Audi Q6 E-Tron, light signs can be changed.
Audi announced Monday that the upcoming Q6 E-Tron will be equipped with lights that change patterns depending on the situation and the owner's wishes.
The electric compact crossover, whose launch has been delayed for more than a year due to software development issues, will feature Audi's second-generation OLEDs in the headlights and taillights.
An example is the communication light that Audi will install in the Q6 E-Tron's taillights. This could use cloud-based traffic information and the display of specific light signatures to warn other road users of accidents and breakdowns. This is similar to the system that Audi installed in the headlights of its flagship sedan, the A8, in 2022.
According to Audi, the communication lights can also be used to notify other road users of emergency assistance, impending rear-end collisions, emergency calls, and roadside assistance calls. Another possible use would be to warn approaching vehicles or cyclists that a door is about to be opened.
Another possible use would be to use a specific light signature when the Q6 ETRON's automatic park assist function is activated. Of course, there is no accepted meaning for the different light signatures, so the information given by the lights would be up to the onlooker's interpretation.
According to Audi, Q6 E-Tron owners can also change the light signatures of both the headlights and taillights daytime running lights. Owners will be able to install this feature on demand via the infotainment system or the Audi app. Audi will offer multiple patterns to choose from.
The lighting function will be controlled by a software module jointly developed by Audi and the Cariad software development division of the Volkswagen Group.
The Q6 E-Tron is being developed along with a related electric vehicle, the Porsche Macan; the Q6 E-Tron is expected to debut later this year, while the electric Macan will be available in early 2024. Both models will use VW Group's PPE platform for volume production premium electric vehicles.