First Look: 2023 Audi A6 Avant e-tron Concept

Almost all mainstream automakers are offering electrified vehicles, and at the luxury and performance end, that includes Audi. In a virtual unveiling, the German automaker recently took the wraps off its newest model, the Audi A6 Avant e-tron concept.

It’s a sibling to the A6 e-tron Sportback concept that was unveiled almost a year ago at the 2021 Shanghai Auto Show. “Avant” is Audi-speak for station wagon, and this is the wagon version of that first A6 e-tron concept. Wagons overall are far more popular in Europe than here, where buyers have flocked instead to SUVs. In Canada, Audi now sells its A4 and A6 wagons only as the more SUV-like Allroad versions with higher ground clearance; and as the performance RS 6 Avant.

But all-electric is a whole new playing field, and Audi even suggests EVs could “reverse the SUV trend.” If anything could get drivers out of sport-utes and into wagons, this could be it.

The Sportback previously shown is a gorgeous car, but this wagon version is a stunner. While it is a concept, Audi said it’s about 95 per cent of how the production car will look – there will be some changes, including adding door handles missing on the sleek concept – and it will shape the styling of other electric models to come. However, we only got a look at the outside, with the interior design yet to come.

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Audi A6 Avant e-tron concept Photo by Audi

You can already buy all-electric cars from Audi — the e-tron, e-tron GT, and Q4 e-tron models — but the big deal with these A6 concepts is that they’re underpinned with a new platform technology called Premium Platform Electric, or PPE. It was developed in conjunction with Porsche, Audi’s stablemate under the Volkswagen Group umbrella. PPE will be used for a variety of Audi models, including SUVs, since the platform can be scaled for different wheelbase lengths and battery capacity.

Two powertrain versions of the Avant are expected (a battery-powered Allroad isn’t in the plans right now, but Audi advised us to “never say never” on that). One Avant version will prioritize driving range, expected to be about 700 kilometres (in European testing; when our figures arrive from Natural Resources Canada they may be different), using a single electric motor driving the rear wheels. It’ll get you from zero to 100 km/h in fewer than seven seconds.

A sportier version will have a motor on each axle, providing an electric version of Audi’s Quattro all-wheel-drive, for a combined 469 horsepower (350 kw) and 590 lb-ft of torque. It’ll go from stopped to 100 km/h in fewer than four seconds. As is the case with virtually all purpose-built EVs, the battery is a flat unit under the floor, maximizing interior space and cargo capacity while lowering the vehicle’s centre of gravity for improved handling. The concept also includes an air suspension with adaptive dampers. Audi said it will have further-developed versions of current driver-assist technologies, but it won’t be a self-driving autonomous car.

The Avant includes a 100-kWh battery and 800-volt charging, with the ability to fast-charge up to 270 kW. Audi said that on a DC fast-charger, the Avant will be able to replenish its battery from five to 80 per cent in fewer than 25 minutes, and take on 300 kilometres of range after just ten minutes on the charger.

As with the current A6 models, the Avant is styled similarly to the Sportback concept in front, but with a long roofline that flows back into the hatch. Unlike the Sportback, it includes aluminum inserts in the front intakes that match an aluminum accent over the windows and into the rear spoiler. It also features unique 22-inch wheels, plus large rear diffusers lacking on the Sportback, similar to what you’d expect over the tailpipes if the Avant had any. They improve the aerodynamics, and while the Sportback’s design is the more efficient of the two, it’s only by a fraction. As the styling gets more slippery, the wind resistance decreases. With an internal-combustion engine, the car uses less fuel; with a battery, the car goes farther on a charge.

Audi A6 Avant e-tron concept Photo by Audi

The Audi A6 Avant e-tron concept is the wagon version of the A6 e-tron concept unveiled in 2021 Photo by Audi

Audi A6 Avant e-tron concept Photo by Audi

Both models have headlights that are the slimmest of any Audi, and you’ll be able to program the daytime running lights to your preferred design — providing Transport Canada says that feature is okay, of course. The taillights wrap around the hatch and fenders with the four-ring logo lit up the middle. LED lights in the body illuminate the ground when occupants get out, and will also broadcast warning lights so cyclists coming up will know the doors are opening. Should you be facing a wall when you’re recharging, you will even be able to project your video game landscape onto its surface through the car’s digital headlights — again, if they pass muster with the powers that set the standards for Canadian vehicle lighting.

This “first look” is indeed just an initial glance, as Audi doesn’t expect to unveil production vehicles based on the PPE until 2023. It’s also not the beginning of the end for Audi’s internal-combustion engine. The company said it will continue to sell a conventional A6 alongside these battery versions when they arrive, and its vehicle range overall will include gas, electric, and plug-in hybrids going forward.

Audi sold 82,000 battery-powered vehicles worldwide in 2021, with a little over 900 of them going to Canadians. Electric vehicles still have an enormous way to go to reach sales parity with gasoline versions, but it all has to start somewhere. How the Audi A6 Avant e-tron drives and performs will be crucial to its success, along with its price, but as far as looks go, this plug-in wagon is already there.

Keyword: First Look: 2023 Audi A6 Avant e-tron Concept

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