An image of an Ingolstadt-registered Q5-derived SUV that’s most likely a test mule is causing a stir. Yesterday on Instagram, @wilcoblok shared an image by @audi_pictures_ of the car, sparking considerable speculation.
Since the photo isn’t mine and I don’t have permission to publish it, I’ve used AI tools to simulate what the car might look like in a studio setting. However, I’ve embedded the @wilcoblok post below. @audi_pictures_ appears to have shared the image only as a story that will eventually expire. Be sure to follow both accounts if you like staying current on the latest Audi spy photography.
The vehicle in question appears to be a grey Q5 SUV with SQ5-spec bumpers. That alone isn’t unusual, but the larger wheels, lower suspension, and rudimentary extended wheel-arch flares make this prototype particularly intriguing.
For context, Audi launched the first Q5 in the United States in 2009. By 2011, the brand’s B-segment crossover had already dethroned the A4 as Audi’s top seller stateside. The SQ5 was also added at that time—a logical move given the segment’s popularity. Rivals like BMW and Mercedes-AMG later introduced their own higher-performance variants: the X3 M in 2019 and the GLC 63 around the same time. Yet despite two full generations—the B8 and B9—Audi has never built an RS Q5, despite clear potential.
Why not? One could argue it was a strategic decision to protect the B8-based Porsche Macan. While the most powerful SQ5 used the same 3.0-liter single-turbo V6 found in the S4 and S5, no Q5 ever received the more potent 2.9-liter biturbo engine used in the RS 4 and RS 5. That motor—developed in collaboration with Porsche—was reserved exclusively for the Macan in this class.
Now, as the internal-combustion Macan nears the end of its run (at least until Porsche’s recently reported pivot back toward gasoline models materializes), Audi’s opportunity window seems to be reopening. The new B10-generation Q5 and SQ5 are already on sale globally, and the B10-based RS 5 is due within a year. Readying an RS Q5 would feel like a natural next step—and a much-needed performance win for Audi.
So, what do you think? Are we finally seeing the first signs of an RS Q5—or something else entirely?