Next chapter: Audi unveils the A6 Sportback and Avant e-tron

Think you could use a break from just seeing new electric SUV after new electric SUV hitting the road?

Well, as it turns out, so does Audi it seems.

The A6 Sportback e-tron and A6 Avant e-tron are the first non-SUVs to join Audi's electric family since the e-tron GT 

Switching gears from the Q6 e-tron that was unveiled earlier this year, the latest electric members it is introducing to its four-ringed family are a pair of lower-riding twins: The A6 Sportback e-tron and A6 Avant e-tron.

To be clear, the new A6 e-tron (or e-trons) bears little mechanical relation to the existing combustion-powered A6 - with the exception of its name and general size. Instead, like the recent Q6 e-tron, the A6 e-tron twins will be built atop of its latest Premium Platform Electric (PPE). This promises a multitude of advancements, including better performance, more sophisticated battery architecture, and of course, better range - all of which we'll get to in just a bit.

Unlike the higher-riding Q6 e-tron, however, the unveiling of the A6 e-tron lineup now marks the first "low-floor concept" application of the platform. Additionally, you'll note that the A6 Sportback e-tron and Avant are the first EVs unveiled by Audi to not take the form of a crossover/SUV since the e-tron GT.

Audi has managed to cleverly hide the car's main headlamps within the black mask that surrounds the A6 e-tron's inverted Singleframe 'grille'

A fair bit of clever designing on Audi's part means that the A6 e-tron looks remarkably familiar at first glance.

It repeats a trick first introduced on the Q6 e-tron: What you think are the car's main head lights, peering out at you like eyes just beneath the bonnet, are daytime running lights (DRLs). In fact, these are the slimmest ones ever fitted in this manner onto an Audi.

Instead, the main headlamps are tucked to the sides of the A6 e-tron's inverted Singleframe 'grille', and cleverly hidden into what Audi is referring to as the "dark mask" that it wears. In all, solid proof that split head lights don't have to look controversial.

A black insert running across the car's lower half helps to reduce the car's sense of height, while also indicating where its battery pack lies 

On both body styles, an interesting design cue is a black insert that neatly cuts through the lower half of the car's bodies and extends to the rear reflectors. More than just a vanity piece, the insert actually apparently indicates where the car's battery lies.

Doubling down on the advancements in lighting first teased on the Q4 e-tron and facelifted A3 family, and then unleashed in full on the Q6 e-tron, the A6 e-tron also gets a swathe of fancy OLED tech all over.

Lighting leads the way: As is the recent Audi trend, the A6 e-tron will also offer up to eight customisable daytime running light signatures 

There's stuff we've already seen before - up to eight selectable digital light signatures up front, as well as a second-generation iteration of Audi's digital OLED rear lights. It's not something that mere pictures can convey, but ten OLED panels at the rear - containing a total of 450 segments - are able to generate a new image several times per second for a dazzling dancing effect, and even communicate with other road-users behind with integrated warning symbols.

What is brand new, however, is the illumination of Audi's four rings above the taillight bar. Audi states that the feature - which it hasn't made available on the Q6 e-tron - gives the A6 e-tron its own personality.

The A6 e-tron marks the first Audi model to get an illuminated four-ringed logo on its tailgate

While it's arguably typical Audi-fare that the A6 e-tron is being offered in two body styles, what might catch your notice is the fact that… there is no Sedan.

There's good reason for this. With its introduction now, the A6 Sportback e-tron marks the most aerodynamic Audi to date (for series production models), boasting a drag coefficient of as low as 0.21Cd.

It's not surprising that this puts it over the likes of SUVs like the Q4 Sportback e-tron (0.26Cd). Rather surprisingly, however, this 0.21Cd figure bests even that of the lower and sleeker e-tron GT (0.24Cd). In a digital sneak preview of the cars, Audi's team shared that because a car's roofline has a major bearing on how 'slippery' it can be, the Sportback body style ultimately proved more advantageous in terms of aerodynamics.

No more sedans: Beyond just added usability, the Sportback body style helps reduce drag - and has even made the A6 e-tron Sportback Audi's most aerodynamic series production model to date

Oh - there's the factor of everyday usability, too, with the A6 Sportback e-tron's large fastback tailgate making loading up the trunk more fuss-free. It's worth noting that at 502 litres, this is a touch smaller in rated volume than the 530 litres offered in the combustion-powered A6 Sedan. But an electric platform has its benefits: You'll find a 27-litre frunk up front.

