2023 Audi Q6 revealed for China

Audi’s biggest SUV yet has been revealed, but it isn’t expected to come here.

The Audi Q6 is a three-row crossover designed for the Chinese market, and is unrelated to the upcoming, Premium Platform Electric-based Q6 e-tron that’s more likely to come here.

Car News China reports it’ll share its platform with the Volkswagen Teramont/Atlas, which first entered production in 2017.

It’ll reportedly be revealed at the Beijing motor show in April, ahead of a launch in China in the second quarter of 2022.

It reportedly measures 5099mm long, 2014mm wide and 1784mm tall on a 2980mm wheelbase, with a choice of a second-row bench or captain’s chairs.

In contrast, the Audi Q7 – another large, three-row SUV – measures 5063mm long, 1970mm wide and 1741mm tall on a 2999mm wheelbase.

It also reportedly weighs 2205kg. A base Q7 45 TDI has a tare mass of 2400kg.

The Q6 features chunky exterior styling, with a lengthy rear overhang and copious brightwork – witness the enormous expanse of metal-look trim on the D-pillar, which is blacked out on what appears to be an S line version.

Inside, the dashboard has a traditional Audi look to it, eschewing the pillar-to-pillar screens proliferating in Chinese-market luxury vehicles such as the new Lincoln Z and Hongqi e-HS9.

There are still three screens, however, including a digital instrument cluster, a central touchscreen, and a separate touchscreen for climate functions.

Car News China reports the Q6 will be powered by a turbocharged 2.0-litre four-cylinder engine called EA888 Evo 4, available in two tunes: one with 172kW of power and one with 197kW.

The former will reportedly be available only with front-wheel drive, the latter with all-wheel drive.

The Q6 isn’t the only Audi SUV developed specifically for China.

Last year, the Ingolstadt marque revealed the Q5 e-tron, an electric crossover based on the MEB all-electric architecture.

Both the Q5 e-tron and Q6 are built by the SAIC-Volkswagen joint venture.

Audi China also sells a unique, long-wheelbase sedan version of the A7 called the A7L, along with long-wheelbase versions of the A3, A4, A6, Q2 and Q5.