Further evidence of an updated version of today’s Audi RS 6 Avant just popped up yesterday doing manufacturer testing at the Nürburgring in the form of this test mule. Though somewhat masked by camouflage wrap, changes are obvious including augmented flares, bigger rear upper spoiler and freshened front and rear bumper are plainly seen.
We reported recently on rumors of a hotter RS Avant in the spirit of the RS 6 GTO concept from a few years ago. Given the more extreme fenders (note most obviously the venting behind the rear wheel), this car seems to embody what we’d heard about this most extreme final run of the RS Avant. And while we believe it’s that, the C8 lineup is also receiving its mid-lifecycle freshening, so it is possible that this is the standard facelift RS Avant… though we doubt that.
You may recall that we were calling it the RS 7 Avant. We had assumed Audi would follow along in its shift to even numbered EV models and odd-numbered ICE-derived cars. Note how the e-tron has shifted to Q8 e-tron, and the upcoming B10 A4 will shift to A5 nomenclature. Audi threw us off though when they released the first images of the updated A6/S6 models that still used the number six in the name. With the A6 e-tron already well into development, it seemed odd that they’d keep the older naming convention on these freshened C8 models.
So, will this be RS 6 Avant or RS 7 Avant? We’re still not sure. Time will tell. For now, enjoy these spy photos of the RS ? Avant running around Nürburgring.
