Audi to increase its turbocharged V6 engine range

AUDI has a brand new engine, and it could have a bevy of new applications thanks to V8-tech.

Audi’s powerful new turbocharged 3.0-litre V6 will be produced in a variety of outputs. Powertrain development engineer Florian Beck said the 260kW version of the engine recently introduced in the Audi S4 sedan and Avant wagon, as well as the Audi S5 Coupe, was just a first installment. “Similar engines” are under development for future models, he said.

The new V6 adopts what Audi engineers call a ‘hot side inside’ layout, meaning that it expels its exhaust gas into the 90-degree vee angle formed by its two banks of cylinders. This kind of back-to-front breathing has become relatively common in V8 engines in recent years. It’s already employed by Audi, BMW and Mercedes-Benz in high-performance V8s, but is uncommon in production car V6s.

Electric compressors – similar to what can be found in the turbo diesel V6 on the new SQ7 – and a pair of turbochargers that could fit into the petrol V6’s wide vee instead of the single twin-scroll turbo used in the new S4 and S5 Coupe engine, were also being investigated. “We are looking at different things,” said Beck.

But the young engineer wouldn’t be drawn on whether a high-power version of the 3.0-litre V6 will be used in the super-fast RS4 and RS5 models Audi is known to be working on.

What we do know for sure is the order in which Audi will add to its ‘B9’ family of medium-size models built on the MLB Evo platform.

Next up, due to launch in Europe in early 2017, is an all-new A5 Sportback. It will be followed later in the year by a new A5 Cabriolet, which will share much of its structure with the A5 Coupe.