Audi sets sights on BMW X6
New Q6 coupé SUV follows trail blazed by X6 , four-wheel drive and hybrid power on cards
The X6 is under attack! In its quest to fill every niche in the premium market, Audi is preparing a coupé-style SUV, likely to be called the Q6 – and our exclusive images show just what to expect.
The newcomer will be gunning for the controversial BMW X6, which has proved a runaway
success, selling more than 110,000 units. It will be based on the same platform as the new VW Touareg and Porsche Cayenne, itself a shortened version of
the Audi Q7’s underpinnings. Sacrificing some of that model’s huge load space, the Q6 will compensate with more style.
As our images show, the Q7’s blistered wheelarches and crisp surfacing will be carried over, but the smaller car will sport more steeply raked screens and a plunging roofline. Wraparound tail-lights and a curved boot spoiler create a visual reference to another Audi coupé, the A7.
While the front passengers
will enjoy the same space and ambience as those in a Q7, the rear bench will be squeezed down to only two individual seats. Boot space will also be reduced, thanks to the lower and sleeker roof. Engines will include petrol and diesel V6s, while the same supercharged V6-electric motor combination as fitted to the Cayenne and Touareg hybrids is also on the cards.
All models will feature permanent quattro all-wheel drive as well – with the aim of boosting on-road stability more than mud-plugging ability.
There are even whispers of a flagship Q6 arriving later on, with the brand new 4.0-litre V8 turbo which will debut in the Audi S6 and Bentley Continental GT later this year. For proof that the market exists for such a car, just look at the 547bhp BMW X6 M – more than 3,000 have found homes
globally since it arrived in 2009.
Due to the success of large cars such as the X6 in the Chinese market, it’s possible that the Q6 will make its world debut in concept form at next month’s Shanghai Motor Show. It should hit dealers late next year.
