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500km - that's quite a lot of mileage. That's just about enough to drive from Belfast to the tip of the Mizen Peninsula in one go. That's the one-charge range Audi is already claiming for its upcoming Q6 all-electric SUV.
The real Q6 is still a few months away, but we will get to see a concept version in a couple of weeks at the Frankfurt Motor Show, as previewed by these sketches. The Q6 is based on the same platform as the Q7, but does without that car's third row seats and is between it and the smaller Q5 in size terms.
Audi says that it has developed a new styling language for the car, called 'Aerosthetics', which supposedly combines "technical measures for reducing aerodynamic drag with creative design solutions." There are apparently moving, active aerodynamic panels at the front of the car, which help to tweak its aero makeup as its drives, leading to greater efficiency. Audi is claiming a best-in-class Cd of 0.25 for the car's aerodynamic performance.
It's also making claims as to its handling, pointing out that the batteries (lithium-ion, natch) are mounted centrally and down low, under the passenger compartment. The Q6 will get three electric motors - one for the front wheels and one each for the rears, which should allow for some entertaining torque-vectoring handling.
We'll get to find out more when the concept takes a bow at the Frankfurt Motor Show in early September.