6 RS models on the way from Audi, including two “completely new” RS cars

In 1994, Audi introduced the RS 2 Avant, the first product from Ingolstadt to wear the brand’s top-performance-indicating RS badge, and the first of 25 RS models that have been introduced over the past 25 years. To celebrate that silver anniversary, Audi Sport is putting on a display at the Audi Forum in Neckarsulm, featuring production models, prototypes, and rare race-prepped RS models. 

Audi has also announced that it will introduce six RS Audi models this year, including two “completely new” RS cars models that have hitherto not yet received the RS treatment. However, the Audi is being coy about which six.

The RS vehicles sit at the pinnacle of their respective model lines, intended to reach the limits of performance while still being practical daily drivers. 

“Every RS model expresses the passion that we put into developing our high-performance cars,” Oliver Hoffmann, Managing Director of Audi Sport, said in a statement. “For 25 years, our customers have been experiencing the RS models as masterful companions for everyday life that convey pure emotion and maximum driving enjoyment.”

The announcement came out of Audi’s UK branch, and normally with an offshore source, we’d say that it’s unclear which of the new models will be allocated to North America. In this case, however, Audi hasn’t yet identified which six of its vehicles will get the RS treatment this year, even for the European market. It has been rumored that Audi’s flagship SUV, the Q8, will get a RS variant powered by a version of the twin-turbo 4.0-liter V-8 used in the Lamborghini Urus, but Audi is so far keeping things hush hush. 

This news joins years of chatter about expanding the RS lineup in the U.S. market. The current RS models offered here include the Audi TT RS coupe, Audi RS 3 sedan, Audi RS 5 coupe and sportback, and Audi RS 7. An RS 4 and RS version of the Q8 would be natural expansions of the existing range.