2017 Audi A6 to get dramatic new look

Audi will move into an era of more dramatic design next year, kick-starting it with the launch of an all-new Audi A8 and swiftly following it up with launches of new Audi A7, Audi A6 and Q8 models.

The look will be showcased by the new A8 - which will err towards sophistication when it is revealed in autumn 2017 - and the new A7, which will be more overtly sporty and will be revealed in late 2017.

However, it is the new A6 - due to launch early in 2018 - which will take the new design language, led by Marc Lichte who joined the firm from VW in February 2014, into the mainstream. Audi bosses hope the dramatically sportier look will be a key differentiator in its battle for sales with the more conservative BMW 5 Series and more ‘Russian Doll’ styling of the current Mercedes range.

Since his arrival Lichte has led a design shift that means all Audis will be designed around the three pillars of being sophisticated, sporting and progressive. Key to that philosophy will be introducing a more dramatic, sportier look, underpinned by the firm’s heritage with the original Quattro.

The 2014 Audi Prologue Concept is reported to have been designed after the production versions of the A8, A7, A6 and Q8 were signed off and is believed to give strong clues as to how they will all look. This includes the A6 saloon and Avant, with the latter said to combine generous boot space with dramatic looks thanks to straight roofline that dramatically plunges down the extreme sloping C-pillar.

As such, strong, Quattro-esque haunches over the front and rear wheels are expected to get an ever-more prominent look. Other key design elements for the A6 and A6 Avant will include a wide hexagonal single-frame grille, angular headlights with distinctive LED graphics and a significantly more heavily contoured bonnet. The side view also features several dramatic lines to give the car greater visual drama.

The new A6 is said to have a slightly longer wheelbase, wider tracks and much shorter overhangs than the current car, in order to give it a far sportier visual presence. The new layout will also give it slightly more interior space and a larger boot in both the saloon and Avant models, rising from the current 530 litres and 565 litres respectively.

The A8, A7 and A6 were all designed together on the VW Group’s MLB platform under the internal codename C8, and all share the same platform, driveline, chassis and electrical systems. Consequently, the A6 will also be equipped as standard with the firm’s new interior layout, which utilises a digital screen in the instrument binnacle, as pioneered on the current Audi TT, as well as two touchscreens in the centre of the dashboard.

The top screen, in the driver’s eyeline, will feature the most commonly used systems such as the sat-nav, while systems such as the air-con will be controlled by the lower screen. For the first time, the screens will provide haptic feedback so that the user has the sensation of hitting the right button. However, physical buttons will be limited to around just half a dozen, as required by law. Underlining the more overtly sporting theme, the touch screens will be more aggressively angled towards the driver on sportier models including the A7.