Thus far, Audi has showcased a number of different design concepts for its growing all-electric fleet, with the now familiar e-tron SUV design, the e-tron Sportback and the Q4 e-tron models – and of course the svelte Audi e-tron GT and RS e-tron GT models making their way to Australia later this year.

In addition to these production models, the brand has also teased with the futuristic Audi Skysphere and Grandsphere concepts, offering up an exciting glimpse of what the future of mobility could look like, as well as a more contemporary A6 Sportback e-tron concept design last year that offers a departure from the SUV styling and showcases e-tron in a different light.

Now, the e-tron design ethos and of course all-electric drivetrain has been applied to an Avant body style for the first time and the results speak for themselves. 

Based on the PPE platform (Premium Platform Electronic) that Audi has developed with Porsche, the A6 Avant e-tron has the same dimensions as the A6 Sportback e-tron concept from last year, measuring 4.96 metres in length and 1.96 metres wide, while the relatively low height of 1.44 metres works perfectly with the low slung, sporty look of the vehicle. In keeping with a proud heritage of leading aerodynamics in Avant design that goes back to the Audi 100/C3 of the early 1980s, this all-electric Avant boasts a ‘slippery’ cd of 0.24 – just 0.02 higher than last year’s A6 Sportback.

This aerodynamic shape is a contributor to the vehicle’s projected 700km range – depending on the selected drive system and power output – and even entry-level models designed for efficiency will accelerate to 100 km/h in less than seven seconds. Step up to the top-of-the-line, high-performance models, and this sprint time will drop to well under four seconds.

The future range of PPE models will include versions with an electric motor mounted to both the front and rear axles that use electronic co-ordination to deliver all-wheel drive on demand and achieve a perfect balance between driving dynamics and energy efficiency. In addition, the e-tron family will also include versions designed for minimum consumption and maximum range – in this case, drive will come from a single electric motor mounted to the rear axle.

The Audi A6 Avant e-tron concept’s two electric motors are capable of delivering 350kW of total output and 800Nm of torque.

At the centre of the A6 Avant e-tron concept’s drive technology – and that of all future PPE models – will be the 800-volt charging technology. Like the Audi e-tron GT quattro it ensures that the battery can be charged with up to 270kW in short-order time at fast-charging stations – adding 300km of range in just 10 minutes and charging from five percent to 80 percent in a mere 25 minutes.

With its elegant proportions and cavernous interior space – thanks in large part to the absence of a transmission tunnel – the Avant of the future takes the brand’s grand tradition of ‘estate’ models into the electric age. Huge 22-inch wheels, short overhangs, dynamic roof line and Digital Matrix LED and digital OLED lighting technology give the A6 Avant e-tron an undeniably dynamic look – think electric RS 6 Avant – that is both immediately Audi in origin and yet advancing that Avant design to its next evolutionary stage.

Everything about this car is next level, and yet well within the realms of series production. Take the  Digital Matrix LED front headlights as an example  – where the A6 Avant e-tron concept could be parked in front of a wall during a break to recharge the battery, and allow the driver and passengers to pass the time playing a video game projected onto the wall. Instead of on a small screen in the cockpit, they’ll see their current game’s virtual landscapes projected onto the wall in supersized format.

Of course the A6 Avant e-tron concept may be a design study at this point, but it represents a real look at Audi series production models in the near future, says Audi Board Member for Technical Development Oliver Hoffmann.

“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.”

And that future is closer than you think, with the first Audi production vehicles built on the PPE platform set to be successively released starting next year.