- Audi presents a dedicated variant from the Q6 e-tron family for its largest market, China, at Auto China in Beijing
- Audi CEO Gernot Döllner: “With the Q6L e-tron, we are bringing a tailor-made offering for our customers in China”
- The Q6L e-tron is the first PPE model to be built in the new factory in Changchun
The Audi Q6 e-tron series are the first production models on the Premium Platform Electric (PPE), marking the next step in the company’s transformation into a provider of premium electric mobility. At the Beijing Auto Show 2024, the brand with the four rings is presenting a tailored variant for the Chinese market – the Audi Q6L e-tron.
The electrically powered car will be shown as an exterior model at the spring motor show in the Chinese capital; the series version will then make its public debut in the fourth quarter of 2024. Like other PPE models for the Chinese market, the Audi Q6L e-tron will be locally produced in a new factory in Changchun. The first deliveries to customers will take place in 2025.
The Audi Q6L e-tron is defined by impressive driving and charging performance, excellent efficiency, and an even greater range than the global model. The wheelbase, longer by 105 millimeters, also allows the installation of a larger battery. With it, CLTC ranges of more than 700 kilometers will be possible. The letter “L” in the name signals the long wheelbase, which is also becoming the hallmark of outstanding long-distance capability.
Audi has been building “L” models with an extended wheelbase for the Chinese market for decades. The A6L and A4L are the best-known large-volume versions, alongside the Q5L, A8L, and A8L Horch. Now, Audi is adding the L model to the Q6 e-tron family – providing even more space, comfort, and everyday usability. Together with the new interior design philosophy, the Q6L e-tron is creating a very exclusive and generous space for passengers in the market.
The Audi Q6L e-tron epitomizes Audi’s distinctive SUV design with consistently further developed e-tron-specific design language. The Audi Q6L e-tron differs from the global version, and this becomes apparent from the start. Above all, the redesigned front end, with an evolution of the Audi brand face, sets its own accents for the China-specific version.
To accentuate the progressive and unique exterior design of the Q6L e-tron, exclusive colors will be available for this China-specific version. Lilac Grey, shown on the exterior model at the auto show in Beijing, is one of them.
With the extended wheelbase and a correspondingly stretched, sweeping roofline, the side lines are particularly elegant and in perfect proportion. Pioneering technologies, not least in the lighting units, begin the next chapter in electromobility for the Four Rings and will continue to make “Vorsprung durch Technik” a daily experience in China.
The PPE, developed jointly with Porsche, and the E3 1.2 electronic architecture are important milestones in the expansion of Audi’s global range of electrically powered models. They mark the start of a comprehensive strengthening and rejuvenation of the model portfolio.
“With the Q6L e-tron, we are bringing the technological benefits of our new Premium Platform Electric to China. The model underscores our promise to offer electric vehicles in all core segments by 2027,” said Gernot Döllner, Chairman of the Board of Management of AUDI AG, during the world premiere at the Beijing Auto Show.
Impressive range and charging performance
Powerful, compact, and highly efficient electric motors, and a newly developed lithium-ion battery consisting of 12 modules and 192 prismatic cells with a total gross capacity of 107 kWh (+7 kWh compared to the variant that will be available upon launch in the Q6 e-tron quattro and the SQ6 e-tron ensure a range of more than 700 kilometers according to CLTC.
Thanks to the 800-volt technology and a maximum DC charging capacity of 270 kW as standard, short charging stops are possible with the Audi Q6L e-tron. Up to 260 kilometers of range can be recharged in just ten minutes at an appropriate charging station (High Power Charging, HPC). The State of Charge (SoC) will increase from 10 to 80 percent within 25 minutes.
Intelligent thermal management makes an essential contribution to the high charging performance and long service life of the high-voltage battery in the Q6L e-tron.
The Q6L e-tron will be offered as a rear-wheel drive version with a system power output of 255 kW and a quattro all-wheel drive with 345 kW. The rear-wheel drive version offers significant efficiency and range, and the quattro version provides excellent traction and driving dynamics.
Elegance and evolution: the exterior
The Audi Q6L e-tron is positioned in the premium mid-size segment. With a vehicle length of 4,884 millimeters, a width of 1,965 millimeters, and a height of 1,687 millimeters, the SUV offers maximum space, comfort, and suitability for everyday use. The wheelbase of 2,995 millimeters allows business-class legroom in the rear seats.
Thanks to the Premium Platform Electric, the Audi Q6 e-tron model family has perfect proportions. The L-version surpasses the appearance of the other models with the remarkable elegance of its long wheelbase and stretched roofline. Combined with this elegance, its striking SUV look ensures an incomparably dynamic appearance. Organically shaped surfaces are structured by the precise lines of the body and create a characteristic interplay between light and shadow even when stationary.
The greenhouse stretches flat and taut over the powerful body. It is tapered towards the rear, and the gently sloping D-pillars flow elegantly into the characteristically shaped body shoulders. The opening of the D‑pillars towards the roof makes the vehicle more dynamic, making the cabin appear linger. A striking line running from the rear lights to the rear doors emphasizes the upper section of the “quattro blisters” – the contours of the body on which the cabin appears to rest. This sculptural emphasis on the wheel is a core element of Audi’s design DNA. Audi calls this central design principle “making technology visible.” The dynamic rear creates a mixture of sporty elegance and power. With its continuous light strip, this rear architecture gives the Q6L e-tron the clarity and authority typical of Audi.
The 21-inch wheels are aerodynamically optimized, visually reversing the classic surface distribution of slim spokes and flat air intakes. Here, the compact openings only slightly break up the flat design of the wheels because the disk brakes are rarely used and, therefore, require little cooling air.
