New Audi Q6 e-tron electric SUV spotted testing ahead of 2022 launch
The German brand will further expand its electric SUV range next year, with a sister model to the upcoming electric Porsche Macan
Audi's e-tron range is set to expand further in the coming months, with this new Q6 e-tron joining the existing e-tron and Q4 e-tron models by 2022.
The model was announced by the brand's boss Markus Duessmann at its annual conference in March 2021, and a camouflaged prototype has now been spotted on the roads near Audi's Ingolstadt headquarters in Germany.
While the e-tron is built on the same platform as some combustion-engined Audi SUVs and the Q4 e-tron shares its MEB underpinnings with the Volkswagen ID.4 and Skoda Enyaq iV, the Q6 e-tron sits on new 'PPE' (Premium Platform Electric) underpinnings for upmarket electric cars, which have been developed in conjunction with Porsche.
That means the Q6 e-tron will be a sister model to the already announced electric version of the popular Porsche Macan SUV, which is likely to be fully revealed before the Audi version.
In total, Audi is planning to have 20 fully electric models on the market by 2025, and intends for them to make up one-third of its sales by that point. As the PPE platform incorporates 800v electrics, like the already available Porsche Taycan, both the Q6 e-tron and electric Macan should be able to offer 350kW rapid charging.
A range of around 300 miles can be expected, as well as a strong power output in the region of 500bhp – possibly boosted further to create an 'RS' high-performance model, in similar fashion to the standard and RS versions of the e-tron GT four-door.