Audi’s next EV is the A6 e-tron Sportback—but no station wagon for the US

Enlarge / Audi’s next EV is the A6 Sportback e-tron. (credit: Audi)

Audi provided flights from Washington to Munich and accommodation so Ars could be briefed about the A6 e-tron as well as the A5 we wrote about several weeks ago, and another model you can read about in the coming weeks. Ars does not accept paid editorial content.

MUNICH—The sedan is not quite dead—at least not yet. While it’s true that car buyers are voting with their wallets and opting for crossovers and SUVs, not every automaker has given up on the form factor, even when it comes to electric vehicles. For example, Audi’s next EV will be the new A6 e-tron, which goes on sale in the US next year.

The pedants might quibble with calling the A6 e-tron a sedan, as the one we’re getting here is a midsize five-door, meaning it has a rear hatch instead of a trunk. In Audi lingo, that means it’s an A6 Sportback e-tron, with more of a two-box rather than three-box shape like the outgoing (internal combustion engine-powered) A6. Not that that’s a bad thing in our eyes—the rear hatch will make it easier to load or unload larger items (like a bicycle) into the cargo area.

“We were determined to give the A6 e-tron the attractive proportions of the concept car,” said Audi designer Wolf Seebers. “I’m talking about the classic Sportback silhouette that Audi fans are familiar with,” Seebers said.