Audi has vowed to only launch fully electric models after 2026 and it wants to phase out internal combustion engined models in most markets by 2033. The upcoming A6 E-Tron is a very important model, and based on this first batch of photos that we’ve ever received, it appears it hasn’t changed much from the concept.
It does have traditional side rear-view mirrors instead of the concept’s cameras, but since Audi does offer both in the E-Tron SUV, we cannot exclude them as a possibility for production. Even the headlight cluster, split into an upper daytime running light area and a lower part where the projector for the main and high beam are will stay the same; it looks a bit strange with the camo, but if you check out the concept, that design starts to make sense.
Expected to arrive in 2023, the Audi A6 E-Tron will not be a sedan, but a hatchback/fastback instead. It will be underpinned by the Audi- and Porsche-developed PPE (short for Premium Platform Electric) architecture and the concept featured a pair of electric motors, one for each axle, with a combined output of 469 horsepower and 590 pound-feet (800 Nm) of torque.
Gallery: 2022 Audi A6 E-Tron Spy Photos
There will surely be more than one powertrain option and we’ve even heard rumors that this model will also spawn a fully-electric RS6. Audi has already confirmed that the most efficient model will have a single motor and be rear-wheel drive and that it will still be able to sprint to 100 km/h in under 7 seconds; based on the claimed sprint time, we estimate the output will be over 200 horsepower for this base version.
Audi said the concept’s range on the WLTP test cycle was around 700 km (435 miles), courtesy of a battery pack with around 100 kWh capacity. The PPE platform is currently not used for any vehicle currently in production, so we don’t know have much to go by, but we do know it supports air suspension, as well as rear wheel steering.
