AUDI RS5 SEDAN SPIED FOR THE FIRST TIME
Over the last few months, the Audi RS5 Avant has been spotted undergoing testing as it prepares to take over from the RS4, which will become an all-electric vehicle. Since the RS4 was available as both a sedan (once upon a time) and a station wagon, we always assumed that the RS5 would be available as a sedan, and our first look at this prototype confirms that the three-box shape will live on with a new badge.
This will be a direct replacement for the RS5 Sportback, and while it looks more like a traditional sedan, the rear still opens in the same liftback style as the Sportback it replaces.
2024 Audi RS5 Coupe
Nearly Production-Ready
This prototype appears to be close to the finished product, particularly at the front, where the fascia houses a large grille with diamond-shaped mesh that is flanked by a pair of tall side intakes. We can also see LiDAR/radar components and new headlights. These lighting units have a sharper inside slant that runs parallel to the Singleframe grille, while the outer edges of each cluster are rounder than on the current model, which features false intake grilles.
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The mirrors and wheels also look like the finished product, as do the front fenders, which have the same sort of vents that we've already seen on the RS3 (which has just been updated). The flush door handles are a neat upgrade, too, but while the rear end looks fairly close to production-ready, we're not sure about the rear arches, which seem far more pronounced than those at the front of the car. We'd like to see such an aggressive design make it to production, but this camouflage seems to exhibit a slight seam underneath the vinyl, so we'll have to wait for more revealing imagery.
Combustion With An Electric Boost
The traditional Audi Sport oval exhaust tips have not yet been fitted, and it appears that the diffuser panel and the bumper within which it is housed are yet to be finalized, but the full-width LED taillight bar looks finished, and the trunk lid doesn't look out of place. We expect the 2.9-liter twin-turbo V6 to continue expelling gases out the rear, but it will do so in a cleaner fashion than before with a plug-in hybrid setup (as evidenced by a charging port on the left rear fender). Expect an increase on the current output of 444 horsepower.
As for the RS4 it replaces, this will become an electric car to suit a less confusing naming strategy for Audi. The all-new RS4 EV has also been spied undergoing development in Europe, and it could come to the US. Considering how close to production all the prototypes we've seen over the last year or two look, we probably don't have long to wait for a reveal. Unfortunately, our spies anticipate that the RS5 will only enter production late next year, so the BMW M3 will rule the roost a little longer.