Will the future be electric? Audi’s not giving up on petroleum power just yet, but it’s pushing forward on plug-ins, and now it’s unveiling the battery-only 2025 Audi A6 and S6 e-tron.
This was just a look and not yet a chance to drive it, but it seems Audi is on point with a lovely interior and considerable technology. We’ll get it as the A6 and S6 e-tron Sportback, that being a swoopy-ended hatchback. There’s also a drop-dead gorgeous Avant, but wagons are a tough sell in a market that prizes SUVs and so, sadly, it won’t be coming to our shores.
If you’re confused by the name, since the current A6 is a gasoline sedan, it’s because Audi is changing the way it refers to its vehicles. For the letter in a vehicle’s name, “A” still means a car, and “Q” refers to an SUV; but for what follows, an even number will mean the vehicle is electric, and an odd number stands for gasoline. Size-wise, the A6 e-tron is pretty much on par with the 2024 A6 gasoline model.
Where have we seen the A6 e-tron before?
Audi presented the A6 e-tron as a concept car at the Auto Shanghai show in China in 2021, and you’d be hard-pressed to spot the styling differences with this production-ready version. The automaker called the concept “the forerunner” of a family of upcoming all-electric models.
Audi has two new vehicle platforms, and the A6 e-tron rides on the PPE, for Premium Platform Electric. There’s also the PPC, for Premium Platform Combustion for gasoline vehicles, with the recently-shown A5 being the first to use that one. Both are designed to be adaptable for “low floor,” as Audi calls it, for use with cars as this one; or as “high floor” for SUVs.
The Audi A6 e-tron’s exterior
The A6’s “inverted” grille and thin lights will be featured on all electric Audi models going forward. The black front fascia makes the car look lower and also better hides the car’s sensors. A matching dark strip below the doors is, according to the designers, an indicator of the battery placement. Numerous visible or hidden styling features contribute to aerodynamics, including the flush door handles and that closed grille, giving it a drag coefficient of just .021 — the most “air-slippery” vehicle Audi has made so far and a slight improvement over the current Audi e-tron GT at .024.
Mind you, our A6 e-tron models over here might tick that number up a bit as we won’t be getting those razor-thin camera mirrors, which aren’t yet permitted by Canadian or U.S. regulations. We also won’t be getting all the tricks those thin lights can do in other markets, either. While final decisions are still being made on all that will be available, we won’t get individual LEDs that turn on or shut off to provide high-beams that don’t blind oncoming drivers.
We will get those lovely three-dimensional taillights, with functions that include a warning triangle if pedestrians or cyclists get too close. The rear four-ring logo lights up for the first time. The front logo can too, and Canada will be the first country to offer that, even ahead of the U.S.
The A6 gets 19-inch wheels and the S5 wears 20-inchers, while both can be optioned to 21-inch rims. Also available is a panoramic sunroof with selectable transparency — rather than a sunshade, it goes darker when activated. It does this in segments, as if you’re sliding a shade back or forth, so sun-lovers in one row can have clear glass while those in the other row block it out. The car broadcasts a light on the ground to indicate where to place your foot to trigger the hands-free liftgate, and the hood can open on its own to access the small front trunk, or “frunk,” that’s under it.
What powers the 2025 Audi A6 e-tron?
For the global launch, Audi plans to initially release the A6 with rear-wheel drive (RWD) and the S6 with all-wheel drive (AWD), which the automaker calls Quattro. Later on, the two configurations will be offered in both models, depending on the market. Expect to see the A6 with Quattro in Canada, although this early in the game, the timing for its launch hasn’t been confirmed.
Initial specs for the A6 in RWD are 270kW (362 horsepower), with zero-to-100 km/h (62 mph) achieved in 5.4 seconds. The two motors front and rear in the S6 will combine for 370 kW (496 horsepower) and with a launch-control boost of up to 405 kW (543 horsepower). Using launch control, the S6 will shave that 0-to-100 km/h down to 3.9 seconds. Top speed is 210 km/h (130 mph) in the A6, and 240 km/h (149 mph) in the S6. An air suspension will be standard on the S6 and optional on the A6; and the AWD system is rear-biased for driving performance.
Both models use a 100-kWh (net 94.9 kWh) lithium-ion battery with 800-volt architecture and maximum 270-kW fast-charging capacity. Find an appropriate public charger, and you could potentially gain 310 km of range in 10 minutes. We’ll have to wait for Natural Resources Canada’s numbers for range, but in European testing, the A6 e-tron is estimated at 750 km (466 miles) in RWD, and 700 km (435 miles) in AWD; and the S6 in AWD at 670 km (416 miles).
What’s the Audi A6/S6 e-tron like on the inside?
Like the new A5/S5 that we covered here recently, these electric models use Audi’s “Digital Stage,” the name for its dash-mounted screens. This combines a 14.5-inch infotainment touchscreen with an 11.9-inch digital instrument cluster into a single curved screen. A 10.9-inch screen can be added for the passenger.
The operating system is known as MMI, for Multi-Media Interface, and it includes apps, navigation, and a voice-controlled assistant that uses AI and will be capable of some 800 functions. The passenger screen isn’t visible to the driver when the car is moving, and it can access most of the main screen’s features, as well as provide entertainment features through a phone or apps.
The rest of the cabin design also mirrors that of the A5, but with what the designers call “softwrap architecture,” with the dash, console, and door panels wrapped in padded fabric that stretches from one side of the cabin to the other, and that matches the tweed-style upholstery on the seats. The ambient lighting includes a strip across the base of the windshield that lights up for various functions, such as when the car is locked or unlocked; when a turn signal is activated; or the battery is being charged. A premium 830-watt Bang & Olufsen sound system is available, which salts 20 speakers around the cabin including two in each of the front head restraints. Other features will include parking assist, drowsy driver warning, and an improved head-up display with larger graphics.
Final thoughts
Consumers are buying EVs, but they’re still not a slam-dunk; in July, Audi announced it wants an early end to production of its Q8 e-tron due to sagging sales, along with logistics issues at the city-bound plant in Brussels where it’s made. There’s a lot we still need to discover about the 2025 A6 and S6 e-tron models, including their exact specifications, what they’ll cost, and what they’ll be like to drive; and we’re looking forward to eventually taking them for a spin to see just what this electric Audi does out on the road.
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