Audi Is Revamping The Q6 That The West Cannot Access | Carscoops

      The Chinese Q6 shares its platform with the upcoming VW Atlas, rather than the electric Q6 e-tron available in Europe and the US.

      Recently, a refreshed Audi Q6 designed for the Chinese market has been seen undergoing tests in Germany.

      Different from the Q6 e-tron electric vehicle, the Chinese version is powered by a combustion engine and has a greater length.

      The updated model features flush door handles and minor adjustments to the grille and bumpers.

      While standard equipment may vary by region, the Audi Q6 available in the US is fundamentally identical to the electric SUV offered in Europe, Australia, or the Middle East. However, due to unique aspects of its automotive market, China receives the new Q6 e-tron, a long-wheelbase variant of the same, along with an entirely different Q6, which is on the verge of a relaunch.

      These spy images reveal that the second-generation Q6 is equipped with flush door handles, a semi-clamshell hood, and subtle modifications to the grille, bumpers, and lights, which, like the previous model, maintain a two-level configuration.

      The extended 2,980 mm (117.3 in) wheelbase is expected to remain largely unchanged, providing ample rear legroom for passengers while those in the front seat may receive an optional display above the glove box for the first time.

      The Q6 e-tron in the West is exclusively electric, utilizing the same PPE EV platform that underpins the Porsche Macan Electric, whereas the Chinese Q6 is solely combustion-powered. Unlike the larger Audi SUVs, which have a longitudinal engine arrangement, the Asian Q6 is based on a stretched version of the transverse MQB Evo platform found in the VW Golf and Audi A3.

      Most models are equipped with VW’s 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder petrol engine, although a less common 2.5-liter VR6 is currently the top option. The recent updates to China's Talagon retained the VR6, but its counterpart, the VW Teramont, which is China's version of the VW Atlas, was recently updated without the VR6 in its new lineup.

      Audi might concentrate on the EA888 four-cylinder engine, which can produce similar power to the older, more fuel-consuming VR6 while facing fewer tax penalties. China remains the sole market still utilizing VW's narrow-angle V6s, characterized by a single cylinder head.

      The existing Q6, produced through a collaboration between Audi and SAIC, launched in China in 2022, and this new iteration is not expected to reach the market until 2026 or 2027. It will not be available in the US or European markets, where consumers will continue to choose between the alternative (fully electric) Q6 and the aging combustion Q7.