ABT Just Built the Gas-Electric S6 Audi Won’t Sell You

You don’t always realize a car is gone until you start looking for something that feels the same.

That’s the situation with the Audi S6 right now. Audi moved the name over to the electric S6 e-tron, leaving the old gas-powered version behind. And for people who still want that classic S6 formula, there’s not really a direct replacement anymore.

ABT seems to have an answer. They took the A6 plug-in hybrid and pushed it closer to what the missing S6 used to be. It starts with the A6 eHybrid Quattro, which already mixes a 2.0-liter turbo engine with an electric motor and a 14.1 kWh battery. On its own, it can drive up to 69 miles on electric power.

But ABT didn’t leave it there. With their power upgrade, output climbs from 362 hp to 422 hp, and torque goes from 369 lb-ft to 406 lb-ft. It still sends power to all four wheels through the usual S Tronic gearbox and Quattro system, but now it feels a bit more alive.

It’s still not quite at the level of the old V6 S6, and that’s hard to ignore. That car had a certain character; this setup doesn’t fully replace it. But at the same time, this is now the strongest version of the current A6 lineup.

Then there’s the way it looks and drives.

ABT adds lowering springs, so the car sits better and feels sharper through corners. Nothing extreme, just enough to make it feel more focused. The design changes are subtle, too. A front splitter, a small rear wing, black accents, and 21-inch wheels.

Around the back, the quad exhaust tips try to bring back that Audi Sport vibe, even if what’s happening under the hood is very different now. Inside, changes are minimal. Mostly small ABT touches like floor mats and lighting.

Of course, all of this comes at a price. If you go all in, the full package costs $18,200. You can also pick parts individually, like the power upgrade ($3,500) or wheels ($8,900), depending on how far you want to go. And that’s on top of the A6 eHybrid itself, which already starts at over €77,000.

So it makes you wonder. Is this the new version of what an S6 is supposed to be? Or is it just the closest thing we have right now while everything shifts toward electric? Either way, it feels like a stop between two worlds.