German luxury brand Audi is in the final stages of designing the first-ever RS6 performance sedan in all-electric e-tron guise, and it will reportedly have very wide wheel arches, a low stance, and “different” performance compared to the upcoming A6 e-tron.
Speaking with TopGear during the reveal of the German marque’s Activesphere concept, Audi’s chief designer, Marc Lichte, said that the all-new electric RS6 e-tron will be made alongside an internal combustion engine variant, which is yet to be retired, and that it will be similar in design with the A6 e-tron concept shown in 2021, but with a much wider track and superior performance.
The upcoming all-electric Audi A6 will be based on the brand’s Premium Platform Electric (PPE) architecture and will be powered by a 100-kWh battery pack, which should result in a maximum estimated range of around 435 miles. The sporty RS6 will sit on the same platform, but other than that, its specs are still a mystery and we’ll have to wait and see what the German nameplate has in store for performance seekers.
Gallery: Audi A6 e-tron concept
“RS is all about the combination between performance and functionality,” Lichte said for TopGear. “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.”
Speaking about the 2021 A6 e-tron concept, the chief designer said that it represents “90 percent” of the final production car, but, as he points out, “this is the narrow body.”
“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,” added Marc Lichte.
As for those 1,000 managers that went crazy when seeing the images of the upcoming all-electric RS6, along with the A6 e-tron, the Q6 e-tron, and other future models, he said the following: “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.”
Audi will only launch all-electric models onto the global market from 2026 and will gradually phase out production of its combustion models by 2033, so creating an all-electric RS6 makes sense, both for the brand and its loyal customers.