Expectedly, it's not just the body style that has helped Audi achieve this low drag coefficient figure, but an extremely meticulous approach to fine-tune just about every bit of the car - from its sealed underbody, down to its wheels. In fact, Audi states that all the rim options available on the car - from its standard 19-inchers up to the largest 21-inch ones - have been aerodynamically optimised. 

The larger greenhouse on the A6 Avant e-tron means it inevitably suffers when punching forward against the air, but it's mighty slippery too by wagon standards: With a drag coefficient of just 0.24Cd. While Audi appears excited that it's given the Avant a powerful look thanks to the way its D-pillar stretches forward, it's made sure to keep its practicality in check. The combustion-powered A6 Avant already had a sizeable 565 litres of hauling space, but the A6 Avant e-tron one-ups it with an additional 92 litres.

Despite the sporty visual character created by the car's D-pillar, the A6 e-tron Avant still manages to pack more luggage space in the rear than the combustion-powered A6 Avant

Like the Q6 e-tron lineup, all variants of the A6 e-tron will be powered by the same 94.9kWh battery (100kWh nett) at launch, although less powerful variants with a smaller battery are set to follow at a later date.

Additionally, the sophisticated 800V battery architecture enabled by the PPE platform means that the cars will be able to support ultra-fast charging at up to 270kW, with which the battery's state of charge can go from 10 to 80% in just 21 minutes.

As for what sort of power the A6 e-tron is getting, however, Audi is offering two performance levels for each body style at launch - although you'll have to bear with the confusing naming convention.

Powered by a 94.9kWh battery pack, the A6 e-tron performance boasts an incredible WLTP-rated range of 750km

The A6 e-tron performance marks the first entry point, with a single motor driving the rear wheels. Meanwhile, the S6 e-tron is your actual performance-oriented variant (at least for now - Audi remains tight-lipped on when an RS6 e-tron might arrive), with dual motors sending power to all four wheels. 

Naturally, the A6 Sportback e-tron performance is the marathoner of the range - and what a marathoner it is too, offering an incredible WLTP-rated range of over 750km. That puts it above even the longest-ranged variants of the BMW i5 and Mercedes-Benz EQE Sedan. 

At the same time, it's no slouch: Peak output from its single motor is 270kW (362bhp), helping it zip to 100km/h from a standstill in just 5.4 seconds. 

The S6 e-tron is the current performance flagship, with its dual motors churning out 496bhp, and capable of sending the car to 100km/h from a standstill in under four seconds

Meanwhile, the S6 e-tron raises the performance stakes higher with its dual motors putting out 496bhp (543bhp with Launch Control!), helping it shred up the century sprint in an even quicker 3.9 seconds. Keep your foot on the pedal and you'll hit 240km/h eventually.

Audi also claims that the all-wheel drive system remains rear-biased - especially because the front and rear motors have different dimensions, which enable more torque distribution to the rear even under full load. Still, all the extra performance doesn't equate range anxiety; both the S6 Sportback e-tron and Avant still get well over 600km of rated range (670km and 640km respectively). 

Otherwise, on the inside, the A6 e-tron family gets the same sort of interior design treatment that was first debuted on the Q6 e-tron.

Audi's new 'digital stage' is the centrepiece of the A6 e-tron's interior 

Notably, the cars will feature a single, curved panoramic display - or a "digital stage" in Audi-speak - consisting of an 11.9-inch digital instrument cluster, as well as a 14.5-inch MMI infotainment touch display, which will run the Android Automotive OS out of the box and support over-the-air updates. A third 10.9-inch for the front passenger, which comes with an Active Privacy Mode to prevent distracting the driver, is optional.

Exclusive to the A6 e-tron again, however, is an optional smart panoramic glass roof with switchable transparency, and four selectable presets. Additionally, the A6 e-tron marks the first model line to get Audi's second-generation virtual exterior mirrors - which, in response to customer feedback, can now be folded in electronically.

Model exclusives: The A6 e-tron is currently the only model to get second-gen, electronically foldable virtual mirrors, and a smart panoramic glass roof

The Audi A6 e-tron performance and S6 e-tron will be available to order from September 2024 in Europe. Sgcarmart understands that the model is slated to be introduced in Singapore in the first half of 2025.