Let’s Off-Road! Wild new electric Audi Audi Q6 e-tron concept can climb walls, hints at Allroad revival to take on electric Mercedes G-wagon
Audi has paved the way for a go-anywhere version of its advanced Audi Q6 e-tron with a wild new concept that could challenge the battery-electric Mercedes G580e for capability off-road.
Named the Audi Q6 e-tron Offroad Concept, the tougher and meaner take on the premium mid-size SUV features a towering ride height, plenty of power and trick portal axles that allow it to scale gradients of up to 100 per cent.
Instead of a computer rendering, Audi went ahead and built a working prototype that features dual-motors producing 380kW (the same as the SQ6 e-tron) and a ride height 160mm higher than the standard car.
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Other changes include a 250mm wider track and those portal axles with gearing that multiplies torque by around 20-30 per cent at the wheels, but slashes the top speed to around 175km/h.
What hasn’t been revealed is whether or not the new mountain climbing Q6 e-tron shares the standard car’s 100kWh battery and how much the modifications have reduced the 380kW SQ6 e-tron’s range.
Riding on smaller stronger alloy wheels, the more rugged Q6 e-tron Sportback employs chunky all-terrain tyres.
There’s been no claims at just how capable the new Q6 e-tron is, but similar portal axles have in the past been used on both the Mercedes-Benz Unimog and hardcore G-wagon G 63 4×42.
Other exterior changes see the Audi SUV adopt quad-mounted lamps within each corner of the front bumper, plus a bright LED light bar that’s mounted at the front of the heavy duty roof rack.
Wide arches and chunky lower body protection complete the exterior changes from the regular more anonymous Q6 e-tron.
Claimed to have been inspired by the more radical 2023 Activesphere concept, it’s been hotly tipped the new Q6 e-tron Off-Road Concept is another piece of the puzzle concerning the Audi’s reboot of the Allroad for the electric age.
Helping reshape the extreme off-road -focused Q6 e-tron, as well as future Audis in general, is former Land Rover designer, Massimo Frascella, who penned both the latest Defender and the flagship Range Rover, suggesting more extreme mud-loving variants could be in the pipeline.
Audi has not yet revealed whether it officially plans to relaunch the Allroad sub-brand or if it will produce the latest off-road ready version of the Q6 e-tron.
