Right now, Audi doesn’t sell any wagons in America. We had a couple of amazing A6 Avants in the form of the Allroad and the RS 6 just a few years ago, but they’re on hiatus. So some anxiety about the future of Audi wagons would be understandable. Audi has already assuaged some fears by confirming the Allroad would return for 2028, and now there’s more good news.
An Audi executive confirmed to The Drive that the RS6 will also come back to America.
The RS6 Sold Well, Just Like BMW’s M5 Touring
The specific executive was Filip Brabec, senior vice president of product management for Audi’s American division. He told The Drive on the outlet’s podcast that not only will the RS 6 return, the previous generation outperformed sales expectations. This isn’t the first time we’ve heard from a German automaker that a hot wagon did well in the US. BMW revealed that the M5 Touring sold so well that the next generation will be split roughly evenly between the wagon and sedan to fulfill demand. It even opened up the automaker to the possibility of adding more wagons.
It sounds like Audi may still be a bit reluctant to expand its wagon offerings in the US. While the RS 5 is due to arrive in the US early next year, Brabec wasn’t able to confirm to The Drive one way or another that the wagon version would join the sedan. At the very least, it shouldn’t be overly difficult to bring it to the US, since the powertrain and much of the chassis and safety equipment will already be certified for the country.
What Will The RS 6 Be Like?
We’ve seen the RS 6 Avant a number of times in camouflage, and the styling will take quite a bit of inspiration from the RS 3 and RS 5 models. The fenders will be even more pumped up than before, and the front fender will have a prominent heat-extracting vent. The exhaust tips have also moved inward, mirroring the RS 5, and they naturally feature the enormous oval tips that are an RS trademark. The tips even poke through the rear bumper.
Performance should be even more impressive than before. Prototypes we’ve seen have had stickers indicating that they’re hybrids, and we wouldn’t be surprised if it uses a plug-in hybrid system that’s similar to what’s used in the RS 5. That could mean it will get the trick electrified torque-vectoring rear differential, plus impressive electric range. We also expect it to continue using a turbocharged V8, and output could be as high as 750 hp. It may need that power to offset the hybrid weight, just like with the RS 5.
CarBuzz Insight – Why This Matters:
Even though Americans broadly have stopped buying wagons, it’s becoming clear that there’s a special niche or two where they can thrive. Audi and BMW took a chance on hot wagons, and buyers turned out for them, so we’re going to keep getting them. The continued offering of the A6 Allroad, as well as the E-Class All Terrain from Mercedes shows that premium, rugged wagons also work. The fact that these are fairly pricey models, also makes it possible for them to be successful in much lower volumes than what mainstream brands would need.
We’d love to see other automakers find a way to make wagons successful, but we’re happy even for this small niche, which might even grow in the near future.
Source: The Drive