Audi Q6 e-tron prototype gets decals

\Audi has already presented more than 20 vehicles featuring individual decals, all designed by Marco dos Santos who is responsible for design branding at Audi.

His latest vision now decorates the Audi Q6 e-tron prototype, the new model unveiled globally before the end of 2023 with further details announced closer to the time.

It’s the first fully electric model to roll off the production line in Ingolstadt where Audi’s headquarters will become the first Audi AG production site with its own battery assembly facility, representing the brand’s global transformation to a provider of premium electric mobility.

“As a brand that stands for innovation and progress, we are constantly evolving to ensure the highest level of quality and experiences for our customers,” says Audi New Zealand general manager Greg Leet.

“The Q6 e-tron prototype decal reinforces the vehicle’s special character, putting even more emphasis behind its reveal which will come later this year.”

Dos Santos says that with Audi’s design language taking the next step with the Q6 e-tron, the brand  wanted to make that clear in the decals.

“A vehicle’s architecture and character are always unique and so is each individual decal design,” he explains.

“It always starts with deciding which elements on the vehicle you want to highlight and emphasise.” While the new project also draws on previous design elements – such as the neon red colour used on the 2018 Audi e-tron – each new model also opens a new chapter.

In the case of the Audi Q6 e-tron, large graphics identify the vehicle as a prototype at first glance. Sharp lines, high contrast, and large-scale radial graphics in Gloss Fierce Fuchsia meet a detailed geometric mesh.

The lower rocker panel is set off from the body in white, accentuating Audi’s e-tron philosophy, which places emissions-free driving at the heart of the design.

The five-arm dynamic rims and the Singleframe that defines Audi’s look are also completely white. Neon red inlays called “e-tron Powerstripes” emphasise the upper area of the rocker panel. As the seat of the battery, this is the beating heart of the fully electrified vehicle.

Another neon red line runs around the rear and highlights the quattro blisters – the body contours that support the flat-sloping D-pillars.

A close-meshed grid runs along the upper edge of the body, giving the vehicle its profile.

“The vehicle is a sculpture, and the decals must work from 360 degrees around the whole car,” says dos Santos.

When the livery design has been matched to the car’s various angles, dos Santos will have created a custom suit for the model.