Back in the era of the first-generation TT RS (Mk2), legend goes that history was made when an online petition resulted in the car’s coming to America. Perhaps with that in mind, an Audi enthusiast in the B10 Audi A5/S5/RS5, & Q5/SQ5 Owner’s Group on Facebook Michael Slampak has started his own Urge Audi to Introduce the New RS5 Avant in North America petition on Change.org.
I saw it and promised I’d pass it along, so here you go. Signing it doesn’t hurt the RS 5 Avant’s chances here in the USA, so you’ve got nothing to lose in that regard. Will it help? Here’s what I know.
STATUS OF THE RS 5 FOR EUROPE AND FOR AMERICA
We’re now likely no more than a few weeks until the Audi RS 5 (B10) breaks cover officially, which means an educated guess would place it available in Europe by summer and in North America by the end of the year.
That timing is soon, which is good if you want a new RS 5 post haste. However, its proximity in timing also means that likely any decisions whether or not to bring whatever to North America have already been locked in. North America, as most know, is an expensive market for import car manufacturers to federalize for, which is why we don’t always get everything made available to the European market.
While Audi of America nor Audi Canada have officially confirmed which RS 5 is coming, word on the street is that they’ve played it safe and gone with the more expected volume of the sedan. Additionally, the only B10 body style federalized for North American sale so far has been the Sedan. So, the RS 5’s configuration seems a foregone conclusion.
DOES THAT MEAN THE RS 5 AVANT COULD NEVER COME HERE?
Not entirely, but it’s unlikely. Audi has yet to show an A5 allroad anywhere in the world. Were Audi of America to invest in federalization of the Avant body style, such a business case would almost certainly include the A4 allroad. For the RS 5 Avant to have a path to U.S. sale, then it would need some sort of Avant/allroad equivalent like the C8 RS 6 / A6 allroad in order to make it work. Likely the A5/S5 Avant aren’t that path because had they been then Audi would have federalized them for immediate sale from day one. Federalization after a car is launched is unlikely and almost never happens. Audi did it with the B8.5 RS 5 that didn’t come to the USA before the B8.5 product improvement even though a B8 RS 5 was sold in Europe..
So, any North American RS 5 Avant likely hinges on the A5 allroad that doesn’t even exist yet and may never exist. Those aren’t great odds, but this still means there’s a chance however remote.
So, good luck to those who are trying with whatever power they have to make it happen. Whether your voice is heard and Audi has the capacity to act remains to be seen, but I salute you and would commit to being one of the North American customers committed to purchasing an RS 5 Avant.
Here’s that link again to Change.org in case you want to throw in your support.