2018 Audi Q6 to be previewed by C-BEV concept at Frankfurt

The C-BEV concept is set to be unveiled in Frankfurt

Frankfurt-bound concept car to preview looks of new Q6 and new all-electric SUV, which will go on sale in 2018 and offer at least 500bhp

Images have emerged of the concept car which will preview the new Audi Q6 at the Frankfurt motor show this September.

It will take the form of what well-placed insiders describe as a “production-relevant zero-emissions concept”. It is currently undergoing the final stages of construction at the company’s Ingolstadt engineering headquarters.

The high-riding five-seater is known under the internal codename ‘C-BEV’ and was initially hinted at during Audi’s 2015 annual accounts press conference in April. This electric SUV has been conceived as a direct rival to the all-electric Tesla Model X in an engineering programme instigated by the company’s head of research and development, Ulrich Hackenberg.

The C-BEV is claimed to provide clues to an upcoming Q6 SUV model. An initial concept of the C-BEV will be unveiled at the upcoming Frankfurt motor show, prior to “a planned start to sales in key global markets during the second half of 2018”.

The basis for the new battery-powered SUV, which is claimed to have a range of “at least 500km [311 miles]”, is the latest version of Audi’s MLB platform, as used by the recently introduced second-generation Q7.

Sources involved in the development of the C-BEV confirm that it shares elements of its electric powertrain, including its motor and battery technology, with the latest evolution of the R8 e-tron.

However, unlike the R8 e-tron, which has two rear-mounted electric motors, each driving a rear wheel, the new SUV has three electric motors. One of these is sited within the gearbox, while the other two are mounted on the rear axle, where each drives a rear wheel.

Keen to project a performance image for the model, Audi plans to provide the C-BEV with at least 500bhp and 516lb ft. By comparison, the production version of the R8 e-tron has 454bhp and 678lb ft, sufficient to propel it to 62mph in 3.9sec and on to a top speed of 155mph.

Energy for the electric motor will be drawn from a battery mounted low in the car’s platform, which is a mix of hot-formed steel, aluminium and carbonfibre-reinforced plastic.

Nothing is official at this stage, although the talk is that the lithium ion battery pack could have a capacity as high as 90kWh. This fits Audi’s recent strategy, under which the R8 e-tron’s battery has grown from 49kWh to 92kWh in its most recent evolution.

Although the new SUV is still shrouded in secrecy, Autocar understands it will receive individual styling, with a coupé-like silhouette similar to that of the BMW X6 and the recently launched Mercedes-Benz GLE Coupé. Audi is also claiming a “sensational Cd value for an SUV” of less than 0.30.

In a move that suggests it will receive the most contemporary infotainment, connectivity and autonomous driving features, the interior architecture is planned to be shared with the next-generation A8 luxury saloon, due in 2017.

To provide what Audi engineers describe as a Range Rover-rivalling ride quality, the C-BEV will use the same underpinnings as the new Q7, although it remains to be seen whether it will receive conventional steel springs or an air spring set-up.

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