The 2026 Audi A6 is a new luxury car from Audi. It's designed to be comfortable and high-tech, making it a popular choice for those looking for a premium sedan.
The Audi A5 is a stylish two-door car that offers a mix of performance and luxury. It's part of Audi's lineup and is popular for its good looks and comfortable ride.
The Audi S5 is a sportier version of the A5, designed for better performance and handling. It has a more powerful engine and is aimed at drivers looking for a thrilling ride.
The Audi A6 e-tron is the electric version of the A6, meaning it runs on electricity instead of gasoline. It's part of Audi's effort to make more eco-friendly cars.
The Audi A4 is a smaller luxury car that is known for being fun to drive and having lots of high-tech features. Many people enjoy driving it for its comfort and style.
An electric vehicle is a car that runs only on electricity. It doesn't use gas and doesn't produce pollution from a tailpipe, making it better for the environment.
A hybrid car uses both a gasoline engine and an electric motor to run. This helps save fuel and is better for the environment than regular cars that only use gas.
The Mercedes-Benz E-Class is a luxury sedan that is comfortable and packed with features. It's often chosen by business people for its prestige and reliability.
The BMW 5 Series is a luxury sedan that offers a comfortable ride and good performance. It's often used by business professionals and is known for its high-quality interior.
A V6 engine has six cylinders that are shaped like a 'V'. It's popular because it can produce a lot of power without taking up too much space in the car.
The Audi S6 is a sportier version of the regular Audi A6, and it has a really strong engine that makes it faster and more fun to drive. People like to talk about it because it combines luxury with a sporty feel.
A bi-turbo engine has two turbochargers, which help it produce more power. This means the car can go faster and perform better without using much more fuel.
A sport differential helps the car handle better by sending power to the wheels that need it most when turning, making it easier to drive fast and stay stable.
All wheel steering means that the back wheels can turn a little bit, which helps the car turn better and stay stable, especially when going fast or making sharp turns.
An infotainment system is the technology in your car that provides entertainment and information, like music, navigation, and phone connectivity. It's like a computer for your car that helps you stay connected and informed while driving.
The Audi Q5 is a luxury SUV that offers a comfortable ride and lots of technology features. It's designed for people who want a stylish and practical vehicle for everyday use.
Formula One is a top-level car racing series where specially designed cars race against each other on tracks. It's very popular and features teams from different countries.
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Welcome to the AI Auto podcast with Javier Moda, your front row seat to where artificial
intelligence meets horse power.
Where today we're sitting here in the middle of the desert outside Palm Springs in California
with the 2026 Audi A6 and the person responsible for putting it together and Tony Garvis from
Audi North America.
So you're responsible for the US or North America, what's your territory?
Yeah, so my team is responsible for product planning for all of the US models for Audi.
I'm not gonna judge your decisions on that, but I have to confess that I've been a little
bit confused with the nomenclature from Audi in the past couple of years because
I remember we were in France a couple of years ago, I was it last year or the
year before, I don't remember, we were with the A5 and the S5.
Yes, okay, one of my team members was on that one, you were underneath I believe, yes?
Yes, yes, correct.
So back then they said that the even numbers were gonna be electric and the odd numbers
were gonna be gas.
Obviously, in two years, the whole automotive industry, not only Audi, has changed a lot,
right?
Sure.
Can you tell us what happened?
Yeah, so it was of course just a strategic directional change in terms of the nomenclature
for cars that, you know, this retained A6 instead of originally being planned as A7
and so that's why you have A6 with the gas engine, you have the A6 e-tron then as
the electric and that's where, you know, the new A5 merged the A4 and A5 into one
car and took the A5 name.
Okay, did you see it?
I understand.
From the outside.
Again, I'm not judging anything, I'm just like, remembering because a lot of people, I mean,
we had an A4 at home for a while and we loved it and all that and then like, there's no
A4, only the e-tron, right?
Right now?
No, there's no A4.
Nothing.
There's nothing.
So A5 merged essentially the A4 and the old A5, so we're back into one car and
so the A5 also retains a liftgate on it.
Oh, okay.
It really is more like A5 than A4.
Yeah.
That's why it kept the name.
Excellent.
Okay, so now we're here with the A5, simple.
The A6, yes.
A6, I'm sorry.
You see, I'm even confused myself, I have to read my notes and everything, but anyway.
