Audi’s first vehicle on a platform co-developed with Porsche, the Q6 e-tron electric SUV, has been spied in sleeker Sportback guise.
Previously spied in wagon guise, both in regular and RS variants, the Q6 e-tron will share its Premium Platform Electric with the upcoming Porsche Macan EV.
The Q6 e-tron had been set to be revealed this year ahead of a European market launch sometime in 2023.
Last month, German publication Automobilwoche reported the launch could be delayed due to problems at the Volkswagen Group’s software subsidiary.
Porsche has subsequently confirmed the Macan EV, set for a 2023 launch, will now launch in 2024.
The new Premium Platform Electric will also be used by additional models including the production version of the A6 e-tron concept.
As with other Audi Sportback models, the Q6 e-tron Sportback features a sleeker roofline than its wagon counterpart.
As with Audi’s other electric models, perhaps with the exception of the rakish e-tron GT, its overall design doesn’t appear radically different from combustion-powered models like the next-generation Q5.
There will be split-level lighting up front, something we’ve spied on A6 e-tron prototypes.
Previous spy photographs have also given us a glimpse of the Q6 e-tron’s screen set-up, consisting of a large, free-standing digital instrument cluster and a tablet-style central touchscreen.
Cars based on PPE are expected to offer features like all-wheel steering, an 800V electrical system with fast charging up to 350kW, and torque vectoring.
The Q6 e-tron is expected to offer a range of single-motor rear-wheel drive and dual-motor all-wheel drive powertrains, with range of up to 480km.
Audi Q6 e-tron and Q6 e-tron Sportback 
A dual-motor RS Q6 e-tron could pump out as much as 440kW of power. The RS e-tron GT, for reference, produces 440kW of power (475kW in boost mode) and 830Nm of torque, good for a 0-100km/h time of 3.3 seconds.
The Q6 e-tron will slot into a sprawling line-up of Audi SUVs, which will continue to include combustion-powered models until 2033 – and potentially beyond in China.
It’ll launch its last combustion-powered global model by 2026 with its second-generation Q8.
SQ5 prototype 
RS Q6 e-tron prototype
A new generation of Q5 is due by 2024, with petrol and diesel engines and a sporty SQ5 flagship.
Audi in China offers the Q5 e-tron electric SUV, though this shares its MEB platform with more mainstream Volkswagen Group products like the Volkswagen ID.4 and Audi Q4 e-tron.
A Q8 e-tron has been confirmed, and could debut as soon as 2026.
Chinese Q5 e-tron 
Chinese Q6 
e-tron S and e-tron S Sportback
Perhaps more confusingly, there’s an MQB-based petrol-powered Audi Q6 sold in the Chinese market.
The e-tron – Audi’s first electric vehicle, launched in 2019 – will continue to be sold alongside these newer models.
It’ll reportedly receive an update in 2023 with upgraded electronics and electric motors, a new battery, and a commensurate bump in range – potentially more than 600km, a sizeable leap over the current car’s maximum of 436km.
