Like the Audi A6 e-tron concept that was exhibited in 2021, the A6 Avant also has an exclusively electric drive system based on the forward-looking PPE platform, developed under Audi’s leadership. At the same time, it represents a new design concept with the same dimensions as the A6 Sportback e-tron. At 4.96 meters long, 1.96 meters wide, and 1.44 meters high, its body puts it in the luxury class. Its lines are a consistent development in Audi’s contemporary formal language. Significant elements like the closed Singleframe and the continuous strip of lights in the rear emphasize its kinship with the other electrically powered Audis in the e-tron fleet.
“The A6 Avant e-tron concept will attract a new audience to transition to fully-electric,” said Dean Sheed, General Manager of Audi New Zealand. “We welcome the quattro and high-performance versions, which Audi is legendary for in the New Zealand market. The Avant body shape has a premium and progress new design, whilst offering the extra utility that kiwi’s love.”
“With Audi’s commitment to switching to fully electric from 2026, it’s great to see this being supported with a wider variety of electric vehicles on offer,” said Dean.
The Audi A6 Avant e-tron concept exterior model that is making its debut in March 2022 is no more a simple design exercise than the Sportback. On the contrary, its lines and elegant proportions anticipate future Audi production models and offer clues about how dynamic and elegant the electrically powered luxury class from the brand with the four rings will look.
“With the Audi A6 Avant e-tron concept, we are offering a completely tangible look at future production models on our new PPE technology platform,” says Audi Board Member for Technical Development Oliver Hoffmann. “We’re not just electrifying the Avant’s successful 45-year history. What we want most of all is to use technical skill to add an exclamation point. In particular, this includes powerful 800 volt technology, 270 kW of charging capacity, and a WLTP range of up to 700 kms.”
Sporting the A6 emblem, the concept car underscores its place in the brand’s business class. This family has represented the brand in one of the world’s highest-volume segments since 1968 (until 1994, as the Audi 100). There have been Avant models in the series since 1977 – a revolutionary, very emotionally designed reinterpretation of the station wagon class.
With the Avant, whose dynamic lines combine with a high degree of variability, the company literally worked out a new kind of car that has often been copied by the competition. Avant, a term derived from avant garde and a 1995 Audi ad slogan, is a word that has taken off: beautiful station wagons are called Avant.
For its part, the PPE technology will ensure that what the car’s lines imply is translated into a standard of dynamic driving performance and everyday suitability befitting use for long drives. That means that, in the future, an Audi A6 e-tron will gleam with up to 700 kms (of range (under the WLTP standard), depending on the drive system and model variant. And the strongest representatives of the series will sprint from 0 to 100 km/h in less than four seconds. The values of the Sportback and the Avant only deviate slightly from one another.
The Audi A6 Avant’s back end, which is as beautiful as it is spacious, is by no means the only thing that qualifies it as the storage champ in a double sense. The drive system and battery technology also justify that title. With its 800 volt system and a charging capacity of up to 270 kW, it can take in enough energy in just 10 minutes at a fast-charging station to drive about 300 kilometers.
The heart of the Audi A6 Avant e-tron concept’s drive technology – and that of all future PPE models – will be the 800-volt charging technology. Like the Audi e-tron GT quattro* before it, this ensures that the battery can be charged with up to 270 kW in a very short time at fast-charging stations. This revolutionary technology will enter the high-volume mid-range and luxury segments with the PPE for the very first time.
As a result, the A6 Avant will become the storage champ in a double sense – not only because of its spacious back end. The PPE technology enables charging times that come close to a conventional stop to refuel a car powered by a combustion engine. Just 10 minutes is enough time to charge the battery to a level sufficient to power the car for more than 300 kilometers. And in less than 25 minutes, you can charge the Audi A6 Avant e-tron concept’s 100 kWh battery from 5 to 80 percent.
Together with a range of up to 700 kms depending on the selected drive system and power output – the models in the Audi A6 e-tron family are uncompromisingly suitable for long trips. Furthermore, their range and charging speed keep pace with those of combustion engines, making them perfect universal cars for everyday needs, from short trips to the store to longer road trips when going on vacation.
In terms of dynamic qualities, the Audi A6 e-tron concept – as is typical for an electric car – truly outshines its rivals with combustion engines. Thanks to its high torque right from the first revolution, even entry-level models designed for efficiency will accelerate to 100 km/h in less than seven seconds. And in the top-of-the-line, high-performance models, this sprint can even be reduced to well under four seconds.
– End –
The Audi Group is one of the most successful manufacturers of automobiles and motorcycles in the premium and luxury segments. With its brands Audi, Ducati, Lamborghini and, since January 1, 2022, Bentley, it comprises the premium brand group within the Volkswagen Group. Its brands are present in more than 100 markets worldwide. Audi and its partners produce automobiles and motorcycles at 21 locations in 13 countries.
In 2021, the Audi Group delivered around 1.681 million cars from the Audi brand, 8,405 sports cars from the Lamborghini brand and 59,447 motorcycles from the Ducati brand to customers. More than 85,000 people all over the world work for the Audi Group, around 60,000 of them in Germany. With its attractive brands, new models, innovative mobility offerings and groundbreaking services, the premium brand group is systematically pursuing its path toward becoming a provider of sustainable, individual, premium mobility.
Fuel/electric power consumption and emissions values** of the models named above
Audi A6 Avant
Combined fuel consumption in l/100 km: 7.8–4.5 (30.2–52.3 US mpg);
combined CO2 emissions in g/km: 178–118 (286.5–189.9 g/mi)
Audi e-tron GT quattro
Combined electric power consumption in kWh/100 km (62.1 mi): 21.8–19.9 (WLTP);
19.6–18.8 (NEDC); combined CO2 emissions in g/km (g/mi): 0 (0)
**The indicated consumption and emissions values were determined according to the legally specified measuring methods. Since September 1, 2017, type approval for certain new vehicles has been performed in accordance with the Worldwide Harmonized Light Vehicles Test Procedure (WLTP), a more realistic test procedure for measuring fuel consumption and CO2 emissions. Since September 1, 2018, the WLTP has gradually replaced the New European Driving Cycle (NEDC). Due to the more realistic test conditions, the consumption and CO2 emission values measured are in many cases higher than the values measured according to the NEDC. Additional information about the differences between WLTP and NEDC is available at www.audi.de/wltp.
At the moment, it is still mandatory to communicate the NEDC values. In the case of new vehicles for which type approval was performed using WLTP, the NEDC values are derived from the WLTP values. WLTP values can be provided voluntarily until their use becomes mandatory. If NEDC values are indicated as a range, they do not refer to one, specific vehicle and are not an integral element of the offer. They are provided only for the purpose of comparison between the various vehicle types. Additional equipment and accessories (attachment parts, tire size, etc.) can change relevant vehicle parameters, such as weight, rolling resistance and aerodynamics and, like weather and traffic conditions as well as individual driving style, influence a vehicle’s electric power consumption, CO2 emissions and performance figures.
Further information on official fuel consumption figures and the official specific CO2 emissions of new passenger cars can be found in the “Guide on the fuel economy, CO2 emissions and power consumption of all new passenger car models,” which is available free of charge at all sales dealerships and from DAT Deutsche Automobil Treuhand GmbH, Hellmuth-Hirth-Str. 1, 73760 Ostfildern-Scharnhausen, Germany (www.dat.de).