So this A6, which was the A Audi 100, like in 1968, long time ago before you were
born, I was born already, but maybe you're not born.
I was not born then, no.
Yeah, so.
But thank you for everything.
I look young.
So I appreciate that.
Thank you.
Yeah.
I mean, that's a long time ago.
A long time ago.
A long time ago.
So it was known as the Audi 100, and they used to have Audi 80 and 120, is that?
An Audi 80 with 100, yeah.
Yeah.
And the nomenclature, of course, changed in the mid-90s to go to the new like
A4, A6, A8.
Yeah.
So this is, I mean, I was talking to my colleague here while driving up here.
This is a very interesting program because in this day and age where we're talking
hybrids, plug-in hybrids, electric, this is a pure gas car.
Yeah.
So this is very relevant, not only a pure gas car, but also a sedan, which is, again,
in the whole industry, is changing the past 10, 15 years more towards the SUVs,
which you are very successful with too.
But this is a relevant car.
I mean, it's very popular still, right?
It is.
And it's something about this, you know, we call this a C segment, right?
So this is the C9, the ninth generation of our C segment car.
And when you look at this, you look at the five series, you look at the E class,
and you look at A6, right?
These are core, we call business sedans, and that is longer sedan, not an SUV,
a specific buyer, and it is a very lucrative market, especially globally,
not just in the US, right?
Yeah.
We have to think about globally, especially in Europe, these are very strong
business sedans.
Yeah.
And then, obviously, other markets beyond that.
And this car, so let's go again in the specifics of the model lineup,
not confusing, but it's interesting to know.
And by the way, these kind of silly questions that the media care about,
the customers don't care about too much, right?
It depends on what silly question that is.
No, like the nomenclature like this, like why did you change to this and that?
I mean, the customer at the end buys the car that they like,
they go and describe and they just buy, what is it called?
I don't care.
I like it.
There's definitely an aspect of it, but there's also, you want to have a consistent
offering and heritage in front of the customer.
And so, it's something that we're balancing and working through very well,
I think, with the new plans.
Yeah.
And your job is very, very challenging, right?
Because like, there's not only what it comes in this case from Germany,
like the direction the company is going,
but also what's happening in each local market.
Correct.
Here you have to adjust and then see your competition,
but what the consumers are looking for and all that.
So that's a very complicated problem to solve
and like it takes a long time, right?
To get the final product.
Yeah.
And it's always a challenge because every region uses
those different requirements that they want.
Yeah.
So yeah, like the laws in each country.
Laws and also then just customer requirements are also very different.
Yeah.
And so you think, okay, Germany, Europe, then you look at China,
you look at the US and you have the big three.
And so we, I think, as a whole, the company is very successful in,
you know, getting these cars to the configuration and equipment
that we want and need.
And we have very good partners on the German side that work
very well with us on configuring these cars appropriately.
But they, it's a very tough challenge because it's,
if you just build a car for the US, it's pretty easy.
When you build a car for the world and adapt it,
it becomes a lot, a lot trickier and it's a lot harder.
And so.
And there are specific parts of the car that can be very particular.
For example, the laser beams that in Europe,
I think they're legal already, but not yet in the US,
but you were able to adjust it, right?
Yeah.
The laser lights years ago, the version that we had for the US
had to comply with our lighting regulations
versus what they had in Europe, right?
So there is a different beam pattern and brightness and,
you know, illumination, how far it would illuminate
versus what we could do here in the US.
Yeah.
So let's talk about this car then.
A6.
Yep.
2026 model.
Yep.
One engine.
Correct.
For all the variants.
Yes.
But you have, talk about it.
There's like several combinations when you add the packages
and the options and all that, right?
And so we brought this new car in with just one motor,
with the V6, with 300 and 62 horsepower.
And so this then, we kind of combined the old four cylinder,
the old six cylinder and the old S6,
which is a bi-turbo six cylinder into one model.
So we took a power bump torque increase.
We got a lot quicker.
We're four and a half seconds, zero to 60.
And we kind of merged all those cars into one model.
And then, as you said, we have different packages.
So we have your standard exterior styling package
that comes on every car.
And then you can option an S-line black OPTIQ styling package.
So black trim, bigger wheels, et cetera.
