SHANGHAI MOTOR SHOW: Audi A6 e-tron to spawn electric RS 6

The Audi A6 e-tron concept has made its global debut at Auto Shanghai 2021, previewing an all-electric Sportback model that will be crowned by a high-performance RS version slamming down up to 475kW.

Audi says the first vehicle to emerge on the all-new Premium Platform Electric (PPE) electric vehicle architecture it is developing with Porsche marks a new generation of EVs and will be 95 per cent faithful to this concept car when it hits showrooms by 2023.

Before then, however, the four-door Audi A6 e-tron will be preceded by the PPE-based Audi Q6 e-tron, which is being developed alongside the next-generation Porsche Macan ahead of its late 2022 release.

And both the Q6 and A6 e-tron models will be beaten to market in late 2022 by the Q4 e-tron SUV and Sportback, which were also revealed in Shanghai but are based on the Volkswagen Group’s MEB small EV platform.

If that’s not confusing enough, the small Q4 and mid-size Q6 e-tron models will be positioned below Audi’s original e-tron SUV and Sportback, which will soon be available in sportier S form locally.

Beyond them, so far the only electric model confirmed for Australia is the Audi e-tron GT, which rides on the same J1 platform as the Porsche Taycan and is due here by the end of this year.

Unlike the e-tron GT, which Audi says is designed for “maximum sportiness”, the A6 e-tron is focused on efficiency, with an all-new 100kWh lithium-ion battery pack that delivers a ground-breaking 700km-plus of range (WLTP) and more interior space thanks to a longer wheelbase.

Like the e-tron GT though, the A6 e-tron – and all future PPE models – employs 800-volt charging technology and can be fast-charged with up to 270kW, providing 300km of range in as little as 10 minutes and an 80 per cent battery charge in just 25 minutes.

The Q4 e-tron, Q6 e-tron and A6 e-tron are just three of the 20-plus EVs Audi says it will launch by 2025 as part of its plan for a third of the cars it sells to be all-electric by the middle of this decade. Smaller and larger EVs based on the PPE platform will follow.

Audi says the A6 e-tron Sportback will be joined by an even more practical Avant (wagon) derivative, and both will be sold alongside the conventional A6 sedan and wagon, which are already offered in Europe with TFSIe plug-in hybrid powertrains.

But don’t think the Audi A6 e-tron won’t be sporty. The concept’s two electric motors deliver a total output of 350kW and 800Nm and even single-motor versions will hit 100km/h in less than seven seconds, says Audi.

But it also confirmed that top-shelf dual-motor variants will deliver 0-100km/h acceleration in “well under” four seconds.

And if that’s not quick enough, the future Audi RS e-tron A6 (and Q6) is rumoured to pump out 475kW.

Indeed, Technical Project Management engineer Johannes Arneth told carsales during a presentation prior to Shanghai that an electric RS 6 was almost to eventuate.

“The answer is of course we can imagine that [a PPE-based RS 6 e-tron] very well because the design is already here,” he said.

“And at the same time we’ve got very powerful drivetrains that we’ve developed already and I’m sure that for the very sporty customer we can provide an adequate offer.

“An RS 6 e-tron would be very exciting.”

Arneth said the Audi RS e-tron A6, which would follow the RS e-tron GT, would feature a high-performance dual-motor all-wheel drive powertrain.

“Yes it would have quattro. You won’t have to wait that long actually because our A6 e-tron concept can already be gotten in production with either rear-drive or quattro drive,” he said.

“The technical ability from that single electric platform is quite amazing.”

At 4.56 metres long, 1.96 metres wide and 1.44 metres high, the Audi A6 e-tron has a similar footprint and dimensions to the current A6/A7 and employs air springs and adaptive dampers.

The concept rides on big 22-inch wheels, wears low energy consumption ‘Heliosilver’ paint and incorporates four high-resolution LED projectors into the corners of the vehicle to generate turn signal projections onto the ground.

There are also Digital Matrix LED headlights that can be used by occupants to project video games onto surfaces such as walls, allowing them to pass the time gaming while waiting for their battery to recharge.

It’s not clear how many of these features will make production, but Audi says only five per cent of the concept car is just for show.

Electric e-tron models coming from Audi:
e-tron SUV and Sportback S – late 2021
e-tron GT – late 2021
Q4 e-tron – early 2022
Q6 e-tron – late 2022
A6 e-tron – 2023
RS e-tron GT – TBC
RS e-tron A6 – TBC

Related: Audi e-tron GT 2021 Review