Audi introduced the RS 6 Avant (C8, type 4K) in Europe in 2020, which then arrived in the USA in 2021. Not messing with a good thing, Audi didn’t change much at the usual mid-lifecycle “facelift” freshening beyond adding the RS 6 performance spec. Now, as the car reaches its end of lifecycle, it’s experiencing its greatest demand yet.
The source for this claim is Alina Seysen, an Audi AG spokesperson for company sales and marketing speaking to the German publication Automobilwoche for a story on the brand’s upcoming product offensive. According to the statement, the increased demand for the RS 6 Avant as buoyed the business of Audi Sport GmbH who is experiencing a 41% increase in the first half of 2025 over like sales in the first half of 2024.
WHY IS THE RS 6 AVANT EXPERIENCING SUCH GROWTH SO LATE IN ITS PRODUCT CYCLE?
There are likely several reasons for the RS 6’s sales growth. First and foremost are the competition. While the Mercedes-AMG E63 wagon still hasn’t launched just yet, while rumors suggest it may not retain its V8. Elsewhere from Bavaria, the BMW M5 Touring now also available in the U.S. is meeting a public with mixed views on the car. Notable in that response is the added weight from the car’s hybrid drivetrain that places it some 600 pounds heavier than the outgoing RS 6 Avant.
While not a featherweight by any stretch, the C8 RS 6 would seem so compared to its current/future Bavarian contemporaries.
Audi has shown its new C9 A6 that’s already in production for Europe. It’s also confirmed the next-generation RS 6 Avant will feature its own hybrid configuration. Without knowing the final mass of the C9 RS 6 Avant, it’s likely that there is a large number of RS 6-interested buyers who would prefer a lighter pre-hybrid performance wagon. In that case, the C8 RS 6 Avant may be their only remaining choice.
YOU BETTER HURRY!
Say this describes you and you’re now thinking you should pick up a C8 RS 6 Avant. In that case, run and don’t walk to your nearest friendly neighborhood Audi dealer because if this were a game of musical chairs then the music is about to stop.
Several weeks ago while at the Northeast RS 6 Treffen (NERS6T), I met a few current RS 6 owners interested in replacing their current RS 6 with a fresh and new example. They were also interested in Audi exclusive.
Reaching out to some contacts at Audi of America, I learned that at that time Audi wasn’t taking any more new orders. While production hadn’t yet ended at that time, orders already in process were the only ones remaining to be fulfilled before production ended.
That doesn’t mean these were already pre-sold cars. In fact, most are likely standard production inventory for Audi dealers nationwide. Even still, that’s the last of them. What you see on dealer lots or what shows up in the next few weeks is basically the end of the run.