As winter approaches, more and more automakers are moving their prototypes to northern Europe in order to perform cold weather testing. Our spies recently snapped this Audi Q6 E-Tron prototype in Sweden and even though it’s completely covered in psychedelic camouflage, we can see that it is wearing its production body and headlights.
The rear lights are still placeholders for now, but we can still make out their shape. In terms of size, it is roughly as big as today’s Q5, but under the skin it won’t actually be related to any other Audi. That’s because it rides on the new PPE (Premium Platform Electric) architecture shared by Audi and Porsche, so it will actually be related to the upcoming Macan EV (which in turn won’t be related to the gas-burning Macan).
We don’t really know a lot about the PPE platform because it isn’t currently in any production vehicle - the Q6 E-Tron is believed to be the first one, followed by the electric Macan. Range is expected to be around the 700 km (435 miles) mark and thanks to the 800V electrical architecture, charging speeds of 350 kW are possible.
Gallery: Audi Q6 E-Tron Cold Weather Testing
When PPE was announced back in 2019, Audi said it actually shares around two thirds of its components with the MLB Evo platform for ICE vehicles. This means you will be able to equip it with rear-wheel steering and air suspension, among other top premium car features.
It’s also worth noting that the most powerful version, the Q6 E-Tron RS, is believed to have as much as 600 horsepower and 830 Nm (613 pound-feet) of torque, as well as torque vectoring to really help it put the power down. These numbers have not been confirmed by Audi, but they seem about right, and we won’t have long to wait until we find out since the Q6 E-Tron is expected to debut next year.
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Source: Carpix