And then we also have then our Sport Plus package,
which is where we take a lot of items
historically for an S model,
like sport differential in the back,
all wheel steering, the Sport Plus seats inside,
carbon in length, et cetera.
And the suspension is different too, right?
So we have now a sport fixed suspension,
lowers the body 20 millimeters compared to the standard suspension.
And then we brought that hardware.
And so you really have then three distinct looks
and personalities of the same car
based on what styling package you go with.
And hardware is also included in that styling.
Yeah.
And then let's talk about the software,
the infotainment system, because it is really, really advanced.
We've seen it in other models, like the five,
the Q5, the S5 also.
So tell us about it, because this is
very different from what it was
just about a couple of years ago, right?
When did this system debut it?
Yeah, we brought this in the new,
the new Q6, we had A5, Q5,
all these, the latest generation of cars
starting last year rolled out.
And we have this great, you know,
we call it the digital stage.
And so you have OLED screens,
two of them in front of you that are curved,
also moved with the curvature of your hand.
So you see like, I try to reach
and my hand is in the exact same,
I don't have to stretch to get anything
because the screen is curved with the motion of my arm.
And then we also have the pasture display here
that then your pasture can watch your videos, et cetera.
Yeah, we were playing with that
when I was a passenger here.
Yeah, exactly.
It was pretty amazing.
And then the driver doesn't see,
there's the filter right there.
So these, the virtual cockpit in the center screen
are OLEDs and the pasture displays an LCD.
And with that we have active shutters.
You start doing dynamic content with moving,
like a video, the shutter goes on
and the driver can't see it to distract them.
But you can still see it perfectly.
Yeah, pretty cool technology.
Pretty neat.
And then there's a lot of other things.
So it has the actual infotainment system.
It's pretty amazing.
The graphics have all been amazing.
I don't know, are there a Google base
or where is it?
No, this is not an Android base.
Oh, no.
Infotainment.
But we have, of course,
when you say graphics, right?
The resolution, the high resolution screen,
the OLED panels, all of that
works extremely well.
Yeah.
And then you have this new sunroof.
So here we are in Palm Springs
in the middle of the desert.
We actually, it doesn't have a screen
to cover it, but,
and it's a little bit hot.
A little bit, but not too much.
But it covers perfectly.
And this is what?
Electromagnetic?
It's electromagnetic.
Chromic.
Chromic, yeah.
It has essentially where you can
charge the particles in between, like, a layer.
It's really cool.
I never see it.
I don't think any other car has that.
There are some.
And they're not just, like, turn, like,
like, translucent or...
Yeah, cool.
So when it's off, right?
So when the power is off and the car is off,
it goes opaque.
Yeah.
So it blocks...
A lot of the sun.
Then when you turn the car on,
it can go clear.
And then, of course, you can...
Play with it.
You can use the sunroof button
and it's essentially like a digital sunshade.
And it's in six different segments.
Yeah.
So then you can move it front to back
or back to front.
And the great thing about it is, one,
it gives you more headroom, right?
Oh, yeah.
Two, the glass is also stiffer
than just having, like, a steel roof.
And it also is quieter.
It prides more rigidity.
And it's infrared-coated acoustic glass
so it rejects, reflects all of the heat.
So it also keeps your cabin cooler.
And cooler...
The cabin is also very quiet
because of many different things
that you have done, including the tires
that have foam in it, right?
Yeah.
Which is kind of different.
There are various absorbers.
So foam wrapped in every one of our
19 to 20-inch tires that we offer here,
which helps with road noise,
air vibrations, et cetera.
And then dual-pane acoustic glass
along the sides.
And also just insulation
and we change the engine mounts,
generation mounts to make them smoother.
And then we also change the cut of the gears
in the astronaut transition to reduce any wine.
Oh, okay.
So it's a very quiet, refined place to be.
Excellent.
Another little detail.
And there's a lot of those
that I really make the car different.
For example, when you're using the navigation,
the instructions
that voice from the navigation
only comes in the driver's headset.
Which is really...
It's a little detail.
But again, like,
something that makes the car
unique in this sense.
I don't remember any other scene like that.
So we have, optionally,
two heterospeakers for the front seats.
So you've got four more speakers here.
This car is equipped with them.
You can use it for phone calls,
navigation directions,
so that you don't disrupt your passengers.
Which is really cool.
And when they're not,
you know, they're surround sound
for your audio system as well
when you're playing music.
