Audi’s Electric Off-Roader Is Designed To Be "Highly Emotive"
Audi doesn’t specify what emotions it wants you to feel when looking at (and driving in) its all-new Q6 e-tron offroad concept car. However, it is very clear on one thing: it wants this car to, in some way, be highly emotive.
“How can we create a highly emotive electric vehicle?” was the question the Audi team asked itself before creating this Q6 prototype. And the answer came in the form of a bulky off-roader (the concept car has a 6.3-inch taller ride height and a 9.8-inch wider track than the standard Q6 e-tron).
“The Q6 e-tron offroad concept is a reinterpretation of quattro. The model shows the potential that our platform for all-electric vehicles already has today,” says Audi CEO Gernot Döllner after a test drive of the new car. “This vehicle can claim new ground. We look forward to seeing our customers’ reactions to this highly emotive car.”
Once again, those words appear: highly emotive.
Beneath its considerably large exterior, the standout feature of the Q6 e-tron offroad concept is its redesigned portal axles which increase torque at the wheel by 50% (regular portal axles only achieve an increase of between 20% and 30%).
The change in portal axles, along with chunky new tires, means a decreased top speed of 108 mph but it allows the car to scale gradients of up to 45 degrees. You’ll be able to see its capabilities in action on February 1, 2025, at the F.A.T. Ice Race.
After its electric-hybrid RS Q e-tron won the 2024 Dakar Rally, this concept car reasserts Audi’s continued efforts to build state-of-the-art electric off-road vehicles. And while I wouldn’t go as far as calling it highly emotive, the Q6 offroad is certainly a mean-looking SUV.
