Author: Chang Yan

In 1968, Audi launched the A6 model, providing another benchmark for executive-class commercial travelers in terms of performance and quality, setting a new standard. Since then, the A6 series began to rival itself, becoming larger, faster, and stronger with each new generation.

The A6 is also the pioneer model in the Chinese market for Audi. Interestingly enough, there is a version of the Audi A6 called Avant. Avant itself means “avant-garde” and “pioneer”. The car we have the privilege of seeing today is a special “pioneer” model from Audi called the A6 Avant e-tron concept.

Before we take a closer look at the A6 Avant e-tron concept, let’s briefly review its past. Starting in 1977, Audi began to add the Avant touring car version to the A6 model. We believe that the features of this version are well known to all touring car fans: larger space, higher comfort, very unique appearance, and later derived versions, including the RS version, which has the most aggressive performance.

The A6 Avant e-tron concept is the latest successor of this family style, and each generation of the A6 Avant has meticulously outlined the sharp and elegant body lines on the basis of the current A6, fusing practical space and calm appearance into one, adding a touch of life.

What is different this time is that the A6 Avant e-tron concept in front of us finally doesn’t need to wait for the arrival of the A6 main body, it can prove itself first. Of course, when we see this car, we can easily tell without looking at the data that this is the longest, widest, and has the largest width-to-height ratio of any A6 in Audi’s history, with an extra-long wheelbase, wide body, and super-large internal space that not only provides an outstanding user experience but also gives this car an atmosphere that even higher-level models cannot compete with.

However, the data must be shared. The dimensions of the A6 Avant e-tron concept are 4.96m / 1.96m / 1.44m in length, width, and height respectively. With these numbers, you can already picture this luxury mid-size vehicle in your mind. The space in this car meets all your needs. Even with five people sitting inside, the A6 Avant e-tron concept still provides 565 liters of trunk space. If only two people travel, you can even get a maximum storage capacity of 1680 liters.

It seems we are casually discussing the spaciousness of the A6 Avant e-tron concept, but don’t forget, this is a pure electric vehicle. It is not easy to increase space in an electric car.

In the era of gasoline-powered cars, we all know that many high-powered supercars have so little storage space that they might only fit a backpack. Sometimes, even shopping requires the passenger to hug the plastic bag because the large engine takes up so much space. The same goes for high-performance electric cars. Large batteries and double motors also require ample space. To achieve strong performance with a low driving position, an advanced pure electric platform is necessary.

The A6 Avant e-tron concept happens to be based on Audi’s latest and most powerful PPE (Premium Platform Electric) platform.

On the core technological level, PPE platform has been fully upgraded to an 800V architecture, which enhances the power performance with higher efficiency while reducing the weight of cables and other components. More importantly, the vehicle battery size and wheelbase based on the PPE platform are highly scalable. With a long wheelbase and short front overhang, the A6 Avant e-tron concept’s design not only gives a more fluid and attractive shape, but also provides maximum space for the interior. This is why A6 Avant e-tron concept has such incredible interior space and futuristic body lines.“`markdown

The PPE platform is the Audi high-end electric platform for technical innovation. More importantly, as we mentioned before, it is a modular technical architecture. In the future, the platform will first be applied to the C-class car and gradually promoted to the B-class car and D-class car.

There is also a little secret of the “space magician”, to some extent, you can judge the performance and layout of the battery through the integration degree of the battery in the floor. In the A6 Avant e-tron concept, the height of the entire battery pack is even lower than the height of a coffee cup, which is very amazing.

Of course, don’t forget that Avant also has the RS version known as the “strongest wagon on the surface.” However, A6 Avant e-tron concept, born in the name of e-tron, may no longer need the two letters RS to prove its wild performance. The high-end model can directly enter the “3-second club,” and its cruising range can exceed 700 kilometers.

The 800V high-voltage fast charging technology, plus the new battery, make the maximum charging power of this car reach 270kW. In an ideal situation, it can supplement the cruising range by 300 kilometers in 10 minutes of charging. Start looking forward to your electric wagon, it can run fast and far.

Of course, the focus of this car is not only the practicality of the wagon shape, not just its wild performance, but also the concept, because it not only represents the future of A6, but also represents the next generation of e-tron.
“`Certainly, the ultra-large space brings unprecedented practicality, comfort and convenience, and also provides assistance for carrying more luxurious configurations, but this does not mean that the vehicle is bulky, which is also the most futuristic aspect of this A6 Avant e-tron concept.

In terms of design, the A6 Avant e-tron concept adopts a pioneering handling, which not only neutralizes the sense of size, but also increases the sense of movement and lowered posture. The flattened headlights, the integrated grille, and the deep aerodynamic components make the vehicle full of momentum in the lateral space. After wind tunnel carving tests, full of protruding and indentation contours projected shadows, seamless divided side curves, 22-inch ultra-large wheels, as well as short front and rear suspensions, flattened cabin and fast-descending top of the tail are all facial features of sports cars.

There is also a very interesting design on this car. From the rear of the car, there seem to be two large exhaust pipes, but in fact these are two large air vents of the rear diffuser, which are cleverly integrated into the bumper area. You may think that this design is somewhat out of place for an electric car, but I think it may be the most exciting part of this car, and by guiding the airflow towards the bottom of the car to reduce turbulence, it perfectly reduces air resistance and maximizes the reduction of lift force to ensure stability at high speeds.

Speaking of which, do you feel like something is missing? Yes, of course, it’s the “light factory” signature skill.

The A6 Avant e-tron concept uses newly designed flat front headlights and slender taillights that blend seamlessly with the body lines. Thanks to the application of digital matrix LED technology and digital OLED technology, maximum brightness and various special functions can be achieved even on the smallest curved surface. As long as there is a gap, the light factory can play with it.A matrix-style LED headlight with “cinema-grade” display quality can do more than just illuminate the road ahead. It can also be used as a projector to display game graphics onto a nearby wall. Meanwhile, the taillight features a new generation of digital OLED light sources, allowing users to customize different versions of digital lighting characteristics and dynamic lighting display effects.

However, despite all the dazzling features, the lighting system still prioritizes illuminating the road ahead for drivers. This lighting system can ensure that other vehicles on the road can clearly perceive the presence of this car, while providing an extremely clear and bright view of the inside of the car. The headlights can also adjust brightness and distance according to road conditions, weather, and surrounding environments. Additionally, according to Audi, with the help of in-car intelligent connectivity, the Audi A6 Avant e-tron concept can provide surrounding road information to other cars on the road through visual signals.

After carefully examining the A6 Avant e-tron concept, one wonders whether the future production version can retain these futuristic designs. At that moment, a staff member approaches and tells me, “Basically, what you see is the future Avant.”

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This article is a translation by ChatGPT of a Chinese report from 42HOW. If you have any questions about it, please email bd@42how.com.