Audi has finally unveiled the interior of the much-anticipated Audi Q6 e-tron, taking some of the old and some of the new with Audi claiming “the needs and desires of the occupants as the starting point for the design of the space, its architecture and functions”.
The signature of this new interior is a wraparound cockpit, coming at 24-inches. Rather than the virtual cockpit and separate screens for infotainment, Audi has instead blended everything into what appears to be a single screen that curves across the dashboard. What this actually is an 11.9in virtual cockpit and 13.5in MMI touch display that have been cleverly positioned to appear as a single screen.
However, screens are no longer just the preserve of the driver, as the front passenger gets their own screen with a 10.9-inch MMI front passenger display. This passenger display is becoming increasingly popular since it was originally widely ridiculed following the Ferrari 488’s inclusion of it in 2015. But who’s laughing now? Probably Samsung, who provide screens for all of Audi’s e-tron range. Audi refers to this series of screens as a “digital stage”.
> Audi introduces intelligent lights to communicate with road users on Q6 e-tron
The other major change is the “interaction light” that envelops the cabin. This has multiple functionalities, including indicating turn signals and showing charge levels but, when not being used as an indicator, it becomes part of the regular lighting array, blending in with all other lights in the cabin.
There seem to be some interesting touches around the cabin, too, such as the driver door allowing for control over individual doors rather than across the entire vehicle. For instance, it allows you to turn childlock on/off for individual doors.
If you want to be completely buttonless Audi has also included a self-learning voice assistant, which you can get on most cars nowadays. The difference in the Q6 e-tron is that this doesn’t just speak back to you, but uses some of those big screens to show an avatar that talks back to you. The new voice assistant also allows you to control more of the car. Audi has yet to confirm exactly what this entails but, considering it’s an Android platform, the capabilities will be consistently updated.
It’s not all new though – the popular haptic buttons on the steering wheel are still in place and the cruise control uses the same instrumentation that we have become used to in modern Audis. The seats also have a similar familiarity about them, with recycled Dinamica microfiber or fine Nappa leather covering seats that look very similar to what you would find on a current Q4 e-tron or A6.
At the back, the boot has a capacity of 526-litres, expanded to 1,529-litres with the seats down, which is 6-litres and 30-litres more than the existing Q4 e-tron. The rear seats fold down individually in a 40:20:40 configuration and there is an additional 64 litres of storage space in under the bonnet – for a charging cable or smaller bags.
The Audi Q6 e-tron is due to come to the UK in the summer of 2024 and it is yet to be confirmed exactly which of the demonstrated interior features will be included as standard. We do know that there is an optional Bang & Olufsen premium sound system and heads-up display, but details on screens and lighting specs are yet to be confirmed.
