SPY PICS: Audi A6 Allroad confirmed for Oz

Audi's fifth-generation A6 Avant wagon might have been scratched from the Australian market, but the chances of the uplifted Allroad version making it here are looking pretty good.

Mooted to join the V8-engined RS 6 Avant wagon in Australia, the next-gen A6 Allroad will basically be a higher-riding version of the regular Avant, using Audi's quattro AWD system linked to S-Tronic auto transmissions.

It's expected the powerplants will include one of the company's 3.0-litre diesel V6 engines, which come in 170kW/500Nm or 210kW/620Nm form and are seen – mated to Audi's eight-speed Tiptronic transmission – in the new-generation A6 model. Four-cylinder engines, although available in turbo-petrol 2.0-litre form in the new A6 sedan, are said to be a definite no-no for the A6 Allroad.

In terms of sheet metal, the A6 Allroad is not likely to depart from the A6 Avant on which it will be based. Spy shots of a van-hauling mule spotted wearing German plates somewhere in the European alps indicate that regular Avant features such as the giant, angular grille and the smooth side profile are identical, as is the tailgate area with its slitted taillights and above-window spoiler.

The main notable difference is the higher ground clearance designed to make the A6 Allroad a little handier off the beaten track.

The fifth-generation Audi A6 sedan is due in Australia early in 2019 and it could be expected that the A6 Allroad – and RS 6 Avant – will appear later in the same year.