Auto Express 1708

AS you’ll see on page 66, the highlight of my 2021 has been being able to spend time in the company of colleagues and industry folk – in person for the first time in a long time (although at the time of writing it seems that may have to take a back seat for a while). We have a car industry that’s very much focused on a bright future, with technology to the fore. And one company in particular that has impressed me is Audi – with more exciting plans revealed on page eight. Talking to Audi CEO Markus Duesmann earlier in the year, he was bold enough to admit that Tesla had a clear lead when it came to technology. His plan was to ensure Audi developed a new…

James_Brodie@autovia.co.uk @JPBrods • Priced from around £60,000 • Q6 slots in between the Q4 e-tron and the e-tron SUV • Hot SQ6, too AUDI’S star of 2023 will be a new electric SUV, the Q6 e-tron, which will arrive at a moment of technological reinvention for the brand. That’s because this new mid-sized electric SUV – in effect a rival for both Tesla’s Model Y and Model X – will be the first Audi to use a new electric-car platform developed jointly with Porsche: Premium Platform Electric (PPE). It will also be the first electric Audi to be built at the firm’s Ingolstadt home from late 2022, with UK sales slated to begin in 2023, and prices likely to start from about £60,000. The Q6 e-tron’s positioning means Audi will…

WE’RE not far away from seeing the Audi Q6 e-tron make its full debut in production form. Audi CEO Markus Duesmann confirmed earlier this year that we’ll see the firm’s new electric SUV in 2022 before expected sales in 2023. The Q6 e-tron marks a big step for Audi in terms of how it will develop future cars, as it cuts back on ICE models and focuses on EVs. Duesmann told us that software stacks will take a greater focus, leading areas of development. The PPE platform has been co-developed with Group partner Porsche, and the new architecture will also underpin an all-electric version of the Macan, due in 2022 as well. As these spy shots show, the Q6 e-tron will be a mid-size model with similar overall dimensions to…

john_McIlroy@autovia.co.uk @johnmcilroy • All-new TT may use elements from the MEB and PPE platforms • Four doors and sloping roofline ape the A4 e-tron’s styling AUDI’S style icon for more than two decades, the TT, is set to be axed when production of its current generation ends in 2023 – and the car will be replaced by a new style of “emotional” model that will be larger, and could well have four doors. Audi’s senior management team has been engaged in heated discussions over the TT’s future for more than three years. As recently as 2019, the company’s then-technical boss Hans-Joachim Rothenpieler explained that the brand was exploring different battery packaging to see if it could still offer a compact all-electric sports car. However, Rothenpieler’s successor, Oliver Hoffman, has now…

ONE model that won’t be thrust into Audi’s all-electric plans is the next A4, which has been spotted testing in Avant form for the first time. The sixth generation of Audi’s BMW 3 Series rival will adopt an evolutionary approach to both its engineering and design. The basic silhouette is familiar, despite various detail changes, while the car will remain on the same MLB underpinnings as the current model. An improved range of four-cylinder petrol and diesel engines is expected to adopt mild-hybrid technology, while plug-in hybrids will also feature. The cabin will receive a thorough tech overhaul, too. “The Avant’s improved range of engines is expected to adopt mild-hybrid technology”…

IT’S not only registered disabled or blue badge-holders who may be challenged by the physical requirements of charging an electric car. Many drivers are concerned at the need to drag heavy cables across potentially wet or dirty pavements, or fitting unwieldy plugs into sometimes awkward sockets. It’s not just a matter of physical capacity either; some are simply put off by the prospect of cables that may get their hands or clothes dirty. Design agency Duku is at the forefront of attempts to help less able drivers, and others, overcome their obstacles or reservations about charging issues. As well as working on new chargepoints – Duku is behind an “innovative” design that will be deployed at Urban Foresight’s Dundee test bay (left) – it has received Government grants to address…