The Q6 e-tron heads for rugged terrain
In the short LinkedIn post, Audi talks about “taking offroading to the next level.” The electric concept will make “its grand entrance in the snow” with the portal axles and redefine “intelligent performance.”
“This is progress electrified,” writes the official Audi account with just over two million followers.
However, Audi does not provide any technical data. As it refers to the “Audi Q6 e-tron quattro,” we assume it refers to the production model’s motor of the same name. In this case, the all-wheel drive with two motors delivers 285 kW, and a battery with a gross capacity of 100 kWh is installed in the underbody. It can be charged with a peak of 270 kW; the standard charging process from 10 to 80 per cent should take 21 minutes. However, the WLTP range of up to 625 kilometres or the top speed of 210 kph is unlikely to apply to the off-road concept with portal axles – and is not even important.
The portal axles with the significantly higher ground clearance give the electric SUV based on the PPE a completely different visual effect – whereby the focus here was on function rather than design. Audi had to significantly widen the wheel arches to accommodate the off-road tyres with spikes despite the widened track. There are also some modifications to the lighting system, such as additional X-shaped headlights and a large LED strip on the roof rack.
The reactions to the article are rather mixed. Some praise the photos in the snow and suggest that the concept car should not be left as it is. However, another user asks: “Why do you put so much effort into concepts and then fail to bring them to market?”
Incidentally, Audi’s off-road concept is not without precedent: Mercedes-Benz had already presented an off-road study called 4×4² of its then EQC electric SUV in 2020 – also with portal axles. However, the German carmaker had provided more information about its one-off. And in 2022, VW presented the ID. XTREME study based on the ID.4, but without conversion to portal axles.
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