There’s much happening at Audi these days. The automaker is moving strongly towards electrification, and part of that process involves assigning some new names to familiar models. Whether that’s the case here is unclear, meaning this could be a seriously amped-up Audi S6 sedan. However, our spy sources believe this is really a test mule for the next-generation RS7, which could actually be a renamed S6. Yeah, it’s confusing.
Let’s take a look at these photos to give this quandary some context. The current RS7 Sportback is only available as a liftback, but the camouflaged car here is clearly a sedan with a noticeable (albeit small) trunk. It’s also wider than a typical S6, and it sports a different exhaust setup at the rear with dual pipes placed closer to the center of the car. We won’t call it a center-exit exhaust, but it’s decidedly more sporty than a normal arrangement.
To complicate the matter further, the rear fascia looks like it’s from the standard A6, with rectangular trim still in place at the corners. Meanwhile, at the front, we see the aggressive fascia from the RS6 Avant wagon. Add in the wide fenders and side sills, and this camouflaged sedan starts to make sense not as an in-development prototype model, but as a test mule utilizing various bits from other vehicles.
Now, let’s make this more interesting (and possibly confusing). We know the current Audi A4 as we know it will become the A5, and the A6 will become the A7. Of course, there’s already an A7, but could the high-performance RS7 go away as a Sportback and become a sedan? Or, could it be available as both the Sportback and sedan? This is still very much unknown, but regardless of what’s on the outside, we do see electrification markings on this camouflaged vehicle denoting it as a plug-in hybrid. There’s also a visible charging port, so the next RS7 will pack an electrified powertrain.
Considering the current RS7 is already a screamer with a twin-turbocharged 4.0-liter V8 making 621 horsepower, a hybrid model should bring even more power to the table. It could be a while until we know for sure, likely sometime next year as a 2025 model.
