Good news! The C9 Audi RS 6, expected to debut later this year for the 2027 model year, will be available as both Avant (station wagon) and sedan for the first time in 15 years, as confirmed by new spy shots. For the record, the last time the RS 6 had a trunk was with the C6 generation, a super sedan with a 571-horsepower 5.0-liter twin-turbocharged V10 distantly related to the naturally aspirated singer of an engine in the R8 and the Lamborghini Gallardo supercars. With the march of time, such monstrous engines are no longer feasible, and even back then, the twin-turbo ten-cylinder was only available for a single generation. That’s as far down memory lane as we ought to go, as there’s lots to talk about with the impending M5 rival.
2027 Audi RS 6 Sedan: Twin-Turbo Hybrid Power, But How Many Cylinders?
SH Proshots/Autoblog
Our spies say the new RS 6 will likely get a twin-turbocharged V6 hybrid powertrain with around 730 hp, which would be a similar setup to the new RS 5, where it develops 630 ponies, but we disagree with them on this one. Last year, Autocar also reported a figure of 730 hp to make the C9 the most powerful RS 6 yet, but said it would come from a V8, specifically an updated version of the 4.0-liter twin-turbo engine developed by Porsche. This engine is also in use in the Lamborghini Urus SE and several Bentley products, and after Mercedes learned the hard way that AMG customers don’t like downsizing, we doubt Audi would make a similar mistake as it tries to draw BMW customers out of their 717-hp sedans and wagons.
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On the other hand, Audi went to great lengths to extract 503 hp from its 2.9-liter twin-turbo V6 as part of the RS 5’s powertrain development, and it would no doubt want to use that engine in more products than just one. Either way, with more power than an M5 and a reveal expected before the end of the year, it won’t be long before the C9 RS 6 is grabbing headlines.
C9 Audi RS 6 Sedan Looks Awesome From Every Angle
SH Proshots/Autoblog
While this is still a pre-production development mule and therefore subject to change, the bodywork beneath the full vinyl camouflage appears complete. At the front, we see Audi’s fancy animated LED running lights either side of an imposing central grille with diamond-shaped mesh. This will undoubtedly be black to help hide the radar and other sensors in the lower section of the grille and to make the license plate holder less obvious. Below each headlight, we see large vertical intakes, which will help direct air to both cooling systems and the front brakes. Moving further backward, swollen arches house gigantic multi-spoke wheels and drilled and slotted brake rotors. As with the RS 5, the front fenders are vented, and the pumped-up rear arches flow from the rear door panels, exacerbating the effect of width and making this super sedan imposing from any angle.
SH Proshots/Autoblog
At the back, new taillights will be connected by a vanity strip of some sort, likely an illuminated bar, and below each cluster, we see what appear to be fake vents as part of the lighting structure. There’s a subtle but noticeable spoiler atop the trunk, and like the RS 5 once more, the tailpipes are simply massive and housed near the center of a large diffuser panel. Finally, yellow decals on each windshield confirm hybrid power. In a nutshell, the new RS 6 will command attention from any angle, and with this test mule being spied around the Nürburgring, it won’t be long before more information starts to hit our inbox.
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