Porsche is about to expand its Macan range with a battery-electric variant based on the new PPE dedicated electric-vehicle platform being cooked up by the automaker in partnership with Audi.

The electric Macan is due in 2023 and just as we saw with the Porsche Taycan and Audi E-Tron GT twins, it will end up spawning an Audi counterpart.

A prototype for the Audi has just been spotted, revealing that it will look like the recently launched Q4 E-Tron, just on a larger scale.

Audi CEO Markus Duesmann confirmed the vehicle as the Q6 E-Tron during a March speech at the automaker's annual general meeting. He said in the speech that the Q6 E-Tron is due in 2022, meaning we'll likely see it arrive at dealerships as a 2023 model.

2023 Audi Q6 E-Tron spy shots - Photo credit: S. Baldauf/SB-Medien

Production of the Q6 E-Tron will be handled at Audi's plant in Ingolstadt which is being prepared for production of PPE-based vehicles, as well as batteries.

The Q6 E-Tron is expected to be slightly bigger than the Q5, just as the Q4 E-Tron is slightly bigger than the Q3. Duesmann didn't provide any specs on the vehicle but we know its PPE platform will have an 800-volt electrical system and a driving range approaching 300 miles on a charge.

A more coupe-like Q6 Sportback E-Tron is also thought to be in the pipeline. We should see the sleeker variant arrive shortly after the regular Q6 E-Tron.

Audi has ambitious plans for EVs, as the automaker aims to have 20 in its lineup as early as 2025. It has already launched the E-Tron, E-Tron GT and Q4 E-Tron, and will soon add this Q6 E-Tron as well as an A6 E-Tron. The automaker also announced in June that it will launch its final car equipped with an internal-combustion engine as early as 2026. This means you can expect most models in the Audi lineup to switch to electric power as they are redesigned. Stay tuned.