It will be 20 years in 2022thousand anniversary of the Audi RS6, the four rings made an unexpected surprise, confirming the transition to full electrification only two generations later.
Although it was reported two years ago that all RS models would share a single powertrain when Audi finally goes all-electric in 2034, Australia wheels.com.au reports that this process, in the case of the RS6, will be phased in as a next-generation plug-in hybrid in 2026.
Currently internally designated as the C8 RS6, it draws motivation from a 48V mild hybrid twin-turbo 4.0 TFSI V8 that puts out 441kW/800Nm.
Introduced three years ago as the first electric RS6, the C8 will reportedly remain in production until the end of 2025 before being replaced by the hybrid C9 and ultimately the all-electric C10, which is likely to form the basis of the A6 replacement , which provides its basis.
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“This [hybridisation] this is the way i can tell you there will be more hybridization in the next generation. This is our path to fully electrified cars,” said current head of Audi research and development Stefan Reil Wheels.
In a move already confirmed for the next-gen RS4 and possibly the R8 replacement as well, Rail said the move to electrification began long before the brand’s planned launch of 20 electric cars by 2025, as seen with the RS6. reduction of working volume and number of cylinders.
Originally introduced in 2002 as the successor to the RS2 Avant, which launched the performance wagon segment in 1994, the C5 RS6 was powered by a twin-turbocharged 4.2-litre V8 producing 331kW/580Nm.
Following the C5 in 2008, the C6 RS6 debuted with a twin-turbo 5.0-litre V8 producing 426kW/650Nm, while the C7 returned to the eight-cylinder and bi-turbo with 445kW/750Nm at launch in 2013.
According to Reil, the change in focus for the RS6 “started about a generation after the C6, that the CO2 emissions are becoming increasingly important. Then on the C7 we downsized the V10 to a V8, introduced cylinder deactivation, and on the C8 we now have a 48-volt mild hybrid system.”
While nothing else is known about the next-gen RS6 at the moment, a 2017 report for its sibling, the RS7, hints at 515kW/850Nm using the aforementioned bi-turbo V8 and hybrid setup.
Currently, only Volkswagen Group sister brand Porsche uses the aforementioned configuration in the Cayenne Turbo S E-Hybrid and Panamera S Turbo E-Hybrid with respective outputs of 500 kW/900 Nm and 515 kW/870 Nm.
Despite the current secrecy, don’t be surprised if more details and rumors start to emerge in the coming months leading up to 2023.
