The 2023 Audi A6 shows for the first time what the next electric Audi built on the PPE platform will look like. With a 100 kWh battery, 800-volt technology for ultra-fast charges, and more than 700 kilometers of WLTP autonomy, the future production version will arrive at the end of 2022.
Audi has presented the Audi A6 at the 2021 Shanghai Motor Show, a model that will lay the foundations for a new generation of electric cars in the brand. A family of electric cars based on the Premium Electric Platform (PPE), which will be associated with better performance at all levels.
Despite the name, the little that the Audi A6 e-Tron concept has in common with the current A6 is the dimensions: its body measures 4.96 meters in length, 1.96 meters in width, and 1.44 meters in height. Generous proportions in the ‘Sportback’ saloon format, which draws a silhouette similar in design to the A5 and A7, and which are accompanied by 22-inch diameter wheels.
The design language of the A6 is a preview of future Audi production models and gives us the first clues about the brand’s proposal for its upcoming luxury electric vehicles. A body without sharp edges translates into smooth transitions between the concave and convex surfaces, which give the impression of generating a monolithic “block”, and very marked wheel arches.
On the front, the brand’s characteristic Singleframe grille continues to stand out, in this case, fairing to reduce air resistance and the very large (false) air intakes on the sides. Only the bottom of the bumper has actual air intakes that serve to cool the powertrain, battery, and brakes.
At the rear, the diffuser stands out, which works together with a spoiler on the boot lid to “release” the surrounding air from the rear in the best possible way, reducing turbulence and guaranteeing the least possible resistance with good stability to high speed.
A curious detail in the 2023 Audi A6 is its headlights, which have digital Matrix LED (headlights) and digital OLED (rear lights) technologies and allow a high level of brightness to be achieved with a very small headlight size. But they will not only serve to see and be seen but also add other functions: for example if the Audi A6 e-Tron concept is parked in front of a wall, while it recharges the battery, the headlights can project images on the wall – either a movie or a video game that can be controlled from the mobile phone.
And as is becoming common in more and more electric cars, the dedicated platform leaves very short overhangs to house the battery between both axles. Despite showing an imposing car with a sporty character in its design, Audi has taken special care of the aerodynamics, achieving a Cx 0.22 that places the model among the best in its segment.
But the 2023 Audi A6 is not simply a design exercise, but the first step of something much more important. The heart of the Audi A6 e-Tron concept is the Premium Platform Electric, a specific platform for electric cars developed jointly with Porsche, with 800-volt technology that allows the Audi A6 e-Tron concept to offer ultra-fast charging at 270 kW of power. , a range of more than 700 kilometers (according to the WLTP cycle) and high-performance versions capable of covering 0 to 100 km / h in less than 4 seconds.
Both the batteries and the motors are easily scalable and allow great flexibility. In the specific case of the Audi A6 e-Tron concept, we have a battery with a capacity of 100 kWh, two electric motors with a total power of 476 HP, and a torque of 800 Nm, and a fast charge that allows the battery of the A6 e to be recharged. -Tron concept from 5 to 80% of its capacity in less than 25 minutes. Versions with a single electric motor and rear-wheel drive will also be offered, with lower consumption and greater autonomy.
The first Audi model with the PPE platform will be the 2023 A6 e-Tron and will hit the market at the end of 2022. Later models will be launched in a lower segment (Audi A4 e-Tron) and higher with this same platform, including also SUVs with higher ground clearance. That is precisely another of the advantages of this platform: being able to use it both in SUVs and lower saloons without making modifications to the basic architecture.
