The Audi rumor mill kicked into overdrive following the IAA in Munich, where conversations between executives and journalists appeared to cover the topic of the upcoming RS 6 e-tron and how soon it might appear in the market. Top Gear is reporting that its own sources are saying the project may have been shelved, with some insiders hinting that demand from traditional RS 6 buyers hasn’t materialized in the way Audi once expected.
BAVARIAN MIXED SIGNALS
Based on the timing, the story seems to have sprung from informal chats during the IAA show, where executives often spend more time than usual socializing with journalists. Wherever it was heard, Top Gear reports their executive sources acknowledged the challenges of launching an electric RS 6 model into today’s cooling EV market. Yet at the same time, it appears Audi is continuing development work. In that same week, it appears spy shooters caught camouflaged RS 6 e-tron prototypes testing on public roads — a strong sign that the program hasn’t been entirely abandoned.
WHAT THE HECK? WHAT TO MAKE OF IT.
If anything, the picture is murkier than ever. On one hand, Audi has every reason to question whether buyers care about an RS 6 e-tron as they would its thunderous V8-powered stablemate, or whether EV buyers care about an RS.
Of course, creating a car nobody wants is the last thing a cash-strapped company wants to do at this time, so the decision could be pragmatic. Then again, the A6 e-tron and S6 e-tron are already out in markets around the world, while like drivetrain components have already been developed for the Porsche Macan EV and presumably the RS Q6 e-tron we’ve also seen testing and for which there was no mention in this story.
The existence of test mules still out doing their paces also makes me wonder about the validity of the rumor. Given it comes the week of IAA gives it more weight. An executive at the highest level might having feelings knowledge on something ordered but not yet set in motion with development engineers. It also wouldn’t be the first time an executive floated the idea in the press before actually doing the deed.
Determining if the market cares for such a late cancellation makes sense. Even if the drivetrain is identical to the RS Q6 e-tron and the RS Q6 e-tron isn’t dead (because it would likely sell better in today’s SUV-loving market), an RS 6 e-tron would still cost Audi money it could instead spend on other projects that would see more sales.
If a sacrifice of the RS 6 e-tron came to free up budget to prep a non-hybrid ICE RS 6 for the U.S. market, or an ICE RS 6 Avant where perhaps product managers somehow assumed the sedan would sell better (it won’t sell better and RS 7 data should prove that), or extending life to the 5-cylinder turbo by investing in EU7 compliance for that much-loved engine (another hot topic of journalist discussion at the IAA), then likely the market would celebrate the demise of the RS 6 e-tron.
I just hope it’s not more of a cash grab by executives who don’t understand the value of the brand’s heritage and performance models. Reinvesting in more appliance-like Audi models or tertiary brand placement in places where no one cares about cars with more and more products that no one cares about, then I would call that move a loser for Audi. Continuing to water down the brand by siphoning off money to projects by the group of executives who don’t know any better is not a road back to high consumer appeal. Reassigning that budget to salvage brand identity in authentically automotive space that purchases cars like these would do more for brand prestige.
For now though, even if rumors of the RS 6 e-tron being D.O.A. is accurate, plans for an internal combustion and possibly hybrid RS 6 remain ongoing. Just because the RS 6 e-tron could be dead doesn’t suggest the RS 6 is dead.