We told you last week that Audi’s next generation A6 Avant would debut today, and now the first official photos have just found their way onto the internet. The presentation of the station wagon version of new A6 Avant is taking place in Berlin, Germany, as we speak, so it should not be long before we get full information and pictures of the car.

The latest iteration of Audi’s premium station wagon follows in the footsteps of its predecessors featuring a sleek shape and increased practicality over the sedan model. The engine line-up at launch will mirror that of the A6 saloon, pointing to a range of four-and six-cylinder gasoline and diesel powerplants at launch, and the widespread availability of the firm’s Quattro all-wheel drive system. We’ll update this story as soon as Audi comes out with an official release.

Source: Audiblog via Autoblog.nl

The all-new 2012 Audi A6 Avant has just made its world premiere during a special happening in Berlin Germany, but not before we got our first taste of the estate model with a set of photos that we showed you earlier today. The latest addition to the new A6 range has grown in size offering improved interior space but without any penalties in weight or fuel efficiency thanks to a new composite construction of the body.

Audi has a knack for designing stylish station wagons with clear lines and details that will delight the aesthetically cultured, and the latest A6 Avant is no exception to this rule. Inside, the estate model features the same materials and dashboard layout as the four-door version adding some bespoke options such as a load-through hatch, a fixing set and a power rear hatch.

There’s also a new gesture-based control of the hatch with the convenience key. According to Audi’s own words: “If the driver stands behind the car and makes a specific movement with his or her foot, two sensors open the hatch”. Unfortunately, the Germans did not elaborate on what type of foot movement triggers the mechanism.

The boot compartment of the new A6 Avant has a standard capacity of 565 liters (19.95 cu ft) which can grow to an enormous 1,680 liters (59.33 cu ft) with the rear seats folded down.

The new A6 Avant measures 4.93 meters (16.17 ft) in length, 1.87 meters (6.14 ft) in width, and 1.46 meters (4.79 ft) in height. Despite being slightly wider and with a 70mm longer wheelbase at 2.91 meters (9.55 ft), the use of new composite materials on the body and aluminum on the suspension and other parts of the car help reduce the weight over the previous model. Audi says the new A6 Avant is as much as 70 kilograms (154.32 lb) lighter than the car it replaces.

The engine choices for the Avant mirror those of the A6 saloon and include two gasoline units, and four diesels. The gasoline range comprises of the 2.8-liter FSI V6 with 204HP and the 3.0-liter TFSI supercharged V6 producing 300-horsepower. The diesel lineup consists of a 2.0-liter TDI with 177HP and a 3.0-liter TDI V6 available in three states of tune delivering 204HP, 245HP and 313HP. The 2.0 TDI is the most fuel efficient returning a combined economy of 5.0lt/100km (47.04 US mpg) with CO2 emissions of 132 g/km (212.43 g/mile), while the twin-turbo 3.0 TDI V6 is the fastest completing the 0-100km/h (62mph) sprint in just 5.4 seconds.

In Europe, the new A6 Avant will begin arriving in showrooms in late summer with a base price of €40,850 (about US$58,200).