The growth of the SUV and crossover market has eroded sales of wagons over the past 20 years, leading some automakers to drop the body style altogether. And the switch to a new generation of electric cars built on dedicated EV platforms would seem like a convenient opportunity to wipe out wagons for good.
But that’s not how Audi sees it. The company has been building square-back sedans since 1966 when it introduced the Super 90 Variant, and Avants, as Audi’s estate cars are now known, have become part of the firm’s DNA and aren’t going anywhere.
These latest spy shots give us another chance to check out a prototype of the upcoming A6 Avant e-tron being put through its paces before the production car hits the market next year. Though Audi will also offer a sedan – in reality a sporty-looking liftback – it was the wagon body shape that Audi chose to deploy when previewing the entire A6 EV line with the A6 Avant e-tron concept in 2022.
Both cars are based on the same PPE platform that forms the basis for the Audi Q6 e-tron SUV and its Porsche Macan EV cousin. Audi is tipped to offer both single- and dual-motor versions of the A6, with the latter likely to get the same 375 hp (280 kW / 380 PS) output promised for the base Q6.
Related: Audi’s Next-Gen Electric RS6 Caught For The First Time Hiding Its Fender Flares
That’s boosted to 396 hp (295 kW / 401 PS) during brief bursts of acceleration, but buyers wanting more zip will need to check out the S6 or RS6 e-tron. Going by published stats for the SQ6, the S6 should be good for 483 hp (360 kW / 490 PS), or 510 hp (380 kW / 517 PS) during overboost, and the RS6 is rumored to put out as much as 805 hp (600 kW / 816 PS). A 100 kWh battery under the floor should allow for around 435 miles (700 km) of range in regular models.
The last A6 Avant e-tron prototype we saw had red calipers, which this one lacks. But a close look suggests they’re the same monobloc calipers, but simply minus the red coloring, so they could both be performance variants. In terms of design, they’re identical, both featuring the same split-headlight arrangement seen on the Avant concept and also the new Q6. Would you take an A6 Avant e-tron over its BMW i5 Touring rival?
