2023 Audi A4 Avant spied

The next-generation Audi A4 Avant has been snapped testing with a new, more modern look.

The current A4 Avant – that’s Audi speak for wagon – debuted in 2016, and was updated in 2019 with the sharper look currently on sale.

It still goes head-to-head with the BMW 3 Series and Mercedes-Benz C-Class, both of which have been overhauled more recently.

With its slimmer grille and headlights, along with its more prominent lower air intake, the A4 likely to launch in 2023 will be brought into line with new models such as the A3 and Q4 e-tron.

The rear is heavily camouflaged, but the roof line appears similarly sporty to that of the current model.

Like the current car, this A4 Avant prototype has a sharp crease above the rear wheel arch that fades out, a design feature which has become a staple on recent Audi vehicles, including the Q4 e-tron electric crossover.

The next Audi A4 might be the last to feature petrol and diesel engines, with Audi planning to cease the sale of cars with internal combustion engines outside of China by 2033.

Nothing has been announced, but a plug-in hybrid A4 is likely given the European Union’s tight emissions targets, and the presence of plug-in hybrid options in the latest BMW 3 Series and Mercedes-Benz C-Class ranges.

With the Volkswagen Group investing heavily in a number of electric vehicle-specific architectures, we expect the new A4 will use an updated version of the existing MLB Evo platform.

Although our spy photography agency only photographed the A4 wagon, the next-generation range should include a sedan, as well as a lifted and off-road-flavoured allroad variant.

MORE: Everything Audi A4