2025 Audi A6 E-Tron Sportback Is a Long-Range, Aerodynamic Powerhouse

The Audi A6 E-Tron is coming later this year hot off the heels of its Q6 E-tron cousin and, likewise, built on the same PPE platform co-developed with Porsche. What’s more, the A6 E-Tron Sportback’s sleek profile makes it the most aerodynamic Audi ever, with a drag coefficient of 0.21.

That’s impressive for any full-size fastback, but especially valuable for an EV that can squeeze more miles per charge from that lower drag. Thanks to Audi’s focus on aero, the A6 E-Tron Sportback will have a range of over 466 miles based on the WLTP test cycle. That number will naturally decrease in EPA testing, but it’s still a sign of the industry’s progress in its relentless push for EV efficiency and energy density.

Audi says that the A6’s design puts it above not just all other Audis in terms of aerodynamics, but also above all other vehicles currently made by Volkswagen Group. However, the A6 E-Tron Avant won’t match the Sportback, with its drag coefficient of 0.24 and slightly lower maximum range. It is a wagon, though, so we’ll forgive its disadvantages on paper. Just don’t get too excited, because Audi’s first fully electric Avant has not yet been confirmed for the States.

The A6 E-Tron will come to America in three Sportback versions: a 362-horsepower rear-wheel-drive base model; a 422-hp Quattro; and a 496-hp S6 (with 543 hp for launch control). Torque distribution is rear-biased across all models, and the Sportback tips the scales at 4,795 pounds.

The Sportback’s slippery shape is further optimized thanks to many small design elements, which are as much about function as they are form. Air curtains manipulate flow at the front and at all four corners, while the optional 21-inch wheels come equipped with plastic aero covers. The EV’s virtual exterior mirrors can also tuck in toward the body, and an optional air suspension lowers the big sedan by up to 0.8 inches depending on speed.

Wedging the battery pack into the new A6 E-Tron raised its height, of course, so Audi designers counterintuitively outlined the battery with a black insert at the door sills, in an attempt to carve a leaner profile.

All versions have the same usable battery capacity of 94.4 kWh and peak charging rate of 270 kW thanks to PPE’s 800-volt architecture. And just like the Q6, the A6 E-Tron can also split its single battery into two 400-volt packs via bank charging, to make the most of stations employing lower standards. The A6 E-Tron can go from 10% to 80% capacity in 21 minutes via DC fast charging, and recover up to 193 miles in 10 minutes. Again, that’s on the WLTP cycle, so U.S. mileage will vary. But you can spend some of those minutes playing Audi’s in-house developed video games on the heads-up display, which now boasts stereoscopic 3D effects.

The interior has all the other creature comforts of Audi’s latest EV platform, including ChatGPT-enabled Android Automotive infotainment with up to three displays. An 11.9-inch virtual driver’s cockpit is combined with a 14.5-inch OLED center screen in a continuous curved display, while a 10.9-inch screen for front passengers is optional. There’s a Bang & Olufsen sound system with four headrest speakers at the front, and another 16 speakers throughout the cabin driven by 830 watts of amplification.

The A6 E-Tron Sportback will get an overall more luxe interior than the Q6 E-Tron, adding exclusive soft-close doors and a new panoramic glass roof that dims at the touch of a button. Audi calls this a “digital curtain,” and it comes with four presets. But all the new high-speed tech isn’t limited to the EV drivetrain and interior, as Audi’s new customizable Matrix LED headlights and OLED taillights also come standard.

Regulations in the U.S. are still hampering active lighting, so we won’t enjoy the neat effects that allow the A6 E-Tron to communicate with others on the road via light show. Still, U.S. models will likely get those objectively cool illuminated rings at the rear as a consolation prize.

While the A6 E-Tron’s exterior isn’t as sleek as the longstanding ICE-equipped A6 sedan, Audi’s new electric four-door is, at least, a nearly perfect recreation of the concept that previewed it three years earlier. Love it or hate it, the design language of Ingolstadt’s new EVs is here to stay, but the A6 delivers meaningful upgrades to the brand’s electric lineup. Pricing for the U.S. is unknown, but the A6 E-Tron will start at €63,000 (about $63,136 at current exchange rates) in Germany when orders open in September.

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