What's better than a fast Audi station wagon? How about a fast, electric Audi station wagon? Admittedly, fast wagons are well-suited to electric powertrains. The whole point of a fast estate is hauling people and things at high speed in comfort. Nothing says "comfort" like being able to drive silently along the highway at and "legal" speed you might desire.
Hot on the heels of last week's debut of the Audi A6 e-tron Avant concept, the mover certainly makes sense. Audi's electric RS range of cars has to expand at some point, and an Avant car with electric motors seems as good a place to start as any. What's strange to us is the brand's desire to place electric powertrains in its largest models. BMW has started to move electric powertrains downstream, and Audi should too.
But for now, we're not going to complain. We speculated about the electrification of the Audi RS6 Avant a while back, and now Audi all but confirmed it to Top Gear. Technical development head Oliver Hoffman told the publication that "The PPE platform has a wide range in terms of power output. For me, it's very clear that when we present an electric A6, it has to also include some performance versions of it." So there you have it. An all-electric Audi RS6 Avant is on the way.
That said, it also sounds like it's going to be a hot minute before we see anything of the sort, including the Audi A6 e-tron concept in production form. Hoffman indicated that the brand still has plenty of time left to spend with the current 48v mild-hybrid systems used in the RS6 and RSQ8. However, once those are retired, it's clear Audi is looking to electrify things.
Whether you prefer gas or electric performance, it's clear Audi wants to offer all fast things to all fast men, and for some time to come. The brand still has an entirely new generation of gas-powered cars coming in 2025, which will accompany their electric models. Hopefully that includes the electric RS6 Avant. For now, we'd be just as happy if Audi brought over even more fast wagons like the RS4 Avant and RS3 Sportback.