According to Audi, the sixth-generation RS6 will be a completely electric car while the fifth-generation RS6 (codenamed C9) will be a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV). The C8-coded fourth-generation Audi RS6 will continue to be manufactured through 2025. The high-performance version of the Audi A6 also becomes 20 years old this year.
The chief of research and development at Audi, Stephan Reil, reportedly stated, “Of course this [hybridization] is the way to go, and in the following generation, I can assure you it will have greater hybridization.” “This is our route toward completely electric autos,” he continued. Reil omitted specifics about the hybrid powertrain, though.
Reil said that “first and foremost, the hybrid system implies there are more pieces that need to be packed to get into the automobile. Then, of course, it provides you additional options for driving modes and allows you to employ electrification to strengthen particular areas where your combustion engine is weak.
Reil continued by saying that when the third-generation RS6 (also known as C7) was released, Audi changed the engine from a V10 to a twin-turbo V8 due to tighter CO2 emission standards. In the past, the German automaker has stated that it will discontinue creating and manufacturing internal combustion engines starting in 2026. Audi has not yet provided a date for when it will start selling just EVs. By 2025, it also intends to release 20 additional electrified vehicles.
The current RS6 is powered by a 4.0-liter twin turbo V8 and a 48V mild hybrid. The engine has cylinder-on-demand, which may shut off half of the cylinders to improve fuel efficiency, and is only available as an estate. Through an 8-speed automatic transmission, it generates 600 horsepower and 800 Nm of torque, which are distributed 40/60 between the front and rear axles and applied to all four wheels. Despite the fact that the most recent RS6 is not marketed in India, its sibling, the RS7, is, and it is logical to anticipate that it will go the same PHEV path.
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