The Q6 e-tron offroad idea is an Audi that’s prepared for something. An EV with an additional 6 inches of floor clearance, portal axles, and a few huge tow hooks on the entrance and rear bumpers. That is an Audi that might give any Jeep a run for its cash crawling over rocks after which completely destroy it when it’s time to go again into city.
Certain, Audi has carried out off-roading earlier than. The unique Quattro rally automobiles had been legends. Audi has an extended historical past at Dakar, too, even successful with a range-extended electrical rig in 2024. This, although? This can be a entire new ballgame.
50% Extra Torque From New-Design Portals
Begin with the portal axles. The tall hubs that separate the axle shaft from the middle of the wheel to present a automobile extra floor clearance for almost each single element, not simply the physique.
The gears in portal axles, as you would possibly discover on a custom-built off-road racing rig, multiply torque to the wheels. It’s not usually a big quantity, however an additional 20-30% is nothing to sneeze at.
For the Audi Q6 e-tron offroad, the German luxurious automobile firm designed a brand new type from scratch. These portals multiply torque by 50%, boosting most wheel output to 9,883 pound-feet for the ten seconds of overboost that the EV’s computer systems enable.
Do some math, and the portals enhance the Q6 e-tron’s 631 pound-feet to 934 pound-feet — with out altering a lot as a winding within the motors.
The whole enhance in floor clearance is 6.3 inches, and Audi has redeveloped the suspension to deal with it. Then, it pushed the wheels outward, including 9.8 inches of whole width. Matte black fender flares give it a severe look and canopy the studded mud-terrain tires to maintain them road-legal.
The Q6 e-tron offroad idea is a reinterpretation of quattro. The mannequin exhibits the potential that our platform for all electrical autos already has at the moment. This automobile can declare new floor. We look ahead to seeing our prospects’ reactions to this extremely emotive automobile.
— Audi CEO Gernot Döllner
Is Audi Planning On Constructing This Beast?
This Audi’s face is totally different from another trendy Audi. The Singleframe Audi grille is gone as a result of the underside has been lower out for a brand new bumper. Contained in the bumper, Audi added huge tow loops that look beefy sufficient to elevate the entire Q6. One other set of loops on the again makes it straightforward to yank this Audi out of something or let it pull out some significantly caught different rigs.
Audi revealed the Q6 e-tron offroad idea mannequin on the FIS World Cup occasion in Kitzbühel, Austria, and it plans to run it on the historic F.A.T. Ice Race in Austria on February 1. Nevertheless, Audi might need extra in retailer for this concept.
This isn’t Audi’s first off-roader in the previous couple of years. Audi confirmed the Activesphere EV, which seems loads like this Q6, in 2023 and the moon-buggy AI: Path Quattro idea in 2019. The distinction with this one, although, isn’t simply that it runs and drives. It’s that Audi would possibly really construct this.
Late final 12 months, a really tall and really mean-looking Q6 was noticed driving round testing with a full prototype camouflage wrap. That might have been Audi engaged on this idea automobile, however idea automobiles don’t usually find yourself testing on the highway. So keep tuned, as a result of Audi is perhaps coming after Jeep and even the Mercedes-Benz G-Wagon with this silent off-road monster.
