Winter is slowly coming, meaning automakers are moving their development and testing programs in Europe to more northern areas of the continent to put their new products to the limit in snowy conditions. Audi has already been in Scandinavia testing the Q6 E-Tron electric crossover and this is only the second time we’ve seen it in the Sportback trim. Think of it as a slightly sportier and more stylish alternative to the regular Q6 E-Tron, even though the two will share identical components under the skin.
We don’t expect any differences in the front fascia as the two core versions of the Q6 will feature identical designs. The spyed prototype you see in the gallery below shows a bit more front-end design than the previous test car, especially the area around the headlights. The camouflage is slowly peeling off but there is still plenty of camouflage to hide the small details.
The split-light design usually associated with Audi’s electric range takes center stage at the front. The grille still hides its shape and size but we knew it would be a closed type as neither engine needed air. At the back, expect the RS Q6 E-Tron to look like a standard Audi Q-series crossover, albeit without the exhaust pipes and with slightly sharper looking taillights.
As mentioned above, the Q6 E-Tron Sportback will share the base with the regular Q6 E-Tron. This means the bones will come from the modular Premium Platform Electric (PPE) architecture, which will also be shared with the fully electric Porsche Macan. Several different outputs depending on the number of electric motors and software expected, including the RS branded model. We’ve seen Audi test the performance-oriented crossover and we suspect it will have around 600 horsepower (447 kilowatts), similar to what the most powerful Macan EV will produce.
Earlier this year, there were rumors the Q6 E-Tron family could debut before the end of the year, but that seems unlikely for now. We expect the regular and Sportback models to arrive next year with a market launch before the end of 2023.
