Eighth-gen 2018 Audi A6 officially revealed, to launch in June [Update]

07/03/2018 - 13:56 Audi A6, Audi Sagar Parikh

Update – Live images from 2018 Geneva Motor Show added in a gallery at the end of the story.

Audi has unveiled the 2018 Audi A6 ahead of its world premiere at the 2018 Geneva Motor Show next month. The company will launch the all-new Audi A6 in Germany in June.

2018 Audi A6 front three quarters — The eighth-gen Audi A6 is 7 mm longer, 12 mm wider and 2 mm taller than the seventh-gen Audi A6.

The 2018 Audi A6 is 4,939 mm long, 1,886 mm wide and 1,457 mm tall. The redesigned model is 7 mm longer, 12 mm wider and 2 mm taller than the outgoing model. Audi has stretched the wheelbase by 12 mm to 2,924 mm.

Like the latest Audi A8 and Audi A7, the all-new Audi A6 incorporates the brand’s new design language derived from the Audi Prologue concept. As before, the executive sedan has a youthful and sporty design, only looking sharper and more modern now. A more angular and wider hexagonal Singleframe grille dominates the front-end. It is flanked by flat HD Matrix LED headlights with five horizontal lines forming the DRL signature, and below them, there are powerfully contoured air inlets.

On the sides, the latest Audi A6 does not differ much from its predecessor. There are multiple new crease lines, one of which stretches from the rear door to the rear end, right over the tail lamps.

2018 Audi A6 rear three quarters — Audi will offer the 2018 Audi A6 with 3.0L TFSI V6 petrol and 3.0L TDI V6 diesel engines at launch.

Moving to the rear, the tail lights and tailgate have a sharper design now, while the new bumper looks much more athletic, emphasising the sportiness of the saloon. A chrome strip connects the new tail lights, which have a lighting signature made up of a single horizontal line and nine vertical segments. The rear diffuser has dual faux trapezoidal exhaust tips in chrome.

Inside, the 2018 Audi A6 follows the footsteps of the latest Audi A8 and Audi A7 with a very high-tech cabin. The futuristic interior design is nearly identical to that of the latter. To reduce the distraction during driving, the centre console is directed at the driver. As expected, Audi MMI touch response has made it to the executive saloon. There are two touchscreens in the front, a 10.1-inch display on the top for managing the infotainment and an 8.6-inch display on the bottom for climate control, convenience functions and text input.

2018 Audi A6 interior dashboard — The 2018 Audi A6's interior design is nearly identical to that of the 2018 Audi A7.

MMI navigation is the standard infotainment system, while the newly designed MMI navigation plus unit, with optional add-on modules, is optional. The all-new Audi A6 features the Audi virtual cockpit with a 12.3-inch display and a head-up display as well. Audi’s parking pilot and garage pilot driver assistance systems have also made it to the BMW 5 Series rival.

The cabin is larger than that of the outgoing model. It offers improved headroom and shoulder room. While the boot space has remained unchanged (530 litres), the width of the compartment has increased, to fit bigger objects such as golf bags horizontally.

Mild-hybrid technology is standard in the 2018 Audi A6. A belt alternator starter (BAS) works together with a lithium-ion battery. It recovers up to 12 kW of energy during deceleration. The MHEV technology reduces fuel consumption by up to 0.7 litres/100 km. The car can coast between 55 and 160 km/h. The start-stop function works at speeds up to 22 km/h. As soon as the vehicle in the front starts moving, the engine is automatically restarted from standstill.

Audi says that the all-new Audi A6 is noticeably sportier than its predecessor, because of an increment in the steering angle that makes the already sporty ratio of the progressive steering even more direct and a new damping concept. The redesigned model has an all-wheel steering system that improves its agility and maneuverability. The rear wheels are turned as much as 5 degrees. They steer in the opposite direction (to the front wheels) at low speeds for increased agility and in the same direction at high speeds for higher stability when travelling in a straight line or changing lanes.

Audi will launch the 2018 Audi A6 with two 3.0-litre turbocharged V6 engines - one TFSI petrol and one TDI diesel. The petrol engine produces 340 PS and 500 Nm of torque, while the diesel engine develops 286 PS and 620 Nm of torque. The former is coupled to the 7-speed S tronic dual-clutch automatic transmission, while the latter is paired with the 8-speed tiptronic automatic transmission.

The quattro AWD system is standard, but its specification varies as per the configuration. In conjunction with the tiptronic transmission, it is equipped with the self-locking centre differential. In conjunction with the S tronic transmission, it comes with the more efficient ‘ultra’ technology, which activates rear-wheel drive instantly whenever needed.

Audi will manufacture the all-new Audi A6 in Neckarsulm, Germany. Indian launch of the new generation model may take place only next year.