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Audi today took the wraps off a near production-ready version its first ever all-electric estate car, the A6 Avant e-tron.
And bosses pledged that, when it comes to making any final tweaks to the finished green zero-emissions model destined for UK showrooms in two years’ time: ‘We promise not to spoil it.’
They also dropped heavy hints that there will be a hot racing inspired electric ‘RS6 Avant e-tron’ derivative in the mix noting: ‘We have a tradition of sporty Avants.’
The new A6 e-tron Avant is set to cost from around £60,000 to £70,000 when it goes on sale in 2024.
Audi’s new beautiful barge: This is the pre-production A6 Avant e-tron – an earlier preview of the most stylish electric estate car on the market by 2024
It promises a range of up to 435 miles (700km) and fast-charging with a 270 kW system giving 186-miles (300 km) of range in just 10 minutes. An 80 per cent charge of the 100kW battery takes under 25 minutes.
Riding on 22-inch wheels, the high performance variants will sprint from rest to 62mph in under four seconds, with even entry level models achieving it in under seven seconds.
The new A6 e-tron concept is being unveiled to coincide with Audi’s 2022 Annual Media Conference on Thursday.
It has an exclusively electric drive system based on the Audi’s flexible ‘PPE’ platform – which stands for Premium Performance Electric – and has been designed in collaboration with Porsche to offer high ground clearance and low ride height for battery-electric drive systems.
Pressed by This is Money, Audi design chiefs admitted: ‘This is close to the production model. There’s maybe 5 per cent or 10 per cent left to go.’
But was there not the risk of spoiling what looked like a showroom-ready car? ‘We won’t spoil it. We promise. We will only enhance it a little.’
While this is only a preview model, Audi bosses pledged that, when it comes to making any final tweaks to the finished green zero-emissions model destined for UK showrooms in two years’ time: ‘We promise not to spoil it’
The new A6 e-tron Avant is set to cost from around £60,000 to £70,000 when it goes on sale in 2024
Riding on 22-inch wheels, the high performance ‘RS’ variants will sprint from rest to 62mph in under four seconds, with even entry level models achieving it in under seven seconds
The A6 ‘family’ has been Audi’s flag-bearer in one of the world’s highest-volume segments since 1968 (until 1994 as the Audi 100). And there have been Audi A6 estate or ‘Avant’ models since 1977. The ‘Avant’ a term derives from ‘avant-garde’ and a 1995 Audi advertising slogan.
Will it fit in my garage? New A6 Avant e-tronÂ
On sale UK:Â 2024
Price: From £60,000 to £70,000 approxÂ
Length: 960mm (16.3 ft.)
Width: 1,9600mm (6.4 ft.)
Height: 1,440mm (4.7 ft.)
Energy: Electric /battery
Drivetrain: Two electric motors (one on each axle)
Power: 469 horsepower (350kW)
Drive: All-wheel drive
Emissions: Zero
Battery: 100kW
Range:Â Up to 435 miles (700km)
0-62mph: Under 7 seconds (under 4 seconds for RS ‘performance models’)
Fast-charging with 270 kW: 300km (186 miles) range in just 10 minutes (using 800-volt charging technology)
80% charge: Under 25 minutes
Wheels: 22-inchÂ
The new A6 e-tron has the same dimensions as the A6 Sportback e-tron: 960mm (16.3 feet) long; 1,9600mm (6.4 ft) wide; 1,440mm (4.7 ft) tall.
In design terms, Audi says the A6 Avant has a ‘back end which is as beautiful as it is spacious’ making it a ‘storage champ’.
A continuous strip of lights in the rear emphasize its ‘kinship’ with the other electrically powered Audis in the e-tron fleet, says the premium German car firm.
Aerodynamic styling, an absence of hard edges, gently backward sloping roof arch, and eye-catching quattro wheel arches add to its appeal.
Audi says: ‘Large 22-inch wheels and short overhangs, the flat cabin, and a dynamic roof arch give the Avant proportions that are distinctly reminiscent of a sports car.’
Sleek, camera-based virtual exterior mirrors sit at the base of the A-pillar.
The rear spoiler with coloured trim emphasizes the elongated, horizontally oriented silhouette of the A6 Avant e-tron concept while also helping airflow to improve aerodynamics.
The launch car is in a warm shade of grey called Neptune Valley with gold effect pigments.
Digital Matrix LED lights with built in projectors that can project messages and symbols.
Similar small, high-resolution projectors on the side of the car also display warning symbols on the ground – to warn a bike rider that the car door is about to open, for example.
Passenger interior space is enhanced – with more legroom – thanks to a long wheelbase, short overhangs and a flat floor from the absence of a transmission tunnel.
The all-wheel drive Audi A6 Avant e-tron concept’s two electric motors are capable of delivering 469 horse-power (350kW) of total output and 800Nm of pulling power torque.
But Audi notes: ‘The e-tron family will also include basic versions optimized for minimum consumption and maximum range – in this case, propulsion will come from a single electric motor mounted to the rear axle.’
It promises a range of up to 435 miles (700km) and fast-charging with a 270 kW system giving 186-miles (300 km) of range in just 10 minutes. An 80 per cent charge of the 100kW battery takes under 25 minutes
The A6 ‘family’ has been Audi’s flag-bearer in one of the world’s highest-volume segments since 1968 (until 1994 as the Audi 100). And there have been Audi A6 estate or ‘Avant’ models since 1977
The Audi A6 Avant e-tron has an exclusively electric drive system based on the Audi’s flexible ‘PPE’ platform – which stands for Premium Performance Electric. This drivetrain has been designed in collaboration with Porsche to offer high ground clearance and low ride height for battery-electric drive systems
The front wheels of the Audi A6 e-tron concept are connected via a five-link axle specially optimized for electric vehicles, with a multi-link axle in the rear. The concept car features Audi air suspension with adaptive dampers.
Audi noted: ‘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.’
Audi says it promises ‘dynamic driving performance and everyday suitability’ particularly on long drives: ‘That means that, in the future, an Audi A6 e-tron will deliver up to 435 miles of range depending on the drive system and model variant.
‘And the strongest representatives of the series will sprint from 0-62mph in less than four seconds.
Performance figures for the Sportback and the Avant variants will ‘deviate only slightly from one another,’ said Audi.
Audi says it promises ‘dynamic driving performance and everyday suitability’ particularly on long drives
Passenger interior space is enhanced – with more legroom – thanks to a long wheelbase, short overhangs and a flat floor from the absence of a traditional transmission tunnel
The all-wheel drive Audi A6 Avant e-tron concept’s two electric motors are capable of delivering 469 horse-power (350kW) of total output and 800Nm of pulling power torque
The car firm stressed: ‘This is not just a simple design exercise. Its lines and elegant proportions preview future Audi production models and offer clues about how dynamic and elegant the electrically-powered luxury class will look.’
Audi technical director Oliver Hoffmann insisted: ‘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.
‘We’re not just electrifying the Avant’s successful 45-year history.’
The current internal combustion A6 Avant is priced from £57,090 to £76,000 with the RS6 Avant from £98,000.
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