Audi Q6 e-tron confirmed for Australia

Audi has released new images and details of the next milestone in its journey to becoming an EV-only car-maker by 2033, with the space-age interior of the upcoming 2024 Audi Q6 e-tron confirmed to pioneer a huge digital head-up display that can interact with its surroundings.

carsales can also confirm the Audi Q6 e-tron – the first Audi EV to be based on the new Premium Platform Electric (PPE) chassis architecture co-developed with Porsche – will become available in Australia, but release timing and pricing for the high-tech mid-size electric SUV hasn’t yet been locked in.

“We are very excited for this one but I cannot confirm exactly when it will be in Australia just yet. But it is certainly a great fit for the Australian market and we will certainly welcome it with open arms,” an Audi Australia spokesperson told carsales today.

Teased while testing in camo back in March and potentially arriving Down Under later in 2024 for a six-figure sum, the Q6 e-tron packs a big 100kWh battery pack that’s good for a long 600km range (WLTP).

But it has faced several delays, reportedly due to the complexity of the software required to run its myriad systems, digital screens and second-generation active (and customisable) digital OLED tail-lights.

Roughly the same size as an Audi Q5 and slotting into Audi’s growng EV line-up between the Q4 and Q8 e-tron SUVs, the German luxury car-maker insists the new Audi Q6 e-tron has been designed from the inside out and not the other way around.

The exterior design has also lost some of its gaudy camo since the last time we saw the Q6 e-tron in July, but as the head of Audi design proclaims, its exterior design will take a back seat to its interior design.

“By understanding the interior as the centre of our customers’ lives and experiences, we are rejecting the status quo and systematically designing the vehicle from the inside out. With the Q6 e-tron, we are giving our vision concrete form in the present,” said Audi design boss Marc Lichte.

The new ‘Q6e’, as Audi insiders are calling it, debuts the German car-maker’s new interior design language – including a new take on its ‘virtual cockpit’ digital instrument cluster that first appeared back in 2014 with the third-gen Audi TT – that will permeate most future Audi vehicles.

The overall design and interior layout is far from innovative, featuring a trio of digital OLED screens, including a 14.5-inch central display, 10.9-inch front passenger screen (also for infotainment) and an 11.9-inch virtual cockpit.

The star of the Audi Q6 e-tron show is an optional – and likely expensive – augmented reality (AR) head-up display (HUD), virtual images for which are projected onto the windscreen, resulting in the equivalent of an 88-inch display.

If you’ve ever watched a movie on an 85-inch TV, you’ll already appreciate that that’s bigger than Ben Hur, especially in a car.

According to Audi, the AR HUD will automatically project images around 200 metres down the road, as well as display information such as speed, traffic signs and navigation assistance, and “interact directly with the environment”.

Other interesting features making their debut on the Audi Q6 e-tron include a new Android-based operating system, a self-learning voice assistant with a visual representation or ‘avatar’ that appears on the screen/s.

Untried and untested, customers will ultimately decide whether Audi’s new ‘proactive’ (which could translate to ‘annoying’) avatar will last more than one generation.

Audi is also making a song and dance about its new-fangled 22-speaker Bang & Olufsen 3D sound system, which has a potent 830W audio output and comes with four speakers embedded in the front seat head restraints, while a pair of new steering wheels (regular and sporty) are in evidence as well, featuring VW’s now-defunct touch-sensitive buttons.

Up-spec models will get Nappa leather interior upholstery, while sporty S line versions will get suede-like microfibre and a range of recycled fabrics and materials are also used.

Expect next-level connectivity via numerous USB ports and a large wireless charging pad, along with lots of incidental storage up front and reasonable boot space in the back.

Audi says cargo space of 526 litres expands to 1529 litres with the rear seats folded down – which is on par with most mid-size five-seat SUVs, except for the top-selling Tesla Model Y that offers 971 to 2158 litres of cargo space.

Both have frunks or front trunks, but the Tesla has almost twice the space.

Due to enter production at Audi’s Ingolstadt plant in Germany later this year, the Q6e will share its PPE underpinnings with the upcoming Porsche Macan EV and also leverages the car-maker’s new E3 electrical architecture.

Audi has confirmed a 100kWh battery pack will deliver a 600km range from a full battery charge and its 800-colt electrical architecture allows for fast-charging rates up to 270kW.

Power and torque are unknown at this stage but top-spec dual-motor models – possibly designated Audi SQ6e – could belt out up to 450kW/1000Nm, which should be enough to propel the vehicle to 100km/h very, very briskly.

Stay tuned to carsales for more information around the Audi Q6 e-tron’s local launch, pricing and specifications.

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