Quattro all-wheel drive, and the concept of the Avant - a sleek and beautiful estate - have long been synonymous with the Audi brand, and the firm is adamant that this history is not about to be abandoned even with the approach of electrification.
And here to prove the point, is this: The A6 Avant e-tron Concept.
Brand-iconic Singleframe grille at the front makes the A6 Avant e-tron concept unmistakable as an Audi The new concept car, as its name suggests, follows from the A6 e-tron Concept revealed at the Shanghai Auto Show in April 2021, and it also sports dimensions that place it well within the segment currently occupied by the Audi A6 line.
And that idea of continuation is also reflected in the design of the A6 e-tron Avant Concept, with the model paying homage to the firm's rich history with Avants of the past such as the original RS2, as well as the illustrious designs of its rally cars.
At the front, the Audi A6 Avant concept is instantly recognisable as an Audi, thanks to that brand-iconic large Singleframe grille at the front, only now of course, it is enclosed since cooling needs have been reduced and to aid with aerodynamics.
The grille is flanked on either end by Audi's slimmest head lights yet, (more on them in a bit) which work with the car's sweeping roofline to emphasise its length. And to this end there's also a long bonnet up front (a deliberate design choice when there's no longer a need to house a large engine underneath) all there to emphasis the continuation of the A6 line.
Gently sloping roof and slanted D-pillar links the A6 Avant e-tron Concept to Avants of old At the rear meanwhile, the concept also sports the familiar gently backward sloping roof arch and slanted D-pillar, a hallmark of Audi Avants. And, as with many of the firm's performance vehicles, the car concept also sports eye-catching quattro wheel arches, used here to drive the visual width of the body.
But where the design of the Audi A6 Avant e-tron Concept looks to the past, the features and its drivetrain are certainly looking far into the future.
Those head lights that were mentioned, are Digital Matrix items which are able to augment their projections in near infinite ways despite their small size. This means customers have the opportunity to customise their own light signatures. Or, if they so desire, play video games from their projections by driving up to a vertical wall. Handy while you're waiting for a quick top-up of the batteries.
These projectors also display warning symbols on the ground - to warn a bike rider that the car door is about to open, for example.
The Audi A6 Avant e-tron Concept sits atop the firm's future PPE platform, which can be charged at speeds of up to 270kW And at the rear, the digital OLED elements take a three-dimensional architecture, making it possible for them to display an impressive, 3D spatial effect. The use of connected technology here also allows these lights to offer information to other road users with visual signals, increasing the level of safety on the roads of the future.
As with the Audi A6 e-tron Concept, the interior of the A6 Avant e-tron Concept has not yet been revealed, but there's still plenty to go through about what's underneath the car.
On the drivetrain front, the Audi A6 Avant e-tron Concept is said to sit on the firm's new and upcoming Premium Platform Electric (PPE). This platform will support a battery capacity of up to 100kWh in the A6 Avant e-tron Concept, which will be used to animate electric motors that will deliver up to 469bhp and a total of 800Nm of torque.
And yes, the platform also supports the installation of electric motors at either axle, meaning Audi fans won't have to give up the famed Audi Quattro all-wheel drive and all the assurance it provides when driving on the road.
Expect a production-ready version of the Audi A6 Avant e-tron to be revealed come 2024 This platform will also support an 800V charging electrical infrastructure, which means that you'll be able to charge at speeds of up to 270kW. This translates to the possibility to add 300km to your car's range with just 10 minutes of charging, or to refill the battery capacity in the A6 Avant e-tron from 5% to 80% in less than 25 minutes.
Range for the Avant is expected to come close to 700km, although this will vary depending on specification when the production models arrive at market, which Audi informs us can be expected to happen as soon as 2024.
Neither this nor the Audi A6 e-tron (the sedan that is) will be the first model based on the PPE platform to arrive to customers however, as Audi also informs us that a production Q6 e-tron based on the same platform will be the first model to make market debut.
Audi states that this PPE platform will also be used to underpin future all-electric vehicles both in the segment directly above and directly below the one occupied by the A6 line.
Either way, we'll be waiting in eager anticipation to see them all when they arrive in Singapore.
And here to prove the point, is this: The A6 Avant e-tron Concept.
And that idea of continuation is also reflected in the design of the A6 e-tron Avant Concept, with the model paying homage to the firm's rich history with Avants of the past such as the original RS2, as well as the illustrious designs of its rally cars.
At the front, the Audi A6 Avant concept is instantly recognisable as an Audi, thanks to that brand-iconic large Singleframe grille at the front, only now of course, it is enclosed since cooling needs have been reduced and to aid with aerodynamics.
The grille is flanked on either end by Audi's slimmest head lights yet, (more on them in a bit) which work with the car's sweeping roofline to emphasise its length. And to this end there's also a long bonnet up front (a deliberate design choice when there's no longer a need to house a large engine underneath) all there to emphasis the continuation of the A6 line.
But where the design of the Audi A6 Avant e-tron Concept looks to the past, the features and its drivetrain are certainly looking far into the future.
Those head lights that were mentioned, are Digital Matrix items which are able to augment their projections in near infinite ways despite their small size. This means customers have the opportunity to customise their own light signatures. Or, if they so desire, play video games from their projections by driving up to a vertical wall. Handy while you're waiting for a quick top-up of the batteries.
These projectors also display warning symbols on the ground - to warn a bike rider that the car door is about to open, for example.
As with the Audi A6 e-tron Concept, the interior of the A6 Avant e-tron Concept has not yet been revealed, but there's still plenty to go through about what's underneath the car.
On the drivetrain front, the Audi A6 Avant e-tron Concept is said to sit on the firm's new and upcoming Premium Platform Electric (PPE). This platform will support a battery capacity of up to 100kWh in the A6 Avant e-tron Concept, which will be used to animate electric motors that will deliver up to 469bhp and a total of 800Nm of torque.
And yes, the platform also supports the installation of electric motors at either axle, meaning Audi fans won't have to give up the famed Audi Quattro all-wheel drive and all the assurance it provides when driving on the road.
Range for the Avant is expected to come close to 700km, although this will vary depending on specification when the production models arrive at market, which Audi informs us can be expected to happen as soon as 2024.
Neither this nor the Audi A6 e-tron (the sedan that is) will be the first model based on the PPE platform to arrive to customers however, as Audi also informs us that a production Q6 e-tron based on the same platform will be the first model to make market debut.
Audi states that this PPE platform will also be used to underpin future all-electric vehicles both in the segment directly above and directly below the one occupied by the A6 line.
Either way, we'll be waiting in eager anticipation to see them all when they arrive in Singapore.
