Audi is calling it "the storage champ," but we're calling it the best-looking e-tron model yet. The Audi A6 Avant e-tron concept car just debuted and it blends electric power with cool chunky styling and adds a hefty serving of cargo space.
"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," said Audi technical development boss 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."
The automaker describes the proportions as "distinctly reminiscent of a sports car," thanks to the flat cabin and dynamic roof arch as well as the short overhangs that are part of the EV platform. Look at it from the side and the A6 Avant seems to have been carved from a single block of stone, especially in the concept car's Neptune Valley grey finish.
As a concept, it's full of lighting tricks including three LED projectors built into each side of the body. Open the doors and they play a dynamic effect that includes greetings in an array of languages. The same projectors can display warning symbols on the ground - like alerting a cyclist that the car's door is about to open. Four projectors in the corners can add projections for turn signals, and the LED Digital Matrix headlights can project video games onto a wall in front of the car. Audi says they can light up the roadway quite effectively as well.
Thanks to the long wheelbase of the Audi PPE platform, the A6 Avant e-tron can hold around 100 kWh worth of battery cells. With 800-volt charging tech and the ability to accept up to 270 kW of charge, Audi says it can add 300 km of range in just 10 minutes, or go from 5 to 80 per cent full in 25 minutes. The total range for the pack, on the generous European testing cycle, is estimated at 700 km.
A pair of motors turn that battery pack's energy into forward motion delivering a combined 469 hp and 590 lb-ft of torque. Audi doesn't go into many details on the powertrain here but does say that the e-tron family will include single-motor basic versions for maximum range. Though even if we do see the wagon in North America, we don't expect to see two-wheel drive models from the brand.
Audi has made it clear that this A6 Avant e-tron is styled the way a production car would be and that it plans to bring the car to production. We'll have to wait to find out if it will arrive in Canada, but Audi offering the current A6 Avant here is a good sign.
