In an age when even your refrigerator has a Wi-Fi connection, is it any wonder that the corporate titans in Ingolstadt are introducing the 375-horsepower Audi A6 Sportback e-tron and 456-horsepower A6 Sportback e-tron Quattro EVs?

Both are rolling citadels of silence, as is their sibling, the sportier 543-horsepower S6 Sportback e-tron. Yet they are every inch the performance-minded thoroughbreds. Range is rated from 324 miles to 392 miles per charge, depending on model.

Yet, considering the ghosts of Audi past and present, are these battery-electric vehicles true to their corporate heritage or are they appliances in an Armani suit?

After all, Audi was never the loudest voice in the room. Mercedes-Benz built its reputation on imperious luxury, while BMW relishes its own myth as the Ulti

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