Audi almost ready to reveal its take on the Porsche Macan

After many delays, the Audi Q6 e-tron is almost ready to waltz down the catwalk and into full view, with the automaker confirming the car’s launch for March 18.

Aside from announcing the launch date on social media overnight, and publishing a teaser photo (top), Audi hasn’t provided any further details about its new electric crossover.

It’s not clear quite why the brand felt the need to hide the Q6 e-tron’s body, as the design has already been outed by barely disguised prototypes Audi has been publicising since last year.

Based on the Premium Platform Electric (PPE) it co-developed with Porsche, the Q6 e-tron will be a close relation to the recently revealed second-generation Porsche Macan.

Unlike the new Macan, which at present has only been revealed with a coupe-ish crossover body, the Q6 e-tron will be available with the choice of two body styles: a conventional crossover with an upright tailgate, and a Sportback variant with a more steeply raked roof and rear window.

While the Macan and Q6 e-tron will share much in common, their interior and exterior designs will be distinct.

The Q6 e-tron will continue with the company’s single-frame grille, although this time it will be completely closed off and non-functional.

The grille will be flanked by the brand’s first split headlight treatment, with a set of thin LED driving lights situated below the bonnet line, while the main and high beam units will live lower down the front fascia and be disguised.

The side of the Q6 e-tron features prominent flowing creases above the wheel arches. At the back the tail-lights stretch across the entire width of the car, and will be available with OLED lighting elements.

Inside, the dashboard of the Q6 e-tron includes a curved display panel housing an 11.9-inch instrumentation display and a 14.5-inch infotainment touchscreen.

Options include a 10.9-inch screen for the front passenger with a polariser film that enables movies to be watched “without distracting the driver”, as well as a 22-speaker Bang & Olufsen sound system, and augmented reality head up display.

One of the key details that’s yet to revealed relates to the Q6 e-tron’s drivetrain, but the second-generation Macan provides some clues.

All Macan models, and presumably all PPE vehicles, have a 800-volt electrical architecture.

The Macan 4 has a dual-motor all-wheel drive setup making 300kW and 650Nm on overboost, and is good for a 0-100km/h time of 5.2 seconds and a top speed of 220km/h.

Step up to the Macan Turbo and there’s 470kW and 1130Nm on tap, with the 0-100km/h time trimmed to 3.3 seconds, and a higher top speed of 260km/h.

The Macan 4 and Turbo have a 96kWh battery, and support DC fast charging up to 270kW.

Although there will be overlap between the two models, the Q6 e-tron should be generally positioned below its Porsche sibling.