Audi RS6 e-tron: wider, bigger-wheeled EV coming in 2024

Rejoice! An electric Audi RS6 e-tron will be revealed next year, with design boss Marc Lichte telling TG the EV saloon will have a wider track and bigger wheels to set it apart from the upcoming A6 e-tron.

Both will be based on VW Group’s PPE platform, with the A6 e-tron set to get a 100kWh battery and 700km of range. Meanwhile the quickest models are set to chalk off 0-100km/h in under four seconds flat.

And speaking at a preview of the Audi activesphere concept in Munich, Lichte confirmed that the RS6 would have “different” performance. Which we’re going to take to mean ‘more’, and probably ‘much more’ at that. Because obviously.

But he was more forthcoming about what the RS6 e-tron would look like: “It would be a pleasure for me to show you now the A6 e-tron, the Q6 e-tron, all these future RS models… I love these ones,” he explained.

“I presented these to 1,000 managers of our group in Berlin. And they went crazy when they saw the images and the models on the stage.

“And I’ll tell you why, RS is all about the combination between performance and functionality,” he continued. “I love the RS6 because I can put bikes inside, skis, so many things. That’s why I love it. And for me, stance. It’s always the wide track. And if you think about competitors of Audi, are they in the market right now with performance EVs with the wider track? I would say no.

“But maybe, at Audi…” he teases with a grin. “I tell you, you will love our RS EVs.” Consider us intrigued.

Lichte then says the A6 e-tron concept of April 2021 was “very concrete” and showed “90 per cent” of the final production car. “But this is the narrow body,” he points out.

“And this was very attractive I would say. Very wide, and very sporty. So the [RS6 e-tron] will have definitely a different body, that means different track, different wheel diameter.” Even wider and bigger-wheeled again, in other words. Country lanes, you have been warned.

“A colleague asked me ‘What’s your favourite car right now?’ I said the e-tron GT. And the RS6, which I’m driving right now. But in the future it will be an RS6 e-tron.”

High praise indeed. And what about internal combustion? Petrol ain’t dead yet, let’s not forget, with a new ICE RS6 one of the many prolonged farewells to come over the next product cycle.

“I promise you, both EVs and ICE will be impressive,” Lichte insists. “Especially the last-generation ICE RS models, they will be bwoah… mind blowing.” So did that same crowd of managers whoop and cheer these too? “Honestly, [it was] like this. You will be surprised.”

TEXT Joe Holding