Audi’s battery-wed station wagon confirmed for mid-2025 NZ release.

SET to site between the Q4 e-tron and Q8 e-tron when it lands locally in mid-2025, here’s the Q6 e-tron - Audi’s first electric station wagon.

Though it’s too soon to talk price and local specifications are far from absolute, the car’s international unveiling overnight has given Audi New Zealand opportunity to say it will take the car in quattro standard and sportier SQ6 forms, with rear-drive editions further in the future also not discounted.

The range-topper dual-motor produces up to 380kW.

The car’s looks might suggest it’s a conservative development of the fossil-fuelled A6 Avants and sedans we’ve known, but it’s absolutely a huge technology leap, even when compared with other e-tron fare.

The technology it features promises a significant step forward from those, as it ushers in new era of Audi EVs based on advanced 800V architecture.

The advanced new Premium Performance Electric (PPE) platform was co-developed with Porsche and is used by the Macan, which will precede Q6 e-tron into the market. 

Audi intends a host of performance-focused cars in the coming years –  after this wagon, and also in production before the end of this year, will come an A6 e-tron sedan. It will also be used for EVs from other Volkswagen Group premium brands, including Bentley.

The PPE architecture is twinned with a new electronic architecture called E3, which will combine to underpin a new generation of vehicles from Audi and Porsche, along with other premium VW Group brands such as Bentley.

The new architecture designed to be highly scalable for medium-sized to large vehicles and can be offered with both rear-drive single-motor and four-wheel-drive dual-motor powertrains.

The main power unit is a permanent magnet synchronous motor on the rear axle with up to 280kW. To optimise efficiency, an asynchronous motor that produces up to 140kW is used on the front axle of the dual-motor models.

The Q6 e-tron Quattro offered at launch will produce 284kW and 591Nm of torque from its dual-motor set-up, giving a 0-100kmh time of 5.9 seconds. 

Audi cites an official range of 624km.

The initial range-topper will be the hot SQ6 E-tron, which has its motors tuned to offer 360kW, rising to 380kW when the launch control system is deployed.

It takes 4.3s to complete the 0-100kmh sprint and has a top speed of 228kmh, although its official range is trimmed to 598km.

Audi claims the new motors offer 62 percent more power density and 33 percent greater performance than the first-generation units on the Q8 e-tron, while also reducing overall vehicle energy consumption by 30 percent. 

The motors also feature a new direct cooling system, and feature a motorsport-style dry sump design, which reduces the amount of fluids needed for lubrication. Both those moves are designed to increase efficiency further.

Power for the motors comes from a 94.9kWh usable capacity (100kWh total) lithium ion battery that features a new design comprising 12 modules – a third as many as in the Q8 E-tron's pack – and 180 prismatic cells, which are now larger and feature less cobalt.

The battery also features a new thermal management system to better control the temperature and therefore improve efficiency. 

A cooling plate has been integrated into the pack to better control temperatures, while a new composite-fibre underbody is lighter and allows for improved heat control. 

A software-based thermal management system uses predictive data to calculate the need for heating or cooling in advance. There is also a built-in heat pump as standard.

The new design means the battery is claimed to offer five percent higher energy content with 30 percent greater energy density, while also being 15 percent lighter than the previous generation.