Three Rows: New Audi Q6 SUV Headed to China
This Audi Q6 will be completely different from the Q6 e-tron scheduled to arrive on our shores next year.
In the United States, the Audi Q6 e-tron was originally scheduled to arrive for the 2023 model year. In an arrangement similar to what we’ve seen with the e-tron GT and the Taycan, this vehicle will be an Audi version of the Porsche’s electric Macan. That said, Volkswagen Group just ousted CEO Herbert Diess because of ongoing software delays, so it’s safe to say that timeline is likely optimistic.
But that’s not to say everyone looking for a new Q6 won’t be able to get one — you’ll just have to live in China. And you’ll also have to be cool with internal-combustion powertrains. Because the Q6 Ingolstadt just announced for China won’t be anything like Q6 the rest of the world will get. This version will be a three-row SUV built on the Volkswagen Atlas platform, with a slightly stretched cabin to provide luxury seating for either six or seven passengers.
Base models with be equipped with a turbocharged 2.0-liter I4 which will be good for 262 horsepower, while buyers will also be able to opt for a naturally aspirated 2.5-liter I6, which pumps out a more robust 295 ponies. Regardless of which engine is under the hood, power will get piped to all four corners via a Audi’s famous quattro all-wheel drive system.
While the mechanical bits don’t sound particularly exciting, with quilted leather seating surfaces, intricate trim patterns, a panoramic sunroof, sexy ambient lighting, and Bang & Olufsen sound systems, the interior promises to be more inspiring. According to Audi, the model will be in Chinese showrooms before the end of the year, and cost roughly $74,100.
Now, as I mentioned above, the timetable for the debut of the Q6 e-tron is still very much up in the air. Porsche Chief Executive Oliver Blume is now steering the ship, but the savior from Stuttgart can’t just snap his fingers and get software development back on track. And the ongoing pandemic, not to mention the global semiconductor shortage, are complicating things as well. So stay tuned!
Photos: Audi
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