Audi Reveals the Electric Car We Really Want

The future is coming soon at Audi. Like many of its competitors, the German brand has promised to go all-electric and stop launching combustion models in 2026. And that future is going to include electric wagons. Last year, Audi introduced a stunning A6 E-Tron electric liftback concept; now, Audi has revealed an Avant version of it. And in case you’ve forgotten, “Avant” in Audi terminology means wagon.

Audi

Wagons — once super-popular but now often pushed to the side — are set to make a lot of sense moving forward. Electric vehicles need to be aerodynamic; one of car buyers’ foremost considerations is space. The best way to provide space in an aerodynamic package, then, will be a sleek, low-riding wagon. And a wagon is what many upcoming electric cars will functionally be…even if car companies call them crossovers for marketing purposes.

Audi

In spite of the official announcement, we don’t have much information about the Audi A6 Avant E-Tron. Audi mentioned that, like the sedan, it offers around 435 miles of WLTP-rated range, can charge at 270 kW and uses 800-volt electrical architecture. The A6 E-Tron concept threw out 469 hp and 590 lb-ft of torque as target figures, so similar outputs should be expected here; however, we should also expect less-potent and more-potent versions for production, as Audi mentions that “the strongest representatives of the series will sprint from 0 to 100 km/h in less than four seconds,” while ” even entry-level models designed for efficiency will accelerate to 100 km/h in less than seven seconds.” Previous reporting has Audi unveiling a production A6 E-Tron in 2022, with the A6 Avant E-Tron following in 2023.

Audi

What we’re really excited about, though, is Audi eventually fleshing out that electric wagon lineup. Autocar reports that Audi will allegedly follow up the aforementioned cars with an RS 6 E-Tron, which could pack a power output similar to the E-Tron GT’s 637 hp and 612 lb-ft of torque — a significant bump over the combustion RS6 Avant with its twin-turbo V8 engine. There would presumably be room for an all-wheel drive Allroad version of the A6 Avant E-Tron as well.

Audi coming out with an electric wagon is one more sign that many cars we love will get similar EV versions — and those versions will often be objective improvements over the originals.

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