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Audi could preview the electric Q6 with a thinly-veiled concept at the Frankfurt Show

Audi Q6 teaser
Image used with permission by copyright holder
Audi will reportedly travel to the biennial Frankfurt Motor Show that will open its doors next September to unveil a close-to-production concept designed to preview the all-electric Q6.

The concept will inaugurate the design language that is expected to influence a long list of Audi-badged EVs over the next few years. The show car is still shrouded in secrecy — Audi hasn’t even revealed its name yet — but company sources told trade journal Automotive News that it will be instantly recognizable thanks to a sporty look and a highly-aerodynamic silhouette.

Tellingly, a spokesman for Audi referred to the concept as a “sports activity vehicle,” a term first coined by BMW. That means the Q6 will be a lot less utilitarian than the Q7 and the smaller Q5.

Mechanically, the concept is expected to use an R8 e-tron-sourced, all-electric drivetrain rated at over 456 horsepower and 679 foot-pounds of torque. It will be able to sprint from zero to 60 mph in about four seconds, and it will go on to a top speed of roughly 124 miles.

Stay tuned, as Audi will likely whet our appetites by publishing a handful of teaser images in the weeks leading up to the Frankfurt Motor Show.

What’s next?
Aimed at the Tesla Model X and high-end variants of the BMW X6 and the Mercedes-Benz GLE-Class, the regular-production version of the Q6 is expected to land in showrooms in time for the 2019 model year, meaning it’s at least three years away. It will share its rear-wheel drive MLB platform with the aforementioned Q7 and the next-gen A8, and it will offer a total driving range of over 300 miles thanks to recent advances in battery technology.

The battery-powered Q6 will carry a base price of about $100,000 when it goes on sale. A hydrogen-powered model and a plug-in hybrid could join the lineup a few years into the production run, but so far there’s no indication that Audi is planning a more affordable model powered only by a gasoline-burning engine.

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Ronan Glon
Ronan Glon is an American automotive and tech journalist based in southern France. As a long-time contributor to Digital…
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