Oh, I see.
So in that way,
you drive it,
your passenger here,
your confiner here in the passenger
can yell at you,
listen to them.
Yeah, I'm listening very closely.
So again, very important car.
Very cool.
We've drove it here in the desert.
I mean,
you don't really need the S line
because, as you said,
you have combined the best
of the engine and the performance
and you can have your choice
comfortable or more sporty.
Exactly.
Exactly.
And I mean, the car is very, very quick.
And so it also has class-leading torque
406 pound-feet,
which is great.
And you really feel it move you.
So yes,
I'm glad that you also agree that it
seems like you have all the S in the A.
Exactly.
That's what we're going for.
So this is part of a push from Audi,
20 new models.
Yes, we did.
From here or from, I guess,
last year.
Last year.
Two to 130.
We're in a massive push already
between having launched the new A5,
the new Q5, the Q6,
the A6 e-tron,
now the A6 gas.
We have Q3 coming.
Q3.
I'm really excited about that one.
The car is wonderful.
I know, I bet.
Yeah, yeah.
It's okay.
And then we have, you know,
some SUVs coming in here too.
A Q9, which is...
Some bigger cars.
Bigger cars, I guess.
Bigger SUVs.
And again, going back to specifics of the market.
That's what the U.S. market really was.
I mean, it's amazing.
Absolutely.
That segment is really, really important
and profitable, I guess, right?
It's profitable.
It's important.
And it's what customers want, right?
You see all of the large SUVs
all over the place now.
Yeah.
And so it's due time for us
to be in that game as well.
I'm sure this is not part of your official job,
but Formula One is...
Audi is coming back to Formula One this year,
which is also very exciting.
And we have three Grand Prix here in the U.S., Miami.
What is first, Kota or Vega?
I think Kota is first,
and then it Vega's at the end.
So a great opportunity
for Audi to show off
to the new products and everything.
I'm sure you guys are planning
a lot of different things there, right?
Absolutely.
Yes.
I'm excited to see Formula One.
Everybody loves it.
Yeah.
We did so well with Le Mans,
and such a core part of Audi is racing.
So excited to see this.
Yeah.
And then a little bit further out in time,
the concept that was shown,
I think it was last year at the...
The concept seat.
The concept seat.
Tell us just briefly about it.
So this is really the new design direction
for Audi under our new design boss.
It's very clear, right?
They say it's driving for clarity.
Really smooth, simple, clear designs.
I think it's quite gorgeous.
It has a lot of,
I think heritage also tied into it.
And that is essentially
a little bit of the foreshadowing
of future design language for Audi.
Excellent.
So it seems like you're going to be busy
for the foreseeable future, right?
Which is good.
I've been doing this now
for 13 years.
Oh, wow.
I've never not been busy.
Yeah, we could,
despite all of what's happened
in the news and the politics and everything,
people need cars.
People love cars too.
Not only need, but love cars.
Love them.
And there's very passionate about the Audi's.
And I'm very passionate about the Audi.
And so I hope that also comes through
to our customers
and the other Audi enthusiasts like me.
So...
Excellent.
Well, thank you very much.
Thank you.
See you with Q3.
Yep.
And maybe I'll see you
at Formula One some point this year.
Miami.
I hope they take me.
Austin or Vegas.
Yeah.
Thank you, Anthony.
Thank you.
That's it for today's AI Auto Podcast
with Javier Moda.
Hope you enjoyed the ride
as much as we did.
Tune in next time
for more on how AI
steering the wheel of tomorrow's autos.
Drive safe,
stay curious,
and catch you later.
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About this episode
The 2026 Audi A6 stands out as a gas-powered sedan in an era increasingly dominated by electric vehicles. Tony Garvis from Audi North America discusses the strategic decisions behind the A6's development, including its unique nomenclature and market positioning. The episode dives into the car's specifications, including a single V6 engine option, advanced infotainment systems with OLED technology, and innovative features like an electromagnetic sunroof. This conversation highlights the challenges of balancing global market demands while maintaining Audi's heritage in the luxury sedan segment.
Recorded in Palm Springs, California, this episode features Anthony Garbis, Sr. Manager of Product Planning at Audi of America, as we test drive the 2026 Audi A6, a gas-powered luxury sedan which remains a key model for Audi, even as the brand accelerates toward electrification.
Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
