More extreme Audi RS 6 is in the works

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As we continue the transition from gasoline to electric, manufacturers are firing off some whopping options with potent power before the switch is flipped.
The Challenger/Charger twins are in a series of special final editions, BMW’s got the Label Red XM, albeit with a hybrid powertrain but not fully electric, Acura’s releasing an Integra Type S in June, which I’ll be driving, and now, Audi. The German brand has hinted, as per a recent Autocar article, that the 2024 RS 6 could see an extreme iteration.

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To set the stage, a new Audi RS 6 Avant Performance is due in the UK in a few months, and it roars with a 4.0-litre twin-turbocharged V8, 621 bhp (612 horsepower) and 627 lb-ft of torque, and a 0-100 km/h time of 3.4 seconds. When coaxed by enthusiastic interviewers if that is as extreme as Audi will take RS6, Audi’s division boss Sebastian Grams replied: “No, we can go more extreme.” 

How extreme? Grams goes on to tell Autocar: “You can see that we are sharpening our portfolio. We are always trying to take the maximum out of the technology. This is how I challenge my R&D department. We can go even further. We can make the car even stronger, even more performance, even sharper… But don’t forget the RS models are used on a daily basis: we are not trying to lose our DNA. An RS model needs to be an all-day car, but it needs to give performance if needed.”

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So yeah, Audi’s going to add more to that, if the speculation is true.

This extreme version was hinted at via 2021’s radical, IMSA-inspired RS 6 GTO concept. Interestingly, it was created by Audi apprentices in celebration of four decades of their popular Quattro four-wheel-drive system. It’s framed by the Audi 90 Quattro IMSA GTO racer from nearly 30 years ago (kinda like that wild Hyundai N Vision 74 retro to modern concept) it sports a red and white paint job, remarkable rims, impressive body work and strong aerodynamics. A roll cage and bucket seats were part of it as well, but seeing as Grams wants power and practicality, don’t expect something this radical to hit production, and even if it makes production, it might just be a pipe dream to expect it to cross the Atlantic to Canada.