AUDI has opened the order book for its new A6 range, with first deliveries due from October at prices ranging from £24,800 for the saloons to £26,370 for the Avant estate models.
There will be an unfeasibly fast RS 6 Saloon model costing £76,160 that will line up alongside the existing £77,730 Avant equivalent from November.
With an output of 580bhp from the 5.0-litre V10 engine, the car is so powerful that it has to be electronically limited to a maximum of 175mph.
Across the range there are styling tweaks inside and out, and a new third-generation Multi Media Interface infotainment system with high capacity hard disk-sourced navigation mapping and 3D display.
There are also major revisions to the engines resulting in economy gains averaging 12 per cent plus the latest quattro system that gives a 40/60 power split between the front and rear wheels.
The petrol range gets a new supercharged three-litre engine generating 290bhp of power and 420Nm of torque, while the highlight of the diesel range is the new 2.0-litre TDI model.
Every manufacturer is now racing to bring new high-efficiency models to market, which in the case of the A6 are designated 'e.'
Aerodynamic modifications and a 20mm reduction in ride height give the A6 2.0 TDIe a low drag coefficient of 0.28, economy of 50mpg and a CO2 figure of 139g/km.
There is a six-speed manual transmission and a power output of 320Nm that results in a 0-62mph acceleration time of 10.3 seconds and a top speed of 130mph.
Prices are £24,800 for the Saloon and £26,370 for the Avant.