Likely previews CLS Shooting Brake rival

Audi has released several teaser images with the Prologue Avant concept scheduled to arrive at next month's Geneva Motor Show.

Basically an Avant version of the Prologue concept from last year, these design sketches could provide a first glimpse at a potential Mercedes-Benz CLS Shooting Brake rival. Audi has already said the Prologue concept will influence the company's future designs, starting out with the the A6, A7 and A8 lineups. The long and stylish concept depicted here adopts a low roofline together with Audi's well-known oversized hexagonal front grille and big razorblade five-spoke alloy wheels.

At the front there are matrix LED headlights and beefy air intakes while moving at the back there are interconnected LED taillights, a subtle roof-mounted spoiler and big hexagonal exhaust pipes incorporated in the bumper to provide a sleeker look.

As far as the interior cabin is concerned, it doesn't seem to have any physical buttons as Audi's designers envisioned the Prologue Avant concept with several OLED touchscreen displays that span onto the entire width of the dashboard.

A full reveal is scheduled for early March at the 2015 Geneva Motor Show.

It's not every day that you get to reinvent the wheel (metaphorically speaking) in the car industry. If Audi is really planing on changing the 'face' of premium Estate cars everywhere, by all means then, we are waiting!

According to Autoexpress, Audi will look to take on the likes of Mercedes-Benz and their CLS Shooting Brake model, by showcasing this gorgeous Prologue Avant concept at next month's Geneva Motor Show.

Of course, this type of concept could mean more to the car industry than just a CLS Shooting Brake rival - which we'd assume it would be considering how dynamic it looks thanks to its low, sloping roof line.

The profile pics do indeed point to a very bright future for the entire Audi Avant line-up, which means the A4 Avant and the A6 Avant could easily end up being the best looking estate cars in the world as soon as their next generation rolls around.

These sketches don't give much away in terms of interior design, but it's clear that we'll be dealing with a very clean and futuristic cabin.

No technical details as of yet, but if it's to have the same powertrain as the original Prologue concept, it would mean we'll be looking at 4.0 liters of pure twin turbo muscle, delivering about 600 HP and 750 Nm of torque.

Now honestly, if in a few years from now you're in the market for a premium family estate and you've got something like this sitting pretty in your local Audi dealership, can you really pass up on it and go for a Merc or a BMW?

The Prologue Avant Concept from Audi gives us an idea of how the brand's new styling language can be applied on a more practical five-door body that blurs the lines between hatchbacks and estates.

To be revealed at next week's Geneva Motor Show, the Prologue Avant study is a follow up to last year's Prologue Coupe from the LA Motor Show, with both models featuring the same design and similar footprint.

Speaking of dimensions, at 5,110mm (201.2 in) long, 1,970mm (77.6 in) wide and 1,400mm (55.1 in) tall, the Prologue Avant is only a tad longer (10mm or 0.4 in), wider (20mm or 0.8 in) and taller (10mm or 0.4 in) than the Coupe, with which it shares its 2,990mm (117.8 in) wheelbase.

“With our show car for Geneva, we now translate the design language of the Audi prologue into a new, dynamic and stretched form. We are merging it with a concept of high variability”, said Audi Board Member Ulrich Hackenberg.

Under the sheetmetal, Audi continues to experiment with different powertrains for the Prologue concept series. Whereas the LA show car had a 605PS (597hp) 4.0-liter turbo V8 and the following updated grey-colored version of the coupe a 677PS (668hp) hybrid drivetrain combining the same V8 turbo with an electric motor, the Avant borrows the plug in hybrid drive from the Q7 e tron quattro.

This production powertrain pairs a 3.0-liter turbocharged V6 TDI diesel to an electric motor to produce a system output of 455PS (449hp) allowing the Avant Concept to sprint to 100km/h (62mph) in 5.1 seconds. Audi says it has a pure electric-range of 54 kilometers or about 34 miles.

The chassis features an air suspension with adaptive dampers and Audi's dynamic all wheel drive steering system.

Could preview CLS Shooting Brake rival

Audi has published a video with the very stylish Prologue Avant concept ahead of its world premiere in Geneva next week.

There will be two highly appealing wagons at next week's auto show in Switzerland as aside from Kia's SPORTSPACE there’s also going to be the Prologue Avant concept. Likely signaling the arrival of a Mercedes-Benz CLS Shooting Brake competitor, Audi's concept for Geneva is an evolution of previous Prologue concepts but this time reinterpreted in the more practical Avant specification.

As you would expect from an Audi concept, power comes from a plug-in hybrid system encompassing a 3.0-liter six-cylinder TDI engine teamed up with an electric motor and a lithium-ion battery. This hardware arrangement pumps out a combined output of 455 HP (335 kW) and a considerable 750 Nm (553 lb-ft) torque. It’s enough muscle for a 0-62 mph (0-100 km/h) journey in just 5.1 seconds and an electronically-capped 155 mph (250 km/h) top speed.

Despite being able to achieve more than decent performances, the Audi Prologue Avant concept remains extremely frugal as it will need just 1.6 liters / 100 km (147 mpg US or 176.5 mpg UK) and it can also travel on electric power for up to 33 miles (54 km).

It will be on display starting March 3 at the Geneva Motor Show alongside the new R8 family.

Features a plug-in hybrid technology

Audi has held the world premiere of the Prologue Avant concept at the Geneva Motor Show.

Showing the “new interpretation of the Avant philosophy”, the concept car previews the design of the future estate models of the German brand. Heavily inspired by the Prologue concept, it features a single frame grille, flanked by Matrix Laser headlights and big air intakes. At the back we see a tailgate-installed spoiler, 3D taillights and 22-inch alloy wheels.

The Prologue Avant is powered by a plug-in hybrid system. It consists of a 3.0-liter TDI engine that is combined with an electric motor and a 14.1 kWh lithium-ion battery. Thanks to this powertrain with 455 HP (335 kW) and 750 Nm (553 lb-ft) of torque, the machine can accelerate from a standstill to 100 km/h (62 mph) in 5.1 seconds and hit an electronically limited top speed of 250 km/h (155 mph). The average fuel consumption stands at 1.6 l/100 km (147 mpg US / 176.5 mpg UK), while the car can travel up to 54 km (33.6 miles) on electricity alone.

The German company has also installed carbon ceramic brakes, an adaptive air suspension and a dynamic all-wheel-drive steering system on the concept.