The new A6 L
is Audi’s best-selling model in China, where sales are remarkably
strong for the Ingolstadt company. In fact, in the first quarter of
2012, Audi sold 90,063 models in China and Hong Kong—that represents a
year-on-year increase of 40 percent.
Now, at the 2012 Beijing Auto Show, Audi has taken the wraps off the A6 L e-tron Concept, a car built to study the future of electric mobility in China. It’s a plug-in parallel hybrid version of Audi’s popular business sedan, built at the Changchun plant as a joint venture with FAW. Audi says the A6 e-tron Concept is tailored specifically for China’s rapidly growing cities, where it can be driven solely on electric power for 80 kilometers (49.7 miles).
A 2.0-liter TFSI 4-cylinder gasoline engine with 211 bhp is found underhood, joined by an electric motor with 95 hp. The liquid-cooled lithium-ion battery is mounted in the rear of this A6 e-tron, in a spot that Audi says is safe in the event of a collision. As in hybrids such as the Toyota Prius, a central control module determines the best operating mode for this A6 e-tron, always with an eye toward maximized driving range. Put another way, the A6 e-tron can operate purely with its internal combustion engine, purely with its electric motor, or with any combination of the two. As is ubiquitous in hybrids, electrical energy is recovered in braking, and it used at times to boost acceleration.
Audi has already launched hybrid versions of the Q5, A6 and A8, but those models can drive only up to three kilometers (1.9 miles) in full-electric mode. With the A6 e-tron, the idea is to make pure-electric driving the primary focus. Test versions of the Audi A1 and A3 e-tron vehicles are currently being used to acquire customer feedback, which will be incorporated into future production Audis. This includes a short run of Audi R8 e-trons that will appear later this year, and the A3 e-tron in 2014.
The Audi A6 L is quite a stylish car, and the e-tron Concept retains the same basic handsome look. In front, though, there’s a single-frame grille with slender crossbars, and the car has 21-in. wheels that incorporate a special e-tron design. What’s more, there’s a special rear diffuser and front air intakes that are almost completely covered.
The unibody chassis of the A6 e-tron is identical to that of the A6, constructed with 10 percent aluminum and designed to be rigid, lightweight and safe. Of note, Audi says all its new models will be lighter than their respective previous versions, with engineers planning to use new combinations of materials that will even include carbon fiber-reinforced polymers. Audi calls this a “flexible” approach to using new materials, with one goal: to obtain the best performance with the least material usage at the best places.
Inside, the Audi A6 L e-tron continues its elegant theme, where the defining element is a wrap-around arc under the windshield and an instrument panel designed in the form of a flowing wave. Controls are said to be intuitive, and there’s a “powerometer” replacing a tachometer, boasting a pointer that indicates total drive system power on a scale from 0 to 100 percent. Colored sections indicate the operating state of the lithium-ion battery, while a separate gauge indicates the state of charge. An energy flow indicator allows the driver to observe which drive components are active, and the MMI (Multi Media Interface) monitor has a bar diagram that indicates average fuel economy and amount of energy recovered over 5-minute intervals.
While that’s common hybrid tech these days, the A6L e-tron does have something special—its MMI touchpad recognizes 29,000 Chinese characters. That is an impressive feat!
Now, at the 2012 Beijing Auto Show, Audi has taken the wraps off the A6 L e-tron Concept, a car built to study the future of electric mobility in China. It’s a plug-in parallel hybrid version of Audi’s popular business sedan, built at the Changchun plant as a joint venture with FAW. Audi says the A6 e-tron Concept is tailored specifically for China’s rapidly growing cities, where it can be driven solely on electric power for 80 kilometers (49.7 miles).
2012 Audi A6 L e-tron Concept
A 2.0-liter TFSI 4-cylinder gasoline engine with 211 bhp is found underhood, joined by an electric motor with 95 hp. The liquid-cooled lithium-ion battery is mounted in the rear of this A6 e-tron, in a spot that Audi says is safe in the event of a collision. As in hybrids such as the Toyota Prius, a central control module determines the best operating mode for this A6 e-tron, always with an eye toward maximized driving range. Put another way, the A6 e-tron can operate purely with its internal combustion engine, purely with its electric motor, or with any combination of the two. As is ubiquitous in hybrids, electrical energy is recovered in braking, and it used at times to boost acceleration.
2012 Audi A6 L e-tron Concept
Audi has already launched hybrid versions of the Q5, A6 and A8, but those models can drive only up to three kilometers (1.9 miles) in full-electric mode. With the A6 e-tron, the idea is to make pure-electric driving the primary focus. Test versions of the Audi A1 and A3 e-tron vehicles are currently being used to acquire customer feedback, which will be incorporated into future production Audis. This includes a short run of Audi R8 e-trons that will appear later this year, and the A3 e-tron in 2014.
The Audi A6 L is quite a stylish car, and the e-tron Concept retains the same basic handsome look. In front, though, there’s a single-frame grille with slender crossbars, and the car has 21-in. wheels that incorporate a special e-tron design. What’s more, there’s a special rear diffuser and front air intakes that are almost completely covered.
2012 Audi A6 L e-tron Concept
The unibody chassis of the A6 e-tron is identical to that of the A6, constructed with 10 percent aluminum and designed to be rigid, lightweight and safe. Of note, Audi says all its new models will be lighter than their respective previous versions, with engineers planning to use new combinations of materials that will even include carbon fiber-reinforced polymers. Audi calls this a “flexible” approach to using new materials, with one goal: to obtain the best performance with the least material usage at the best places.
2012 Audi A6 L e-tron Concept
Inside, the Audi A6 L e-tron continues its elegant theme, where the defining element is a wrap-around arc under the windshield and an instrument panel designed in the form of a flowing wave. Controls are said to be intuitive, and there’s a “powerometer” replacing a tachometer, boasting a pointer that indicates total drive system power on a scale from 0 to 100 percent. Colored sections indicate the operating state of the lithium-ion battery, while a separate gauge indicates the state of charge. An energy flow indicator allows the driver to observe which drive components are active, and the MMI (Multi Media Interface) monitor has a bar diagram that indicates average fuel economy and amount of energy recovered over 5-minute intervals.
While that’s common hybrid tech these days, the A6L e-tron does have something special—its MMI touchpad recognizes 29,000 Chinese characters. That is an impressive feat!
2012 Audi A6 L e-tron Concept
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