Editor's note: This story is part of the WardsAuto digital archive, which may include content that was first published in print, or in different web layouts.
Audi has been on fire in the U.S. this year, setting sales records nine months in a row.
But until recently, the German auto maker has struggled in the upper reaches of the U.S. luxury market. That situation is changing as Audi rolls out one pricey hit after another, from the big A8 luxury sedan and Q7 cross/utility vehicle to the curvaceous A7 hatchback.
The ’12 A6 joins the list, now making its presence known in a segment where it barely was a blip on the radar. Hitting showrooms in late June, A6 sales soared 46% in September compared with year-ago.
Distinctively styled, lightweight and bristling with technology, the A6 finally is poised to give the Mercedes E-Class and BMW 5-Series, its main rivals in the WardsAuto middle luxury segment, some serious competition in the U.S. market.
With sales of 6,645 units through September, the A6 won’t zoom past the E-Class, with 47,824 deliveries during the same period, or the 5-Series with 37,996 sales so far this year.
Nevertheless, Mercedes and BMW need to start looking over their shoulders. With the new A6, Audi has cracked the code for winning converts in a sector jammed with more than a dozen luxury models, with base prices ranging from the $38,000 Volvo S80 to the $53,000 Jaguar XF.
That code includes a strong exterior design, excellent vehicle dynamics and the best interior in the entire segment.
The A6 is available in two main variants, the 3.0T and 2.0T. The 3.0T has a base price of $49,900 not including an $875 destination charge and features quattro all-wheel drive and a 310-hp 3.0L supercharged V-6 that has been named to Ward’s 10 Best Engines list two years in a row.
