2018 Audi A6: new official video offers first glimpse of design

Audi has offered the first official glimpse of its next A6

Fifth-generation Audi A6, due in the UK in April, will be equipped with Level 3 self-driving technology, as first seen on Audi's range-topper

The next Audi A6 will be equipped with the same self-driving technology that was pioneered on the A8 when it is revealed at the Geneva motor show next month.

Due on roads in April, the fifth-generation executive saloon will be capable of Level 3 autonomous driving where permitted. Level 3, according to the six-level scale of self-driving capability established by automotive engineering organisation SAE International, means 'conditional automation'.

In this state, the car is able to control most aspects of driving and monitoring the road, but the driver must be ready to intervene when necessary. The A8 was the first production car to feature such technology when it was launched earlier this year.

A new preview video (above) offers the first official glimpse of the next A6 - codenamed C8 - and suggests its look will closely follow the new design language ushered in by the latest A7 and A8. Inside, the A6 will get the same dashboard and interior fixtures as the A7.

Photographs of the car undergoing testing show production-ready headlights and tail-lights featuring similarly intricate designs to the A7. They flank an angular grille and more aggressive family face. The exterior details follow the design trend used on all cars since the Q7 launched Audi’s new styling direction in 2015. 

The upcoming A6 will share its underpinnings with the A7, meaning it will undergo a slight increase in size compared with the outgoing model. A choice of front-wheel drive or four-wheel drive drivetrains will be offered and the latest quattro system, as fitted to the A4 and A8, will feature.

Power will come from four-cylinder 2.0-litre, 3.0-litre V6 and 4.0-litre V8 engines, with two plug-in hybrid variants planned. These will have electric motors to supplement either a four-cylinder or V6 petrol engine, although these derivatives are expected to be more popular in the US and China than in Europe. Plans for a diesel-electric hybrid powertrain have been scrapped.

The sporty S6 won't be launched until 2019, but when it does its engine will be downsized from the 4.0-litre V8 seen in the current car to a 2.9-litre V6 that's used in the RS4 Avant and RS5, as well as the Porsche Panamera S. In the S6, it's likely to produce in excess of 450bhp – that's more than the 444bhp of the RS4 Avant.

An RS6 is expected to arrive in 2020, with the rival to the BMW M5 said to be morphing into a hugely powerful plug-in hybrid sharing the same powertrain as the 671bhp Porsche Panamera S E Hybrid. 

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Jimi Beckwith and Greg Kable