Back in November, our friend and Instagram spy photographer @Wilcoblok shared a shot from of what appeared to be a Q5/SQ5 (B10) based test mule wearing wider fender flares and beefier tires. To our eyes in November, it appeared as if he’d shared one of the first images of what many believed was a test mule for a rumored RS Q5. Today, that’s worth revisiting as the internet has unearthed some further proof that an RS Q5 game is afoot.
Namely, the blogger over at Audi Club North America has published a story confirming the RS Q5 name filing over on the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO).
So, it’s worth digging into this story a bit further.
AUDI RS Q5 NOT A NEW IDEA
The idea of an RS Q5 isn’t exactly new. The production version of the first Q5 (B8) debuted in 2008 at the Beijing Motor Show that year. Nearly from the get-go, the idea of an RS Q5 was at least considered.
How do we know? Some basic research finds that several trademark filings in various automotive marketplaces around the world. India Filings lists a status an “RS Q5” filing status by Audi AG with a date of 06/18/2009.
Fast forward to 2011, at a time still before the emergence of the European SQ5 TDI or American market SQ5, there’s a report from MotorAuthority who stated at the time, “We’ve learned that Audi has registered a trademark for the ‘RS Q5’ badge” while pointing to the 2009 Audi Q5 custom concept that debuted on the factory stand at Wörthersee that year perhaps what we might expect.
We all know the SQ5 did arrive in 2012 with two different engines depending on the market, though no RS Q5 ever materialized. Would a B8 RS Q5 have had box flares and a high-revving 4.2 V8 FSI like that era’s RS 5? That’s cool to theorize, but it never happened so we’ll never actually know.
We also know no B9 RS Q5 ever arrived. Given the success of competition like BMW’s X3, that seems somewhat counterintuitive that Audi wouldn’t build an RS version of its best selling model.
Though it’s pure conjecture, you almost have to wonder if Porsche didn’t play a role here. Very quickly after it launched, the Porsche Macan that was based on a heavily modified version of Audi’s B8 architecture, became Porsche’s best selling model. Like the Macan, it can be presumed that a B9 Audi RS Q5 would have utilized the same 2.9-liter Biturbo engine as the RS 5. Developed by Porsche and also used in the Macan, among other cars, it’s reasonable to assume that Porsche would have had some say in selling engines to its sister brand should Ingolstadt have considered entering the market with another direct competitor based on the even newer B9 architecture.
It’s doubtful that would have been an exciting proposition for Porsche bean counters.
FAST FORWARD TO WHAT’S GOING ON TODAY
The filing shared in the Audi Club story suggests the application was filed in March, with opposition period beginning today and ending in July. That could suggest they’d let the name lapse and are now officially reviving it. Interestingly, the revival in name filing appears to have been placed months after @Wilcoblok published his photo last fall.
ENVISIONING THE RS Q5 (B10)
What will the RS Q5 look like? Audi Club’s story ran a design sketch of the current RS Q8 so it’s safe to assume it won’t look like that. Shrewdly, a sketch is vague enough that it works as a visual reference – especially when said sketch has the same wheel design as the option wheels on the new RS 5 and are thus a reference on Audi’s latest evolution of the RS design language. Using elements like that is a safe bet, because Audi tends to be uber consistent within the containers of its A, S and RS model families.
Back in November we used AI tools to imagine what we could from that one lone highway shot of the believed RS Q5 test mule. As an early mule, it’s unlikely it’s rollling around with production-ready body panels but there were some interesting details. Consistent with models such as the current RS Q8 that Audi Club used as a reference, the test mule did have larger lip flares that are more likely the way they’ll widen an RS Q5 versus the bespoke front fender, rear fender and rear door stampings of the RS 5. There’s arguably less pressure in the crossover segment to differentiate as there is with the RS 5.
We see some other differences on that mule, things like side skirts and a somewhat unique rear bumper, even if that bumper isn’t all that consistent with other RS models.
The renderings were including in today’s mix build from the mule renderings we published last fall. Using the RS 5 as a visual reference, we’ve grafted the RS 5’s front grille diamond mesh texture design to the front along with its lower side intakes. At the rear, we’ve kept the same rear bumper design as before that may or may not be simply test mule spec, but we’ve added the larger oval tailpipes from the RS 5 albeit placed further at the corners of the valance to allow for tow hitch placements that is more common on crossovers.
We’ve also added the somewhat Avus-harkening wheels that are optional on the RS 5.
It is expected the RS Q5 will share the same 2.9 biturbo hybrid drivetrain as the new RS 5 Sedan and Avant models.
PORSCHE WON’T SIT THIS ONE OUT
It’s probably worth noting that Porsche is readying its own ICE Macan replacement also based on the PPC (B10) hardware set. Following slower than expected sales of the Macan EV, Porsche is prepared to quickly get an ICE version to market and no doubt there are some economies of scale savings to be had by sharing the Audi developed hybrid configuration and tuning it to their preferred handling and power delivery characteristics.
PHOTO GALLERY
