Audi’s new A6 gains plug-in hybrid version

Audi has introduced a new plug-in hybrid powertrain to its latest A6.

Available on both saloon and Avant – or estate – layouts, the A6 plug-in hybrid models use a 2.0-litre turbocharged petrol engine which is then linked to an electric motor and battery. In total, the system develops 295bhp and sends that power to all four wheels via Audi’s quattro system.

Thanks to a 25.9kWh battery, the A6 plug-in hybrid should be able to return up to 66 miles of electric-only running in the estate or 69 miles in the more aerodynamically efficient saloon.

Audi says that the plug-in hybrid is rated to accept a top-rate charge speed of 11kW, which would result in a zero to 100 per cent charge being completed in two and a half hours.

The new A6 plug-in hybrid also has three different levels of recuperation that can be tweaked via the steering wheel-mounted paddles when driving in EV-only mode. In this setting, the car automatically recovers energy when slowing down, feeding this back into the battery for later use.

The plug-in hybrid also benefits from all-wheel steering as standard, helping to improve low-speed agility while maintaining high levels of support when travelling at greater speeds. The system works by turning the wheels in opposite directions when moving at slower speeds, which aids manoeuvrability, before ensuring that they go in the same direction when moving more quickly.

Audi has yet to state what the A6 plug-in hybrid will cost when it comes to the UK, but has announced that it’ll cost from €65,800 in Germany, which would make it around £55,778.