It's nice to see that station wagons still have a future in the crossover-infested era with an electric twist, as several manufacturers remain committed to this body style. Audi is on the list, and it has two executive long-roof models in the making: the A6 Avant e-tron and the A7 Avant.
The former is a battery-electric alternative to the latter, and the A7 Avant is the successor to the current A6 Avant. Confused much? It's all part of the Ingolstadt brand's new naming scheme, with ICE-powered models getting odd numbers and EVs using even numbers.
The vehicle pictured above is the upcoming Audi A6 Avant e-tron. The zero-emission business wagon was doing its thing in Germany when it became the focus of our spy photographer's camera lens. The model kept its camouflage to a bare minimum, showing more of that sleek styling.
It has the brand's new interpretation of the grille up front, albeit with a closed-off design, as there is no internal combustion lump to feed air to behind it. Nothing out of the ordinary so far, and while BMW stopped here for the most part when it comes to the rivaling i5/5 Series, Audi went beyond it, so the A6 Avant e-tron has split headlamps, whereas the A7 Avant comes with dual clusters.
Photo: SH Proshots
The profile is very sleek and we certainly dig the lines on the lower parts of the doors, the sloping roofline, and the shape of the side windows. We're also fans of the back end, where the cargo area is expected to be superior to that of the ICE-powered models. The reason is that the roofline is less arched behind the B-pillars, translating to more space in the trunk. Given its electric nature, it likely offers space for a small bag under the front hood, too.
Unrelated to the construction of the upcoming A7 lineup, the A6 e-tron (sedan and estate) is based on the Volkswagen Group's PPE platform. If it sounds familiar, that's because the new Porsche Macan, due at the end of January, also uses it, and so does the Q6 e-tron. It is understood to get the 800-volt tech for quicker recharging times, and chances are lesser versions will feature single motors, with the upper specs perhaps launching with bi-motor setups.
The RS-badged derivatives are also in the pipeline, with Audi Sport applying this recipe to the Sedan and Avant versions of the upcoming A6 e-tron. As you can imagine, details surrounding the power and performance of these cars are yet unknown, but rumor has it that they will supposedly enjoy around 800 horsepower. It is possible that the A6 e-tron lineup is a few weeks or months away from debuting, with U.S. dealers likely getting it for the 2025 model year.
After a series of unfortunate events put an end to Cristian's dream of entering a custom built & tuned old-school Dacia into a rally competition, he moved on to drive press cars and write for a living. He's worked for several automotive online journals and now he's back at autoevolution after his first tour in the mid-2000s. Full profile
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