Today, Audi answered a question that many enthusiasts have been asking for years—when will they be releasing an electric station wagon? The company has a long history of producing lusty “Avant” models, and the brand’s new electric endeavors made such a car seem inevitable. But Audi has been mum on the topic—until now.
Today, Audi unveiled the A6 Avant e-tron. While this vehicle may be called a concept, it strongly hints at the production version due in 2024. Audi designers said the final wagon won’t deviate much from what you see here. And from our perspective, that’s not a bad thing.
“I can promise you that a lot of what you see now will be available on the road,” said Wolf Seebers, who led the car’s exterior design.
Sleek, practical EV
Like other EVs, the A6 Avant e-tron promises to be quick, reaching 60 mph in under 4 seconds thanks to dual motors that produce a combined 350 kW (470 hp) and 800 Nm (590 lb-ft) of torque. A massive battery of “around 100 kWh” will provide 435 miles (700 km) of range under optimistic WLTP testing in a more efficient single-motor configuration. In real-world use, expect somewhere just north of 300 miles.
So while the car may not break the 400-mile barrier, Audi promises that recharging won’t slow things down. The A6 Avant e-tron rides on the Volkswagen Group’s new PPE platform, which includes 800 volt electrical architecture. Audi is promising 270 kW charging that can replenish about 40 percent of the battery’s charge in about 10 minutes, while a fuller charge—from 5–80 percent—should take under 25 minutes. Based on the impressive charge curve Audi achieved with the current e-tron SUV, a design that’s now nearly 4 years old, we’re inclined to believe those figures.
The A6 Avant e-tron’s design draws heavily from the A6 e-tron concept that Audi debuted last year, with a similar black brushstroke along the sides that helps mask the height of the doors while hinting at the massive battery beneath the passenger compartment.
The differences between the Sportback and Avant are more apparent up top, of course. There, the designers stretched the roof over a pair of bulging rear haunches that echo the original e-tron SUV. The roofline is accented with a thin band of satin aluminum that arcs from the base of the A-pillar to a subtle spoiler at the top of the rear window. The Avant’s long roof isn’t quite as slippery as the Sportback version, but the new concept’s slightly higher 0.24 Cd is still quite good. Below, a rear diffuser accented in the same aluminum echoes the detailing on the hot-rod RS 6 Avant.
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