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Audi A6 L e-tron Plug-in Hybrid Debuts at Auto Shanghai 2014

This week, we're in Shanghai for the biggest auto event Asia has to offer. Immediately upon landing, we realized that the A6 L e-tron is not only the first plug-in hybrid mid-size sedan from the German company, but also the first facelift A6 model.
2016 Audi A6 L e-tron Live Photos 26 photos
Photo: Catalin Garmacea
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The whole range is being previewed here, as the same LED headlights and revised interior will be available on the regular A6 L and S6, both of which are among the most popular in their segments.

But let's not linger on thoughts of lighting and instead continue to the A6 L e-tron, on display at Auto Shanghai 2015. This is the first plug-in hybrid model offered by the automaker in China, for China. It's not going to be available anywhere else, but it replaces an existing car, the A6 Hybrid.

Compared to all the other e-tron models we've seen over the past year, the A6 is a bit of a letdown. The powertrain consists of a 2-liter turbo mated to an electric motor. Together, they are said to deliver 245 horsepower, which is enough for a 0 to 100 km/h acceleration time of 8.4 seconds.

You have to remember that this e-tron is a high-ticket item in China, costing the equivalent of about €100,000. So that kind of performance might not be to everyone's liking. But what's going to help sell this car is the fact that it classifies as a "New Energy Vehicle". Both emissions and fuel consumption are very low, plus there's an all-electric driving mode for town use.

With the help of a 14.1 kWh lithium-ion battery located under the trunk, the A6 L e-tron can pretend to be a Nissan Leaf for up to 50 kilometers or 31 miles. Once that's been emptied, a potent charging station can replenish lost energy in about two hours, but most simple chargers will do the job in eight hour.

The specs, broken down into manageable chunks

This new e-tron model will go on sale in China sometime next year, so we don't know everything about the car. Here's what we do know!

Under the bonnet is a 2-liter TFSI turbo engine, which makes 155 kW (211 HP) and 350 Nm (258.1 lb-ft) of torque. The parallel hybrid system also offers an electric motor that's small enough to fit between the four-cylinder and its gearbox. It provides an additional 91 kW (124 HP) and 220 Nm (162.3 lb-ft) of torque. Total system output can be as high as 245 HP (180 kW) and 500 Nm (368.8 lb-ft) of torque.

In fully electric mode, the A6 L e-tron can hit a top speed of 135 km/h (84 mph). Average fuel consumption is said to be a very impressive 2.2 liters of fuel per 100 kilometers (106.9 US mpg), which is about three or four times less than an average car.

Before we go, it's worth a quick note that neither Mercedes nor BMW have an equivalent mid-sized PHEV sedan to offer their Chinese customers.
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About the author: Mihnea Radu
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Mihnea's favorite cars have already been built, the so-called modern classics from the '80s and '90s. He also loves local car culture from all over the world, so don't be surprised to see him getting excited about weird Japanese imports, low-rider VWs out of Germany, replicas from Russia or LS swaps down in Florida.
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