielded from the driver’s view to minimise distractions.
An LED strip running around the cabin has a brightness of 1200cd, and serves three functions: it welcomes occupants on entry, flashes when the indicators are on and shows the state of charge when the car is plugged in.
The digital assistant, now represented by an avatar on the digital display, can locate nearby chargers and adjust certain functions when summoned by the command “Hey Audi”.
Audi says it can learn from its users over time to offer “the best possible support” without being asked – like automatically setting the climate control.
One of more than 20 new models the brand plans to launch by 2025, the Q6 E-tron is underpinned by the new Premium Platform Electric (PPE) architecture co-developed with Porsche, which will be used by the Macan EV.
It promises a 372-mile (600km) range, confirmed to Autocar by technical development boss Oliver Hoffmann. PPE allows a charging rate of up to 270kW thanks to its 800V technology.
Full performance figures for the Q6 E-tron have yet to be released, but the Audi A6 E-tron concept packs a claimed 463bhp and 590lb ft from its dual-motor, four-wheel-drive powertrain.
The Macan boosts this to 603bhp and more than 703lb ft thanks to new permanently excited electric motors using a ‘double V’ magnet arrangement. However, this technology may be reserved for Porsche, or for a future ‘RS’ variant of the Q6.
Previously planned to launch last year, the Q6 E-tron will be revealed in the second half of this year, hitting the market by the start of 2024.
This will be followed by the launch of a coupé-SUV version (Sportback, in Audi nomenclature). This is expected to trade some practicality and affordability for a more fashionable and aerodynamic body shape, yielding a slight boost in range.
Given the Q6 E-tron will be sandwiched between the Audi Q4 E-tron (currently priced from £50,625) and the recently launched Q8 E-tron (from £67,085), it is expected to start around the £60,000 mark.
It will also be the first electric Audi to be built at the brand’s historic Ingolstadt factory, which currently produces the Audi Q2, Audi A3, Audi A4 and Audi A5.
