Flagship Audi A6 e-tron EV no guarantee for Australia: SUV mania could signal the local demise of luxury sedan after 30 year run
While it eagerly awaits the arrival of electrified SUVs, Audi Australia has admitted the sophisticated new A6 e-tron flagship luxury electric passenger cars could miss out on local sale.
And the orthodox petrol, diesel and even plug-in hybrid versions of one of Audi’s foundational local models are also no guarantee of continuing in Australia.
The new generation orthodox A6 and A6 e-tron dedicated EV have been revealed overseas, but for now Audi Australia still has the old eighth-generation A6 listed on its website, as well as the A6 Allroad diesel SUV.
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The A6 has been part of the Aussie Audi line-up since 1994 and formed the backbone of the VW luxury brand’s range with the A4 in the same way the 5 Series and 3 Series have for BMW and the C-Class and E-Class for Mercedes-Benz.
But all of them have slipped in sales power as SUVs have become the dominant sales force in the luxury market, just as they have in mainstream segments.
Audi has already amalgamated the A4 and A5 passenger car line-ups into one. There is now a five-door Sportback dubbed A5 Sedan and an A5 Avant (wagon).
The old A5 coupe and cabrio have been dumped.
The A6 e-tron comes as a Sportback and Avant, while the orthodox A6 comes as a sedan and an Avant.
According to VFACTS, Audi has sold 101 A6s in Australia in the first six months of 2025, down from 110 in the same period of 2024.
It has sold 1659 Q5, 787 Q7 and 218 Q8 SUVs so far in 2025.
“The large passenger vehicle market has declined over time in the Australian market,” Audi Australia national product manager Matthew Dale told EV Central. “We’ve seen growth in large SUVs, as an example, is the juxtaposition to that.
“However, we evaluate every product that’s on offer from Europe and whether or not it’s fit for the Australian market and if there’s a consumer or a buyer there and whether or not there’s a positive business case behind that .
“Then basically post that evaluation we make decisions on whether or not that model comes to the Australian market.”
Asked to rate the chances of A6 and or A6 e-tron coming to Australia, Dale said: “I couldn’t even tell you at this point because we’re in the early days of the evaluation.”
The evaluation splits the A6 and A6 e-tron into separate studies and then sub-divides them again into body styles and powertrains.
“We do every model in its separate evaluation and the main reason for that is so we can really focus on the core segment, the core customer and whether or not it’s a strong business case as well,” explained Dale.
“Because the big thing is … making sure the model portfolio at Audi – whilst it’s very broad [and] we speak to a broad set of customers – is fit for the Australian market.
“So we look at say A6 ICE. We’ll look at body styles and powertrains and then separately we have a look at A6 e-tron in terms of body styles, powertrains as well.
“So two separate business cases and two separate evaluations from Australia.”
Perhaps ominously, Audi has recently confirmed the discontinuation of the S8 large passenger sports sedan in Australia.
More promisingly perhaps, the Audi Australia website lists the A6 e-tron Avant and Sportback as future models on its website.
Meanwhile, Dale made it clear that Audi Australia wanted to add more electrified SUVs as they became available.
This includes a cheaper Q4 e-tron electric SUV that is expected to be announced imminently, the continuation of the Q5 PHEV into a new generation this year, a plug-in hybrid version of the next-gen Q3 small SUV due in the first half of 2026 and a new smaller electric SUV electric SUV that’s mooted for 2027.
“If there was such a product to come, we would definitely evaluate it for the Australian market,” said Dale of the small EV SUV.
“It would offer a price point that may speak to a different consumer set as well. So that would be another opportunity.”
Meanwhile, it’s not all bad news for lovers of Audi passenger cars as the A5 range will expand to include a new plug-in hybrid Sedan and Avant in Q4 2025. Read about it here.
