The Audi RS6 is about to receive a new, more extreme special edition as the Ingolstadt firm prepares to celebrate its most famous performance models before switching entirely to electric.
MORE PERFORMANCE
The new Audi RS6 Performance, as its flagship model, will be launched in the coming months with increased power and performance compared to the standard version, as well as a series of chassis modifications designed to improve its dynamic handling. With a price tag exceeding €110,000 and a 4.0-liter twin-turbo V8 engine producing 621 hp, it is one of the most powerful and expensive cars Audi Sport has ever created. However, it has now emerged that the company plans to go even further with a new top-of-the-line model expected to be called the GT.
During the celebration of Audi Sport's 40th anniversary - where he also hinted that a more powerful five-cylinder Audi RS3 was in the works - the division's director, Sebastian Grams, suggested that Audi will focus on the popularity of the RS6 and its status as a flagship model, potentially by increasing its power and improving its dynamics.
RADICAL CHANGES
New photos of a camouflaged RS6 undergoing testing at the Nürburgring suggest it's a sportier version of this supercar estate. Beyond the addition of a prominent rear wing and minor tweaks to the front and rear, it remains to be seen how much it will differ from the standard model.
This prototype is equipped with a roll cage similar to those used in racing, but it is not known whether the rear seats will be retained.
A limited, high-end edition of the Audi RS6, equipped with a V8 engine, could arrive as early as next year. Grams confirmed that Audi Sport will unveil a combustion engine car in 2024, as well as its first electric vehicle based on the PPE architecture developed with Porsche, which is expected to be a sporty version of either the future Audi Q6 E-tron or the Audi A6 E-tron.
THE RS6 GTO CONCEPT
Hints of the most "extreme" RS6 were given by the 2021 IMSA-inspired RS6 GTO concept, designed by a team of apprentices to celebrate 40 years of Audi's Quattro all-wheel-drive system.
Inspired by the legendary 1990s Audi 90 Quattro IMSA GTO, this one-off car sported a retro red and white livery, racing-style one-piece wheels, and a few specific bodywork elements to improve aerodynamics. The interior had been stripped out to make room for a roll cage and bucket seats, although Grams' concern for everyday usability suggests these elements will remain just that—a concept.
Audi has never confirmed whether the concept's powertrain was reworked, but the side exhaust outlets suggested an engine upgrade - or at least a much louder exhaust.
By calling the RS6 an "RS model" and describing it as "the flagship of our range", Grams hinted that its radical differentiation from the standard Audi A6 provides clues about what to expect from future electric Audi RS models, and it therefore remains a product that shapes the brand's image.
