The all-electric Audi A6 Avant e-tron will rival the BMW i5 Touring and has already been previewed by the A6 e-tron Avant concept.
The all-new and all-electric Audi A6 Avant e-tron has been spied undergoing its final stages of testing before its full reveal next year. Audi’s ambition to produce a large electric wagon is no secret, the firm debuting a concept version a couple of years ago (details below), but that plan will soon yield results in the shape of this production model. The new Audi A6 Avant e-tron will do battle with the forthcoming BMW i5 Touring, and later an all-electric Volvo wagon, in this entirely new class of car.
The A6 Avant e-tron will join a five-door Sportback version, but this doesn’t spell the end for Audi’s existing ICE-powered A6 models. They are likely to be bumped up to take-on the A7 moniker in the same fashion as seen with the smaller ICE-powered A5 Sportback and Avant, which will also make their debuts in 2024.
Alongside the standard A6 will be a higher powered S6 Avant e-tron, potentially the model spied here, with a bespoke-bodied, range-topping RS6 e-tron to follow in the next few years. For now, though, the prototypes in these images are the A6 or S6, both of which will share the same styling and bodywork.
The new A6 e-tron models sit on the same Premium Platform Electric (PPE) underpinnings as the forthcoming Q6 e-tron SUV, which has been co-developed with Porsche and will share much with the new Porsche Macan EV. The platform utilises an 800V electronic architecture that enables rapid charging at up to 270kW, meaning a 5 to 80 per cent charge takes less than 25 minutes, while plugging in for 10 minutes can provide an extra 300km of range.
Based on the information already revealed about the closely related Q6 e-tron, the Avant will be powered by twin-motor powertrains drawing power from a 100kWh battery pack. The 100kWh unit will stand as the largest battery offered on both the A6 e-tron and A6 Avant e-tron, but lower-specification models with a single motor option are also on the cards. Fitted with the most efficient combination of powertrain elements, we could expect up to 640km should be possible on a charge, judging by the Q6 e-tron’s claimed 595km range.
For the closely related Q6 e-tron, Audi will launch both a base model and high performance SQ6 model with 290kW and 375kW, respectively. These are figures that we expect to be mirrored by the A6 Avant e-tron and its S6 version.
The A6 Avant e-tron’s styling closely follows that of the forthcoming Sportback, featuring a new design language based closely on the A6 e-tron concepts. At the front, there’s a large ‘Singleframe’ grille that incorporates contrasting black graphics and side cooling vents for the motors, battery and brakes.
The two-piece headlights are similar to those already seen on the Q6 e-tron. The top-mounted elements are incredibly slim and contain both the configurable daytime lighting signatures and the indicators. Underneath these, larger digital matrix LED units will be integrated into the front bumper featuring Audi’s latest lighting technology.
This particular prototype is fitted with a set large alloy wheels sitting in front of red brake calipers, indicating that this will most likely be the S6 e-tron variant. These wheels support a sleek body, with muscular haunches and slim door handles. Due to the relatively tall body, Audi will probably employ similar graphics to the area around the sills to try disguise the sheer amount of bodywork below the window line, but overall it should look sleeker than the more upright Q6.
In typical Audi style, the rear window is heavily raked, with a full width OLED tail-light bar, that can display a variety of 3D light signatures and graphics, situated across the tailgate.
As a larger model in Audi’s EV range, we expect the road car to be available with chassis hardware such as air suspension and adaptive dampers, as well as elements like rear-wheel steering on the high-end specifications.
The A6 Avant e-tron will arrive in 2024, following the launch of the Sportback and before that the new Q6. As part of Audi’s next generation of all-electric models, these will be a mission statement for the brand moving forward, but it won’t have the executive market to itself. With BMW already having revealed its i5, and the Touring only a few months away from launching, it seems there’s still life in the large German wagon class in the new EV era.