Audi has rolled out a fresh batch of updates for its e-tron lineup, and the automaker wants you to know they’ve thought of everything. Including your need for a supervised nap while your luxury electric vehicle charges. The new Power Nap mode creates what Audi describes as a “relaxing environment”, presumably for those moments when you realize you’ve spent $75,000 on a car that still needs an hour to fuel up.
The interface updates focus heavily on comfort. The multimedia system now sports a refreshed design, while the steering wheel gets its tactile controls back after someone at headquarters finally admitted that touch-sensitive everything was a terrible idea.
Passengers can now watch movies through headphones while the driver listens to their own music. Audi specifies that “the driver can listen to any source in parallel via the cabin audio system, except for the app in use by the passenger”. It’s like a long marriage distilled into automotive technology. Together, but fundamentally separate, each lost in their own content bubble.
On the technical side, single-pedal regenerative braking gets more efficient, allowing the vehicle to come to a complete stop without engaging conventional friction brakes “up to certain deceleration levels”. The kinetic energy recovered supposedly improves efficiency and range, though Audi remains diplomatically vague about actual numbers.
The parking assist system now handles the final 50 meters before any parking spot, memorizing up to five different maneuvers of over 600 feet each. The system can then execute these autonomously “on private property”. A careful legal disclaimer that translates to “please don’t blame us when this inevitably goes wrong in a public parking garage”.
Prices for the updated Audi lineup range from $64,500 for the Q6 e-tron SUV quattro to $79,600 for the S6 Sportback e-tron. All models share the same 100 kWh battery pack with 94.4 kWh net capacity. At this price point, why offer choices when you can offer uniformity dressed up as sophistication?
