The Ingolstadt-based automaker hasn't done much for the US automotive market this year – they announced a logical 16% year-over-year drop in Q1 sales as a consequence of the perceived lack of interest.
It's their fault, for sure, although if we ask the corner office head honchos, they might think otherwise – just to protect their fat paychecks, probably. However, their novelties speak for themselves – back in late March, they announced the 2025 Audi Q7 and SQ7 with aesthetic changes and new technology, and earlier that same month, they also revealed the 2024 Audi Q4 55 e-tron mid-cycle refresh with more power and range plus improved charging speeds and better chassis dynamics.
That's all, folks. Yep, two introductions in five months are nothing to write home about, even for a premium automaker. During that time, BMW, Mercedes, Cadillac, Lexus, and other rivals had countless novelties, from the big QX80 to the fast M4 CS. And they're not stopping to take a breath. Anyway, it seems that Audi is finally moving things along, too.
With the global reveal of the first-ever Q6 e-tron and SQ6 e-tron, we found out that the US version of the Q6 e-tron quattro makes more power than the international variant and that Sportback and Rear Wheel Drive models "will follow at a later point." The important thing to note about the new Q6 e-tron is also that Audi finally ditched the confusing powertrain naming scheme (like 55 e-tron, 45 TSI, or 55 TDI, etc.).
They are also setting aside the even numerals for all-electric models (albeit they are not ditching the e-tron moniker), so the Q6 e-tron is basically the all-electric variant of the upcoming all-new Q5 iteration that keeps the gasoline, diesel, and hybrid powertrains. As such, the BMW 5 Series and Mercedes-Benz E-Class will get Audi's opposition via the A6 sedan and Avant e-tron while the A7 becomes the ICE-powered counterpart.
Speaking of these two Audi models, the spy photographers can't get enough of their prototypes, meaning a reveal is coming soon. Also, the imaginative realm of digital car content creators has decided to speed things up a little bit. So, the good folks over at the AutoYa info channel on YouTube have a satellite venue dubbed AutoYa Interior, and that's where all the (CGI) Audi action is, at least from the A6 e-tron and A7 standpoint.
While this unofficial video feature mostly focuses on the former, there's also a cool side-by-side CGI shot of the hypothetical A6 Avant e-tron with the unofficial A7 Avant, so it could be easy to choose your favorite. Additionally, the channel's resident pixel master has worked hard to bring to digital life – based on the namesake A6 Avant e-tron concept introduced three years ago at Auto Shanghai 2021 – the upcoming series-production variant with loads of ritzy hues, both inside and out. Cool, right?
Aurel has aimed high all his life (literally, at 16 he was flying gliders all by himself) so in 2006 he switched careers and got hired as a writer at his favorite magazine. Since then, his work has been published both by print and online outlets, most recently right here, on autoevolution. Full profile
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