There’s no question that the next-generation Audi RS 6 (C9) is one of the most hotly anticipated new Audi models slated for release not long from now. In as much, this website has gone out of its way to keep readers up-to-date on what is known in and around the industry. So, let’s begin and I’ll save the most exclusive-intel to this site for last.
EXCLUSIVE RENDERINGS FROM MOTOR1
Automotive news site Motor1 has dropped their own update on the car, and while the meat of what they printed is a summary of what I’d heard before, the renderings in their story are worth checking out. I’m including the rear shot here with the permission of the artist Theophilus Chin, but encourage you to click through to see both of them on Motor1.
From a rendering perspective the creator of these images by Theophilus Chin really nailed it for several reasons. I’ll detail what’s not to miss here, and why I’m such a fan of these renderings.
First in the story is the rear shot, he’s got all the correct placement of the exhaust – clustered toward the center of the car similar to that of the Porsche 911. Beyond that, the flares look consistent with test mule spy photos we’ve seen, the wheels match new design wheels we’ve actually seen on the test mules and the color of the car appears to simulate Ascari Blue – always popular as of late and bordering on overused by Audi… the next Nardo Grey as it were.
At the front there’s similar attention to detail. Different shots of the RS 6 test mules show inclusion and exclusion of the “splitters” mounted in the front outer air intakes. Some cars have them and some don’t. Theophilus Chin’s images don’t have them unlike renderings I made several months ago. Whether Audi ends up including them is TBD, but with Massimo Frascella’s push for simplicity in design, you do have to wonder if Audi isn’t leaning toward removal of this component. Apparently, Theophilus Chin is wondering the same.
SPY PHOTOS VIA @WILCOBLOK
Next up are spy photos you see here in this story. These are from @Wilcoblok on Instagram, an account who’s definitely worth a follow for his constant feed of spy photos. His shots actually appear to show two-different test mules over a series of posts.
The cars are most easily identifiable via the bodywork color peeking out on the top corners of the front and rear bumpers. Earlier photos show a black car, which has the splitters in the front outer air intakes. The later car, showing blue paint in those same corners, appears to not have any splitter suggesting the Theophilus Chin rendering may be more accurate to what is eventually released.
Check out a mix of the @Wilcoblok photos below in the image gallery for this story, and make sure to give @Wilcoblok a follow on Instagram.
ooooIYKYK SOURCED ENGINE INTEL
A contact and friend of the site also shared some other details about the RS 6 that may give a better indication of what engine we can expect. While not official details, this source does seem to have an inside line and so I’m sharing this with the caveat that none of it is confirmed.
He’s been told 550 kW or 580 kW of power, which would be 738 hp or 777 hp respectively. How much will be generated as a hybrid remains to be seen, though the A6 e-hybrid electric drive system generates 105 kW (141 hp). My contact hears 225 hp from the hybrid unit driving the front wheels, but if correct that would make it different from any other hybrid system we’ve seen so far. The Cayenne hybrid system is rated at 131 kW (176 hp) for comparison, though, I would have guessed the A6 e-hybrid’s configuration was the most likely.
Considering that, let’s back out 105 kW from and we’re left with 445 kW (597 hp) and 475 kW (637 hp) respectively. Given the current RS 6 performance is 621 hp, the math makes it look like the engine would likely be a carryover of the 4.0 TFSI. If my contact’s estimate of 225 hp (168 kW) of electric power is correct then it’s possible that the engine could be either the 2.9-liter biturbo (444 hp in the RS 5), or the lower output 4.0-liter biturbo from the S8 (500 hp).
PHOTO GALLERY