The handles integrated almost flush into the door surfaces are also new and a first for Audi. A proximity sensor on the underside of the handles unlatches the lock when needed – the door springs open easily without any effort and only needs to be swung open manually.
The upright front is an evolutionary development of the e-tron brand face. As is typical for an electrically powered Audi, the central area of the Q6L e-tron is aerodynamically optimally closed and integrated. For the first time, for the Chinese market, the brand has developed a completely new front design: the Audi designers have incorporated the central element into the broader fascia, both are colored gloss black. This turns the front into an emphatically horizontal sculpture that extends far into the sides, making the SUV appear flatter and oriented towards the road. Large side air inlets emphasize the dynamic appearance, while the flat proportions of the split light unit give the Q6L e-tron a determined expression.
The brand logos with the four rings, illuminated for the first time, are new at the front and rear. A soft projection light visually connects them to the headlights in the grille. The Q6L e-tron is also clearly recognizable as an Audi in its night design.
Innovative lighting technology
With the Q6 e-tron family, Audi is starting a new chapter in electric mobility and lighting technology. With the active digital light signature, the electric SUV is ushering in a new era characterized by unique design and aesthetics found only at Audi.
A software module in one of the five domain computers of the Audi Q6L e-tron makes this form of light signature possible. In the case of the second-generation digital OLED rear lights, the six OLED panels with 360 segments generate a new image every ten milliseconds using a specially developed algorithm.
Thanks to the perfect synthesis of light design and pioneering technology, the light in the new Audi Q6L e-tron appears livelier and more intelligent than ever.
The active digital light signature confirms Audi’s status as an industry pioneer in lighting technology.
At the front, the active digital light signature is created by the algorithm interacting with twelve segments that dim up and down. At the rear, all digital OLED segments are used for this purpose. The individual light segments interact in such a way that the overall image of the light signature always remains constant, even in terms of brightness.
The technology, which is being used for the first time in the Audi Q6L e-tron, also sets new standards in terms of individualization: with eight digital light signatures in the redesigned daytime running lights of the Matrix LED headlights and the optional second-generation digital OLED rear lights, the Q6L e-tron can be personalized in an entirely new way. Switching between the signatures in the corresponding vehicle menu is quick and easy.
With the second generation of digital OLED rear lights, the Audi Q6L e-tron takes lighting design, functionality, and, therefore, road safety to a new level. For the first time, the digital OLED rear lights can communicate with the immediate surroundings in a targeted manner.
Audi has also systematically enhanced its safety functions. The proximity detection function, already present in other Audi models, has been enhanced in the new Q6L e-tron to include the communication light. It warns other road users of accidents and breakdowns. For this purpose, in critical driving or traffic situations, the communication light displays a specific static rear light signature with integrated warning symbols in the digital OLED combination rear light.
Also a clear benefit for safety: an LED light element is located on the lower side of the rear spoiler, which projects the central brake light onto the rear window in a large and highly visible area when the brakes are applied.
More tailored for China than ever: interior, infotainment, and driver assistance systems
“The Q6L e-tron will have more differentiation from the global model than ever before, both regarding exterior design and the digital interior experience. The interior of the Audi Q6L e-tron will be more consistently geared towards the needs of Chinese customers than ever before”, said CEO Gernot Döllner. Apart from an exclusive interior design offering, Audi engineers in the Technical Development departments in Beijing and Germany have integrated numerous infotainment functions designed to meet customers’ wishes and reflect the requirements of the Chinese market. Thus, the vehicle interior becomes an individualized digital experience for Chinese drivers and passengers.
For the first time, a set of highly sophisticated driver assistance systems was also exclusively developed to meet Chinese customer expectations. Audi will present a range of China-tailored driving assistance functions in the Q6L e-tron, including the adaptive Driving Assistant Pro and the Parking Assistant Pro. Based on a comprehensive sensor system (including lidar and radar sensors, cameras, and ultrasonic sensors) and V2X technologies, those functions will assist the driver in much broader scenarios for driving and parking than any previous Audi model. Together with several additional functions, such as Reversing Assist, the Q6L e-tron will open up brand new dimensions of comfort and safety for Chinese customers.
The basis – both for infotainment and driver assistance – is the newly developed electronic architecture E3 1.2. The name E3 stands for End-to-End Electronic Architecture. During development, the overriding goal was to create a future-proof, standardized framework. The function-oriented architecture is based on a new domain computer structure with five high-performance computers (High-Performance Computing Platform, HCP), which control all vehicle functions – from infotainment and driving functions through to semi-automated driving in later evolutionary stages. The most powerful electronic architecture to date in terms of computing power is consistently geared toward customer requirements.
One focus of development was on high-performance and secure networking of domain computers, control units, sensors, and actuators to master more complex systems and maintain modularity. In addition, the E3 1.2 is characterized by a seamless, high-performance backend connection for Car-to-X swarm data applications and computationally intensive offboard functions.
In China, for China – production in Changchun
The Audi Q6L e-tron and other models for the Chinese market based on the PPE platform will be built in a new factory in Changchun. The production site and headquarters of the Audi FAW NEV Company is not only the first Audi plant in China to exclusively produce all-electric vehicles, but it also sets new standards in digitalization, efficiency, and sustainability. With its global environmental program “Mission:Zero”, Audi is committed to decarbonization, responsible water use, resource efficiency, and biodiversity – also at this new plant.
That means that the Audi FAW NEV Company utilizes energy-efficient and sustainable technologies in all production areas. The company also continuously monitors the efficiency of all equipment.
The Q6L e-tron will commence local production in late 2024, with deliveries to customers beginning in 2025. Further volume models will follow from 2025 with versions of the Audi A6 e-tron.
