Following the 2020 Audi A7 Sportback 55 TFSI e quattro (a plug-in hybrid) is the 2020 Audi A6 TFSI e 55 quattro. It’s another plug-in hybrid with an equally baffling name, but at least this time the all-electric range should be slightly better.
The A6 joins Audi’s slew of plug-in hybrid versions of the A7, A8, Q5 and Q7. The 2.0-liter, four-cylinder gasoline engine, when combined with the 105-kW electric motor, produces a total system output of 362 horsepower and 369 lb-ft of torque, according to a press release.
On the A7, the European WLTP-estimated battery-only range is about 25 miles. On this A6, the WLTP-estimated range is about 33 miles. Keep in mind, though, that WLTP ranges are generally a smidge greater than EPA estimates, which we don’t yet have. While in battery-only mode, the A6 can travel up to speeds of 84 mph.
Zero to 62 mph is achieved in 5.6 seconds and there’s a top speed of 155.3 mph. Audi says it intends for most of the A6 plug-in customers to do their daily driving with electric power only. The car comes with three drive modes, EV for all-electric, Hybrid for both and Hold to save the battery energy at any given time.
You can charge your A6 plug-in at public chargers up to an output of 7.4 kW, meaning that it takes a claimed 2.5 hours to recharge the battery when it’s empty.
And the car looks nice. It has all the handsome and stylish design touches of a modern Audi. That indigo coat of paint is just divine.
The A6 plug-in hybrid is available for preorder at German dealerships now for a price of €68,850 (approximately $77,000). It’s not clear if the car will be offered here, but keep in mind there was an A6 hybrid for the U.S. market from about 2012 to 2014. Its launch was delayed and then the car was ultimately canceled after a while due to poor sales. In 2015, the Chinese market got the long-wheelbase version.
Is anyone going to buy this car? Perhaps, especially now that many European cities are getting very aggressive about meeting their emissions-free goals within the next few years and as hybrids begin to replace diesels. Thirty-three miles of range isn’t terrible! For most U.S. local commuters, that’s a decent amount of battery-only travel. But is it enough to convince people to make the jump to electrification?
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