Local distributor excited by potential offered by common platform electric sisterships.

SIX to the power of three - it all adds up to a lot of additional e-tron opportunity for Audi here next year.

That’s the view held by Ina Economopoulos, sales and product planning manager for the make’s New Zealand operation, in confirming three related fully electric models that have been the talk of a motor show in Germany this week are all New Zealand-bound.

In addition to reasserting it will take the Q6 sports utility (above), Audi New Zealand has confirmed intent to sell the A6 e-tron - yes, the first fully electric version of a nameplate that has been around since 2004.

All share the new Premium Platform Electric underpinning co-developed by Audi and Porsche (for the Macan electric) and the A6 e-trons are similarly sized to the current combustion-engined A6. 

Dual motor all-wheel-drive powertrains are cited, though A6 e-tron range will also be built with single-motor rear-wheel drive.

Q6 is a definite starter for 2024 release. Though an exact timeframe for availability has yet to be determined, mid-year arrival sounds possible. There’s hope the A6 e-trons (below) could also slip in before the end of 2024.

Introduction planning for Q6 e-tron is already under way, Audi NZ high-ups confirmed today at a media gathering to introduce the Q4 sports utility and Sporthatch sister models that are expected to become Audi’s best battery-fed sellers.

Q6 e-tron is also expected to be a high flier, but not to the same extent. 

Though no pricing indications are being shared, there’s every indication it will be a fully premium car, like the e-tron RS GT and the e-tron SUV and Sportback, which now have Q8 branding. 

The IAA motor show that opened in Munich this week delivered a first look at the Q6 e-tron’s cabin (below). It’s packed with a raft of all-new technology not seen on other models in the range.

The big feature is a three-screen setup — dubbed the “Digital Stage”— which stretches from the driver’s side to the front passenger, with each display sporting different sizes and features. 

The driver faces a 11.9-inch display and next door is a 14.9-inch infotainment system touchscreen.The occupant of the front passenger seat gets a 10.9-inch touchscreen. They can use this to help the driver with things like setting the navigation system and changing radio stations. Alternately, this display also has a privacy screen so the passenger can watch movies without distracting the driver.

Other high-tech features include an augmented reality heads-up display (HUD), designed to make it look like it’s 200 metres ahead of the driver. It and projects things like navigation directions and speed limit signs onto the road ahead, keeping vital information in a driver’s direct eyeline.

Also arriving is a “self learning” voice assistant. This is designed to learn driver behaviour to point of it making automatic suggestions or adjustments to certain controls.

Whether the A6 e-trons heading into sale take this as well is not clear, but Ingolstadt has said the showroom fare is “heavily based” on last year's acclaimed same name concepts - with minimal revisions probable.

Local market response to the sleek, ground-hugging concepts was massive and cemented the NZ distributor’s view that both will sell well, Economopoulos says.

She’s especially keen on the station wagon, saying having an electric premium load-all will be something very different in the market - in all likelihood, the A6 e-tron Avant could be in a class of one.

“I think the (A6) concepts are both great looking cars and believe they will definitely be very popular in NZ.

“Between the Q6 e-tron and the A6 e-tron? I think the Q6 will be more popular, but to have a fully electric sedan and Avant wagon will be a great addition.”

The drivetrain options for Q6 e-tron, A6 e-tron sedan and wagon are expected to be shared. Audi has yet to disclose in-depth details for the production models.

The A6 e-tron concepts, though, were signalled as being set to deliver with single and dual motor variants, possibly with as much as 355kW and 800Nm of torque in the latter format. 

It’s predicted that the Q6 e-tron will have an 800-volt electrical system that’ll be able to charge from flat to 80 percent in just 25 minutes.

The concept sedan displayed with a 100kWh lithium-ion battery with a claimed range of 700km on the WLTP standard, 800V technology, and 270kW of charging capacity.

The Avant concept also displayed with a 100kWh battery, along with a dual-motor AWD powertrain with 350kW/800Nm cited.

Audi has said the production A6 e-tron could offer a 0-100kmh time of less than seven seconds in base guide and “well under” four seconds in its most powerful variants.

The company has also hinted at an RS6 e-tron flagship. Using the Macan EV as a guide, this could produce up to 450kW and 1000Nm. For reference, the current RS6 in its just-released $242,990 format pumps out 463kW and 850Nm from its twin-turbocharged 4.0-litre V8 engine.

The PPI platform blends elements of the Audi e-tron GT (and  Porsche Taycan) J1 underpinnings with the MEB architecture used more widely by the Volkswagen Group, including by the Q4.

The concept’s suspension comprises a five-link axle up front optimised for electric vehicles, with a multi-link axle at the rear. It also features air suspension with adaptive dampers.

Potential that other adventurous Audi concepts will be realised for production has not been discounted. Audi design boss Marc Lichte recently told Britain’s Autocar magazine that last year’s Activesphere study could preview an allroad spinoff of the A7 due around 2027. He also confirmed the next-generation A8, due next year, will look much like the 2021 Grandsphere concept.