The last time we saw a long-roof Audi A4 in camouflage, taillights were still placeholders and the grille had its lower half covered. Now, we're still dealing with a full-body camo wrap but we believe that's the extent of Audi's trickery at this point. There are no obvious fake panels, no bulky covers, and those taillights look production ready.
That's the gist of this new set of images, snapped recently showing a prototype casually cruising in public. It's easy to see the taillight design here, especially when the driver steps on the brakes and hits the turn signal. The thin lenses incorporate horizontal LED strips in red and orange at the base, with parallelogram elements higher up. One thing we can't see is whether the lights are connected across the liftgate with a red reflector. A close look shows body lines under the camo wrap matching the lenses, and we see a section of red through the wrap in the middle.
Gallery: Audi A4 Avant Spy Photos
Moving to the front, we have our best look yet at the A4's wider grille. It appears production ready, and unless Audi is being really sneaky with its camouflage, the grille no longer dips to the bottom of the fascia. Body lines under the wrap at the edges of the fascia show triangular-shaped elements for the corner vents, which should be smaller than those of the current model.
This run of images doesn't take us inside the wagon, but previous shots have revealed a significantly different layout with offset rectangular digital displays for instruments and the infotainment system. The offset is large enough to negate the possibility of them being bridged under a single screen, so while the wagon will certainly be digital, it won't have the full glass cockpit effect.
Powertrain options are still largely a mystery, though hybrid power is guaranteed. This generation should also be the last A4 Avant offered with combustion engines. Audi has committed to going electric sooner rather than later, and for that matter, the next A4 Avant may launch without a companion A4 sedan. The A5 Sportback could fill the A4's role until an all-electric model arrives.
Speaking of arrivals, with production lights in place, it's likely we will see the A4 Avant revealed in the first half of this year, making it a 2024 model. It should remain a product of European markets, so don't expect to see it in States.
