Audi is giving its beloved station wagons a much-needed jolt—literally. The German automaker has just unveiled its latest electric concept, the A6 Avant e-tron. Its debut comes less than a half year after rumours started circulating that the marque was considering a battery-powered version of one of its coveted wagons. It turns out one was already in the works.
The first thing you’ll notice about the e-tron is the design. The wagon looks nearly identical to last year’s gorgeous A6 e-tron concept, except with a roof that extends almost all the way to the rear of the vehicle. Other modifications include a spoiler coming off the end of the roof and much larger rear diffusers. The alterations don’t take away from the sleekness of the sedan but do give the vehicle a more athletic feel. If anything, the changes combine to make an already good-looking EV even more striking.
Like its sedan sibling, the A6 Avant e-tron will be built on Volkwagen AG’s PPE platform (which will also be used for the upcoming Porsche Macan EV). Its powertrain will include two electric motors capable of generating up to 469 hp and 590 ft lbs of torque, according to the brand. Because of this, the fastest A6 Avant e-tron will be able to sprint from 0 to 60 mph in under four seconds. This setup gets its juice from a 100-kWh battery that should allow you to drive around 435 miles on a single charge. That was the same figure quoted for the sedan, so we’ll see if the slightly bigger vehicle can actually match that range. Even if it can’t, Audi says you can add 186 miles of range in about 10 minutes when connected to a DC fast charger and go from 5 to 80 per cent battery capacity in 25 minutes. So much for range anxiety.
Concepts aren’t guaranteed to become a reality—though this is thankfully starting to change—but Audi appears intent on putting the battery-powered concepts it showcases into production. Now it appears it’s the A6 Avant e-tron’s turn.
Previously published on Robb Report.
