The folks at Audi Sport are busy and, fortunately, many of the RS-badged vehicles they make will cross the ocean to North America.
This year alone, Audi Sport is introducing six high-performance RS
models including two new nameplates with a plan to double its
performance vehicle sales by 2023. Per usual, the U.S. does not get them
all. But the offerings are pretty tasty. Keep reading to find out about
the various new vehicles Audi is bringing out, and when and where we
can expect them.
A6 Avant
After years of pleading, North America gets a sport wagon,
the A6 Avant coming next year as a mild hybrid with a 48-volt system.
The Avant is the top of the A6 line which was originally for Europe
only; the third generation was expanded for Asia and China and the
fourth generation becomes even more global with plans to sell it in
Canada and the U.S. The latest model has a more aggressive look after
complaints RS was getting too soft. Bringing it further upscale provides
more differentiation from S models.
Hildegard Wortmann, member of
the Board of Management of Audi AG for Marketing and Sales, has high
expectations for the A6 Avant in the U.S. given its fan base and years
of yearning. Product planner Filip Brabec, vice president of Product
Management for Audi of America, says he thinks it will exceed Audi's
sales projections but would not share the figure.
And we are told there could be more Avants for the U.S. in the future.
A6 Allroad
Even
with our first Avant, all indications are we will still get an A6
Allroad. The final decision has not been announced but top German
executives, including Oliver Hoffmann, managing director of Audi Sport
and head of technical development, say the wagon is headed for the U.S.
We expect confirmation soon, after the dance that had to occur involving
the U.S. team presenting a viable business case with a price point and
projected volumes.
RS 7
 |
| © Motor Trend Staff |
Audi used the Frankfurt auto show for
the world premiere of the sexy fastback RS 7 which goes on sale in
Europe late this year and comes to the U.S. next year, likely in the
spring. MotorTrend used its time in Germany to spend a day
driving the RS 7 which has a wide body and is now a five-passenger
hatchback with the power of a 4.0-liter twin-turbo V-8. Read the 2020 Audi RS 7 review here.
The
RS 7, another mild hybrid, arrives about a year and a half after the
base A7, but in the future, Audi Sport wants to shorten the timeframe
and get RS models out six months after a new model launches. It means
less time to get any electronic bugs worked out, which presents a
greater challenge for the engineering team.
RS 3/RS Q3
 |
| © Motor Trend Staff |
Still to come: The U.S. might get
the RS 3 when the next-generation compact sedan launches; executives
are gauging reaction to the Q3 in this market first. Only Europe gets
the RS Q3 Sportback which launches this year and is one of the new nameplates.
Audi will not make an RS Q5 or RS Q7 for any market. Resources are limited and consumers can opt for the SQ5 and SQ7.
A3 and A4
The
A3 will be all new and is coming to the U.S. likely in 2021, while the
convertible is being discontinued for 2020. The A4 gets a refresh next
year. Wortmann says Audi has no plans to stop selling small cars like
the A3 in the U.S. even though some automakers are abandoning the
segment. "There is still enough demand," she says. "We need to offer a
broad choice."
RS 4 Avant
We also don't
get the RS 4 Avant. Europeans will see the RS 4 get a mid-cycle refresh
next year, and the next generation will be a plug-in hybrid, says
Hoffmann. The RS 5 will also get a facelift.
R8
 |
| © Motor Trend Staff |
The R8 with its naturally aspirated V-10
remains the flagship and spirit of the portfolio, Hoffmann says. It just
got a facelift, and Audi is working on concepts for the next generation
and deciding how much electrification to give it. No decisions have
been made on the next generation, he says. It might even get a new
name—again no decision, he tells us. In addition to the facelift, expect
some R8 derivatives to keep the flagship relevant.
The future will have two definitions of sporty—raw V-10 power as well as electric power in the form of the E-Tron GT
which could become a future icon for the brand like the R8 and TT,
Hoffmann says. Sports cars are key to Audi's DNA, says Audi design chief
Marc Lichte. "There will always be sporty or sports cars, even with
electrification."
RS Q8
The big news is
there will be a new nameplate: the RS Q8, which we expect to see at the
Los Angeles auto show. German executives tell us they think the body
shape lends itself well to a sporty version. It will have Audi's sport
differential, anti-roll bar, and air suspension. Like most RS models, it
will have the luscious-sounding 4.0-liter twin-turbo V-8.
Q5, Q7
The
Q5, Q5 Sportback, and Q7 are all slated for refreshes next year. The Q5
gets a plug-in next year and is expected to be the volume model.
A8/S8
The
A8 family includes an S8 for Europe this year, but no decisions have
been made for a performance RS model. The A8 gets a first plug-in model
later this year or early 2020, followed by the A7 PHEV in mid-2020. The
A6 PHEV is for Europe only. In the U.S. customers will be steered toward
the E-Tron.
A1/Q2
These little beauties are considered too small for the U.S. market. There are no plans to bring either here.
E-Tron
 |
| © Motor Trend Staff |
Dealers are now stocked with the E-Tron SUV, and there is more to come.
We
first saw the E-Tron Sportback concept in Shanghai in 2017. The
production model should be shown soon (we expect at the L.A. auto show)
and it is expected in U.S. showrooms late next year or in early 2021.
The
E-Tron GT pure EV will be shown next year and production will begin in
2020, but U.S. sales will likely not begin until 2021. The E-Tron GT
uses the same 800-volt system as the Porsche Taycan. Many plug-in hybrids are in the works; a third of the lineup will have a PHEV available in the U.S. by 2025.
The Q4 E-Tron compact crossover is expected in the U.S. in 2021. It uses the Volkswagen Group's MEB platform that is spawning a family of small electric vehicles including the VW ID 3 in Europe and an ID 4 expected for the U.S.
