Audi is holding tight against the inexorable rise of SUVs globally, previewing a new wagon for the electric era.
The Audi A6 Avant e-tron concept’s reveal follows that of its three-box counterpart in 2021, previewing a new model line that’ll be sold in tandem with the internal combustion engine-powered A6.
Audi hasn’t officially confirmed the A6 Avant e-tron for production, but the company says it’s more than a simple design exercise and it “anticipate[s] future Audi production models”.
It measures 4.96m long, 1.96m wide and 1.44m tall, or around 9mm longer and 58mm wider than an A6 Avant.
A storage capacity figure hasn’t been announced, though Audi says the A6 Avant e-tron is “as beautiful as it is spacious”.
It rides the new Premium Platform Electric, co-developed with Porsche, which will also underpin the Q6 e-tron SUV and supports both single-motor rear-wheel drive and dual-motor all-wheel drive powertrains.
Audi says the first production vehicles on the PPE will be unveiled in 2023. The Q6 e-tron is likely to be the first cab off the rank, and the company says the platform will support vehicles in the B-, C- and D-segments.
The A6 Avant e-tron concept has a dual-motor all-wheel drive powertrain with 350kW of power and 800Nm of torque, like its Sportback counterpart.
It has a 100kWh battery, 800V technology and 270kW of charging capacity, allowing for 300km of range to be added in 10 minutes.
The previously revealed A6 e-tron concept has a claimed WLTP range of up to 700km and a 0-100km/h time of less than seven seconds in base guise and “well under” four seconds in its most powerful variants.
Audi says the Avant deviates only slightly.
The company has also previously said it “can imagine” a hot RS6 version. Such a model could potentially offer the RS e-tron GT’s 440kW/830Nm dual-motor powertrain.
The concept’s suspension consists of a five-link axle up front optimised for electric vehicles, with a multi-link axle at the rear. It also features air suspension with adaptive dampers.
The A6 Avant e-tron concept has a gently sloping roofline that helps reduce the boxiness common with station wagons.
The crisp rear features a prominent spoiler and a rear diffuser with two large air outlets to channel the airflow from under the vehicle.
The shapely wagon’s drag coefficient is 0.24, compared to 0.22 for the Sportback.
There are slim lighting elements front and rear, although spy shots of the production A6 e-tron have revealed split-level lighting up front and thicker lights at the rear.
As with other Audi EVs like the e-tron GT, there’s a closed version of Audi’s Singleframe grille.
The concept also sits on large 22-inch alloy wheels and features digital camera mirrors, matrix LED headlights and digital OLED tail lights, the latter with customisable lighting signatures.
There are also three small, high-resolution LED projectors built into each side of the body, which can be used to display warning symbols on the ground – for example, to warn an approaching cyclist a door is opening.
They join four other projectors at the corners of the vehicle, which display indicator projections.
As with the Sportback concept, the interior of the Avant has yet to be revealed.
While wagons remain popular in Europe, they’re very much a niche body style in Australia.
Despite this, Audi offers a range of wagon options: the A4, including its allroad and sportier S4 and RS4 variants, plus the A6 allroad and the rapid RS6.
BMW, in contrast, offers only the 3 Series Touring. Mercedes-Benz now doesn’t offer any wagons in Australia, citing the popularity of SUVs.
MORE: Everything Audi A6
