Audi Reveals Electric A6 Sportback e-tron

The long-running Audi A6 relaunches as a pure electric liftback-style sedan with up to 543 hp, a range of up to 469 miles (755 km) and charging at up to 270 kW on a DC system.

Set for North American sale in 2025, the new BMW i5 and Mercedes-Benz EQE rival is part of a wholesale shift in new-model strategy at the German automaker, which also plans to launch a successor to the existing internal-combustion-engine A6 under the A7 name next year.   

The A6 Sportback e-tron, as the new sedan is officially named, retains the smooth-surfaced styling and sporting proportions of a luxury liftback sedan concept of the same name revealed by Audi in 2021, albeit with differing details. Included are a new-look grille within an altered front bumper, second-generation digital camera exterior mirrors, a electrochromatic panoramic glass roof and wheels up to 21-ins. in diameter.

As with its existing ICE namesake sibling, it is planned to be sold with a wagon body style as the A6 Avant e-tron in selected markets, including Europe.

The electric  Audi sedan is based on the same Premium Platform Electric platform used by the recently unveiled Q6 e-tron and its Volkswagen Group sibling, the Porsche Macan, with an 800V electric architecture as well as a range of differing drivetrains and battery capacities.

In initial top-of-the-range, all-wheel-drive S6 Sportback e-tron guise, it adopts two electric motors with a combined output of 543 hp in combination with a launch control system – sufficient to propel the new Audi model from zero-to-62 mph (100 km/h) in 3.9 seconds and up to a top speed of 149 mph (240 km/h), according to Audi’s own figures.

With a 94.9-kWh lithium-ion battery consisting of 12 modules and 180 prismatic cells, the most powerful model in the new A6 Sportback e-tron lineup also boasts an official WLTP range of 420 miles (676 km).

A6 Sportback e-tron claims 469 miles of range, 362 hp.

The milder rear-wheel-drive A6 Sportback e-tron performance gets a single electric motor and 362 hp in combination with the same 94.9-kWh battery as the S6 Sportback e-tron, providing it with 0-62 mph time of 5.4 seconds, 131 mph (211 km/h) top speed and, with a record drag coefficient for Audi production models at 0.21, a WLTP range of up to 469 miles.

Audi confirms a 70-kWh battery will also become available following the BEV’s European sales launch in September.

Both batteries feature a new chemical mix that is said to provide a 30% improvement in cell density over the units used in the Q8 e-tron SUV and e-tron GT 4-door coupe.

The A6 Sportback e-tron can be recharged at 11 kW on AC electricity through either of its two charging ports mounted within each of the rear side panels. The right-hand-side port can also accept charging at up to 270 kW on a high-powered DC system.

Audi provides the A6 Sportback e-tron and S6 Sportback e-tron with differing suspension systems, the former receiving steel springs and the latter adopting adaptive air springs with adjustable ride height functionality.

The dashboard design mimics that of the new Audi A5 and Q6 e-tron with an 11.9-in. (30-cm) digital instrument cluster and a 14.5-in. (37-cm) centrally mounted touchscreen infotainment display. A 10.9-in. (28-cm) front passenger display is optional. Models specified with the optional camera mirrors also sport small displays within the leading edge of the front doors as an extension of the dashboard.

The A6 Sportback e-tron will be produced at Audi’s Ingolstadt plant in Germany, alongside the Q6 e-tron.