Should Audi Produce This Rugged Concept?

Audi reveals Q6 e-tron offroad concept featuring portal axles, increasing its torque at the wheels and enabling it to climb gradients up to 45 degrees.
The concept's width has been increased by 9.8 inches, while it's 6.3 inches taller.
Ingolstadt has so far avoided EV models geared for off-road use, favoring sportier offerings meant for the road.
We all know that portal axles make off-roading at least 100% more fun, but until now we haven't really seen them in an EV from Ingolstadt.
Audi has now corrected this oversight by taking the wraps off the Q6 e-tron offroad concept in Kitzbühel, Austria, in the midst of ski season in the Alps, promising entirely new heights when it comes to venturing far off-piste.
What kind of heights are we talking about?
The ability to climb 45-degree gradients thanks to portal axles that have been fitted to the dual-motor SUV. Audi also widened the track 9.8 inches and raised the ride height 6.3 inches.
The custom-designed portal axles give the Q6 e-tron a 50% increase in torque at the wheels, Audi says, up from 20% to 30% in similar set ups, but they also lower the vehicle's top speed to 108 mph.
Of course, we weren't preparing to go quite that fast anyway, but that's a small price to pay for the gains in torque.
The automaker reports that the combined torque at all wheels rockets up to 9,883 lb-ft, representing a gain of 3,245 lb-ft thanks to the portal axle setup, which required some reengineering of the suspension links.
But it appears that Audi has left the rest of the Q6 e-tron Sportback stock, which is powered by a 94.4-kWh battery coupled with an 800-volt architecture.
In stock form, the dual-motor Q6 e-tron produces a combined 375 hp and 428 lb-ft of torque, with the EPA estimating a 307-mile range for the dual-motor version, while the single-motor model will do 321.
As you've guessed by now, these range figures flew out the window after Audi was through with this custom one-off. But Ingolstadt isn't reporting the actual estimated range for the concept.
"The Q6 e-tron offroad concept is a reinterpretation of quattro," Audi CEO Gernot Döllner says. "The model shows the potential that our platform for all electric vehicles already has today. This vehicle can claim new ground. We look forward to seeing our customers' reactions to this highly emotive car."
But don't rush out to your local Audi dealer to put down a deposit just yet. This is a concept car for now, and given the general demand for portal axles in family EVs at the moment it is likely to remain a one-off effort.
Over the years, Ingolstadt has focused less on off-road performance, leaving that up to a few rivals. But at some point the quattro pedigree will require a return to form, perhaps in the manner of an off-road-focused model for deep-pocketed enthusiasts. In the EV era Audi seems to have all the right parts for just such a vehicle, as this concept shows.
But when it comes to electric off-roading, Audi parent company VW Group appears satisfied to have the new Scout brand tackle this part of the market.
Should Audi produce a limited-edition Q6 e-tron with this off-road hardware, or is this too niche of an offering at the moment? Let us know what you think in the comments below.

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