AUDI RS6 AVANT SUCCESSOR SPIED WITHOUT HYBRID POWER?
- New Audi RS7 Avant spotted testing lacks electric warning stickers, hinting at non-hybrid version.
- Wider fenders, new headlights, taillights suggest special high-performance model, sparking questions about engine choice.
- Audi is renaming its even numbers for EVs and odd numbers for combustion vehicles.
As the sun sets on the current generation Audi RS6 Avant, we finally have the first images of its successor, the Audi RS7 Avant covered in camouflage testing with the RS6 e-tron. If you haven't heard, the wagon is moving up a name as the company plans to give all the even numbers to EVs and all the odd numbers to combustion vehicles. This means the 7 series will consist of the RS7 Sportback and RS7 Avant, which will only be mildly confusing until we're all used to it.
2024 Audi RS6 Avant
The long roof was caught near and on the Nürburgring, getting some early testing done. While details on the model are currently scarce to nonexistent, there are some telltale signs that this is the high-performance version and not just another Allroad. What's more important, though, is the lack of electric warning stickers that raise questions about the future PHEV sports wagon we were expecting.
Still Extra Wide And Extra Long
The biggest giveaway that we're looking at something special are the widened fenders that give the model a menacing stance. The front bumper has been widened with extra venting at the edges, and the grille looks to have been opened up more for better cooling, similar to the design we've seen on the RS6 e-tron. Other new features on the model include flush door handles, new adaptive headlights, and new taillights in the rear with very cool slit turn signal indicators.
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Both of these elements may be still in the early stages of development because they lack the refined, menacing nature of past RS7 and RS6 models, and features like dual exhausts and drilled rotors with massive calipers. We're inclined to believe it isn't just an Allroad model thanks to the wide performance wheels, tires, and track testing, and now we have many new questions about what's under the hood.
What's Lurking Under The Hood
It's been expected that the upcoming RS7 will debut with a plug-in hybrid powertrain that should produce around 700 horsepower to put it on par with the upcoming BMW M5 Touring. Pictures going back as far as a year ago have seemingly confirmed such a transition, showing a charging port on the driver's side rear fender and electric warning stickers, but this time around, the port and stickers are missing, raising some questions.
Future Audi RS Models Will Be Even More Extreme Than They Are Today
Audi is determined to make future performance EVs exciting to drive and look at.
The easiest explanation is that this may be a mule very early in the design process, and the company is merely testing out chassis dynamics in a vehicle fit with just a basic combustion engine. The company may want to get a starting point before it inserts the more powerful setup. At the same time, it's also possible the company could be going in a different direction for the Avant version of the upcoming RS7, perhaps to offer something more unique to customers who aren't interested in electrification and its significant weight penalties.