galvanising elevator car are here to ride out , but they ’ll be deal service department infinite with internal - combustion vehicles for the time being . That leaves automotive designers and intersection planners with a decisiveness : Should raw cars promote their powertrains , with different designs for EVs and gasolene models ? Or is consistent branding more important ?
The Audi brand name obligate prestigiousness no matter what kind of car the automaker ’s four - ring logotype is attached to . The German auto manufacturer does require to stop making burning cars eventually , but like many established automakers , it does n’t expect the road to that item to be a uncoiled line . So Audi is vamp its gasoline cars while continuing to exposit its EV lineup — with largely common styling features between them .
In a repurposed industrial facility just outside Munich , Audi late gave Digital Trends and other medium a sneak peek at two all-important new example . The 2025 Audi A6 e - tron is an all - electric permutation for one of Audi ’s longest - running combustion models , while the 2025 Audi A5 stigmatise a fresh investiture in home - combustion vehicles .
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All-EV, eventually
“ The fair game portfolio of Audi ’s future tense will be an all - electrical portfolio , ” Audi CEO Gernot Döllner separate Digital Trends and other media during a Q&A. Döllner said sooner this year that Audi would introduce its last combustion model in 2026 , but indicated the automaker is n’t locked into that foresightful - full term goal .
“ Nobody knows how fast the electrical modulation will chance , ” Döllner said , which is why combustion models are still part of the program for now . Audi will determine its pace based on customer demand and changes to regulations .
Audi does n’t wait the road to electrification to be a square line .
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If tough European regulations stay in place ( they ’re due for reevaluation in 2026 ) , Audi could intercept sell burning cars there by 2033 . The United States has put anew round of emissions rulesinto place for role model age 2027 to 2032 , but they still tolerate for burning exemplar .
Audi ’s medium - term solution is a zipper lineup , with even - numbered exemplar powered by burning engines , odd - amount simulation powered by batteries , and hybrid versions of some nameplate add together in as well . Hence the 2025 Audi A5 is in reality a replacement for the Audi A4 sedan , as well as the current A5 coupe / exchangeable / hatchback . The A6 east - tron will become the sole A6 edition once a Modern Audi A7 arrives to substitute the current combustion rendering of that saloon .
Similar styling for EVs and combustion models
This new naming scheme seems a bit confusing , even compared to the overture of Audi ’s main rivals . Mercedes - Benzhas its EQ sub - trade name , with doppelgängers of its traditional gasoline lavishness motorcar define by polarizing styling and oversized screen . BMW has waver between build dedicated EVs like theiX SUVand making electric variants of its burning modelslike the i5 , an all - galvanising rendering of the 5 Series sedan chair that has traditionally been one of the A6 ’s primary competitors .
Audi seems to want to spotlight which of its cars are electric without making too big of a stack out of it . That ’s also the typesetter’s case with the A6 e - tron ’s styling . Unlike the i5 , it ’s not just a combustion sedan refitted with an electric powertrain . But it commingle in more than the pebble - shapedMercedes - Benz EQE sedan , its close rival in the EQ batting order .
Moving between rooms where the cars sat under studio lights , we saw a strong household resemblance between the A6 eastward - tron and the novel A5 . That ’s what Audi was going for .
Stephen Edelstein/Digital Trends
The difference between the petrol A5 and electrical A6 e - tron is in the main in the details .
“ In general , the plan language should be independent [ of whether ] it ’s a burning - locomotive engine or battery - electrical [ fomite ] , ” Döllner said .
The difference is principally in the details . The A6 e - tron and other Audi EVs have a contrast grille ( to highlight that it ’s a malfunctioning cosmetic element ) and a piece of music of trim along the doors to stand for the assault and battery multitude . The A5 hint at its burning locomotive engine with a tough bulge and prominent exhaust tips . Both the A5 and A6 e - tron will be sold in the U.S. solely as sedans with rear hatches instead of conventional trunk ; other markets get well-favored Avant Dipper body panache as well .
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Shared tech, different platforms
Audi also wo n’t limit the latest infotainment tech to its EVs . The A5 gets the same E3 1.2 electric architecture as the A6 e - tron . This computer architecture , which debuted in theQ6 e - tron electric SUV , comes with a three - screen showing setup that include an 11.9 - inch digital instrument cluster , 14.5 - inch touchscreen , and 10.9 - inch front - rider screen that ’s common to both the combustion A5 and electric A6 e - tron .
The interchangeable exterior styling themes and midland technical school features bely the fact that these two cars are based on different underpinnings . The A6 tocopherol - tron is built off the same Premium Platform Electric ( PPE ) as the Q6 e - tron and the galvanizing version of thePorsche Macan . It employ a “ grim story concept ” version of the PPE with rearranged suspension and other components that allows this sedan to pose lower than the Q6 e - tron SUV . The A5 debut the Premium Platform Combustion ( PPC ) that will serve as the basis of most succeeding Audi burning framework , but has nothing in common with the PPE architecture .
Audi also wo n’t limit the latest infotainment technical school to its electron volt .
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In the U.S. , the A6 e - tron will be declare oneself in exclusive - motor rear - wheel drive and dual - motor all - bike driving guises make 362 H.P. and 422 , severally . A sportier S6 e - tron dual - motor model bumps output to 496 hp , or 543 H.P. with its launch command system engaged . That system will also scoot the S6 from zero to 60 miles per hour in 3.7 seconds with minimal dramatic play . The A5 will be sell in the U.S. with a 2.0 - liter turbocharged four - cylinder railway locomotive and all - wheel drive ; an S5 performance strain will also be useable with a 3.0 - cubic decimetre turbocharged V6 .
All A6 vitamin E - tron models have a 100 - kilowatt - hour barrage fire face pack with 94kWh of functional capacitance . Audi has n’t released range figures for the U.S. , but said all A6 e - tron model will be able to DC firm charge at up to 270 kilowatts , discharge a 10%-80 % tutelage in 21 transactions . However , the U.S.-spec edition miss out on some tech feature film useable in Europe , include camera side mirrors and the ability to program enliven kindling signatures .
A cautious approach
Legacy automakers have built commercial enterprise on sell cars power by fossil fuel , otherwise it would n’t have take a startup like Tesla to evangelize electron volt . But eV have since rekindle interest in automobile among non - partisan . auto manufacturer are also under more regulative pressure sensation than ever to lower emissions , and more shareholder pressure to pursue EVs in the hope of parallel Tesla ’s stock price .
The shareholders are quickly find that making more eV does n’t mechanically make the plowshare price go up , and cost and infrastructure concerns are still induce car shoppers to hold back , which means combustion models will likely be with us for a little while longer . In that linguistic context , Audi ’s overture of using design to keep its own brand in the foreground to make a blended class of gasoline and galvanizing models is cautious , but sensible .
Stephen Edelstein/Digital Trends
Stephen Edelstein/Digital Trends
Stephen Edelstein/Digital Trends
Stephen Edelstein/Digital Trends
Stephen Edelstein/Digital Trends
