Enlarge / Audi designers closed the grille for better aerodynamics without removing the car’s signature front end. Owners can customize the daytime running lights with matrix LED headlights.
Today, Audi answered a question that many enthusiasts have been asking for years – when will they release an electric station wagon? The company has a long history of producing robust Avant models, and the brand’s new electric efforts have made such a vehicle inevitable. But Audi has remained silent on the subject — until now.
Today, Audi introduced the Audi A6 Avant e-tron. Although this car can be called a concept, it strongly hints at the production version, which should appear in 2024. Audi designers have said that the final version of the station wagon will not differ much from what you see here. And from our point of view, it’s not so bad.
“I can promise you that much of what you see now will be available on the road,” said Wolf Siebers, who led the car’s exterior design.
Enlarge / Audi has a long history of creating stylish station wagons, and this one is no exception.
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Elegant, practical electric car
Like other electric vehicles, the A6 Avant e-tron promises to be fast, hitting 60 mph in less than 4 seconds thanks to two motors that produce 350 kW (470 hp) and 800 Nm (590 lb-ft) of torque. moment. The massive “about 100 kWh” battery will provide a range of 435 miles (700 km) in optimistic WLTP testing in a more efficient single-engine configuration. In the real world, expect somewhere north of 300 miles.
So while the car may not make it past the 400-mile barrier, Audi promises that recharging won’t slow things down. The A6 Avant e-tron is built on the new PPE platform from the Volkswagen Group, which includes an 800-volt electrical architecture. Audi is promising a 270kW charge that can replenish about 40 percent of the battery in about 10 minutes, while a fuller charge – from 5 to 80 percent – will take less than 25 minutes. Based on the impressive charge curve achieved by Audi with the current e-tron SUV, which is now almost 4 years old in design, we tend to believe these numbers.
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Enlarge / Audi uses a new PPE platform for the A6 Avant e-tron, including an 800-volt electrical architecture.
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The design of the A6 Avant e-tron is largely based on the A6 e-tron concept that Audi debuted last year, with a similar black brushstroke on the sides to help hide the height of the doors, hinting at the massive battery suspended under the passenger compartment.
Of course, the differences between Sportback and Avant are more obvious. There, the designers pulled the roof over a pair of bulging rear hips that echo the original e-tron SUV. The roofline is accentuated by a thin satin-finished aluminum strip 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 as slippery as the Sportback version, but the new concept is just above 0.24 Cd, which is still good. Below, a rear diffuser with an accent in the same aluminum echoes the details of the RS 6 Avant hot rod.
Enlarge / The satin aluminum rear diffuser echoes the RS 6 Avant’s 190 mph rear diffuser.
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At the front, the designers covered up the signature Audi grille, but outlined its outline with black trim. In the production version, it is likely that this is where various sensors will be hidden, which will power its advanced driver assistance systems. When asked by Ars if they were planning any autonomous features for the production A6 Avant e-tron, Audi representatives made no commitment, saying only that they would have “the current state of the art”.
The car’s thin headlights are matrix LEDs, which will likely allow for adaptive beams that can brightly illuminate the road without dazzling oncoming traffic. Audi says owners can customize the daytime running lights to display a design of their choice. The rear OLED taillights with 3D effect can also be customized. As for other tech, Audi unfortunately didn’t give us a look at the interior.
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Enlarge / With the Avant next to the Sportback you can see what changes make the car more spacious (and more stylish, if you ask me).
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Wagons of the future
For station wagon enthusiasts, recent picks have been sparse. And for lovers of electric station wagons, the choice is even smaller. Only one is available today, the gorgeous but expensive Taycan Sport Turismo/Cross Turismo. The new Audi promises to double the field, and that field will expand even more with the upcoming Volkswagen ID. Space Vizzion and two Volvo cars, which the automaker recently mentioned in passing.
SUVs and crossovers have largely pushed station wagons into a niche market, but marketer Nikolai Martens said “electric mobility could help us reverse the SUV trend, which would be nice if you look at the climate.”
He added that the Avant’s low profile and slippery shape help increase the car’s range. “If I have a range-focused customer, and if range is really important to me as a premium class, then the Avant is probably the most reasonable vehicle compared to an SUV.”
The A6 Avant e-tron will almost certainly be the first to hit European roads, where station wagons are in high demand. Audi has not committed to delivering it to the US, but “never say never,” Martens said. “The Avant in its basic form is one that we don’t consider a high volume vehicle in the United States. But higher status cars like the RS Avant or Allroad are definitely cars that can work well in the United States.”
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