Audi expands Q6 e-tron range with rear-drive model

Audi has announced a cheaper, more efficient rear-wheel-drive addition to its Q6 SUV e-tron line-up.

The new model is the first two-wheel-drive variant of Audi’s rival to the Jaguar I-Pace, Polestar 4 and Tesla Model Y, and will be joined by a lower-spec entry-level later in the year.

The new Q6 SUV e-tron performance offers less power but increased range compared with the Q6 e-tron quattro and SQ6 e-tron.

Using a 322bhp motor and a 94.9kWh battery, the two-wheel-drive variant offers class-leading range of up to 392 miles, compared with 381 miles for the 383bhp quattro and 360 for the 510bhp SQ6. It’s still no slouch, though, with a 0-62mph time of 6.6 seconds.

Like its more powerful stablemates, the e-tron performance features DC charging at up to 260kW thanks to the 800V architecture of the Premium Platform Electric (PPE) that also underpins the new Porsche Macan. At a suitable fast charging station, owners can add 161 miles of driving range in 10 minutes.

The Q6 SUV e-tron performance is priced from £63,475 – around £3,300 less than the cheapest quattro variant. First deliveries of the Q6 SUV e-tron performance are due to begin in the third quarter of the year, with the first all-wheel-drive variants due to reach customers in August.

Later in the summer, an entry-level variant called Q6 SUV e-tron, also featuring rear-wheel drive, will be added to the line-up.