The new-generation A6 sedan will be made in Germany – despite ongoing tariff tussles – and will use conventional petrol and diesel engines, to be sold alongside the electric A6 e-tron.
The petrol and diesel-powered 2025 Audi A6 sedan has been unveiled in Germany – including mild-hybrid tech – once production begins this month.
It will be sold alongside the new A6 e-tron electric car, and follows the March 2025 reveal of the Audi A6 Avant – ‘Avant’ being Audi-speak for 'wagon'.
The new-generation A6 sedan uses the Premium Platform Combustion (PPC) platform also underpinning the new Audi A5 and best-selling Audi Q5 SUV.
Pricing will start from €55,500 ($AU99,234) before on-road costs – €2500 ($AU4470) less than the same-spec A6 Avant – with first deliveries to customers in Europe scheduled for mid-2025.
With the entry level A6 sedan measuring 4999mm long, 1875mm wide and sitting 1418mm high, the A6 sedan has grown – apart from being 11mm narrower – than its predecessor.
Sitting on a 6mm shorter 2927mm wheelbase, it’s also 44mm longer than the current Mercedes-Benz E200 but shorter than the BMW 520i M Sport, with the Audi sedan’s 492L boot accessed via a 40/20/40 split rear seat is outdone by the BMW’s (520L) and Mercedes-Benz’s (540L) respectively.
The new A6 sedan’s four-door ‘notchback’ body is extremely aerodynamic, with a drag co-efficient of 0.23 – one of the lowest for a production car – improving fuel-economy as well as interior refinement.
This aero is helped by optional air suspension – which lowers the car at speed to help economy – among other tech upgrades available including four-wheel steering.
As expected, the sedan will use the same four powertrain choices as the A6 Avant, with both four-cylinder diesel and V6 petrol engines both offered with mild-hybrid tech.
Audi says the mild-hybrid A6 sedans – which have energy recuperation when lifting off the accelerator pedal – can run on electric power alone in ‘slow moving traffic’ or when parking.
The entry-level A6 sedan uses a 150kW/340Nm 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo-diesel with 7-speed S-tronic automatic transmission and front-wheel drive.
In German spec it offers up to 6.9L/100km combined fuel economy and a claimed 0-100km/h time of 8.2 seconds.
A mild-hybrid version of the turbo diesel uses an electric motor to increase torque to 400Nm – albeit with the same 150kW power – for a faster 7.8-second 100km/h claim with 4.8L/100km (combined) fuel economy.
Adding quattro all-wheel drive drops the 0-100km/h claim to 6.9 seconds with a best fuel economy claim of 5.0L/100km.
The most powerful version at launch is the 270kW/550Nm 3.0-litre V6, standard with both mild-hybrid tech and quattro all-wheel drive.
It boasts a 4.7-second 0-100km/h time and fuel economy of 6.7L/100km.
A flagship RS6 version potentially using a plug-in hybrid tech is expected to be announced following the arrival of the standard A6 sedan and Avant in showrooms globally, with Australian details yet to be confirmed.
The interior sees ‘soft wrap’ materials, including faux leather seat trim, as well as a ‘digital stage’ including an 11.9-inch ‘virtual cockpit’ instrument cluster, a 14.5-inch centre display and 10.0-inch front passenger screen.
The plan includes launching 10 new models in the United States (US) by the end of 2026, where it has temporarily stopped delivery of new cars impacted by the US President Donald Trump’s tariffs.
Despite the uncertainty of the tariffs – with the European Union also in discussion with China regarding electric car tariffs – Audi confirmed the A6 sedan will be made in Germany for global exports.
