After a short teasing campaign, the German tuner Abt revealed their newest work of art. Actually, “work of mad.” Based on top of the already frighteningly fast Audi RS6, Abt showcased the RS6-E Hybrid Concept, a car featuring a 4.0-liter, twin-turbocharged, V-8 and a freaking 288 horsepower electric motor strapped to the transmission.

Please welcome the first hyper-wagon with 1,004 horsepower. Of course, it had to be an Audi.

2018 Audi RS6-E Hybrid Concept by ABT

Specifications
  • Make: Array
  • Model: 2018 Audi RS6-E Hybrid Concept by ABT

Is the Audi RS6-E Hybrid Concept the Most Important Feat of Tuners Yet?

Sometimes I ask myself why we are so smitten with power? Luckily, the answer is always a few hard gas pedal presses away. It is easy to remind myself why. Simply because it is so freaking good. The need for power may just be a human folly and, as a keen observer, I can say only one thing - give me more. NOS power - great! Petrol power - awesome! Electric power - hell, yeah! When one uses electric power to make cars faster and not more efficient, we get cars like the McLaren P1, the Tesla P100D and ultimately this - the maddest Audi RS6 I’ve ever seen. I think Clarkson said this once, but who cares? It’s right!

Ok, I am sure you can find some RS6s with more power, or even with more extreme looks (Jon Olsson knows a thing or two about that one), but the Abt Audi RS6-E Hybrid Concept is far more significant than just what the numbers can say. This is one of only a few tune-ups made by tuners that actually involves the addition of an electric motor to a car to convert it into a hybrid. Honestly, I can’t even wrap my head around the complexities involved.

Think about it; Abt engineers installed a 288 horsepower electric engine on the Audi RS6's transmission. The electric motor sources its power from the newly added 13.6kWh battery (under the boot floor), and it can be only activated by pressing the green button on the steering wheel. Plus - only when the car is already traveling at more than 62 mph. You know why? Because the mighty RS6 cannot tame all that power. What would break first is of no consequence - the transmission or the differentials. What matters is that Abt crafted such a monstrosity they had to limit its power use. Boy, am I glad this happened. This makes the RS6-E Hybrid that much more absurd and delirious. Love it.

Now, can you possibly imagine what kind of programming, thinking, engineering, and balls Abt had to have to achieve all of this? The Germans did not even start easy. No, no. The basis for the rework is an RS6 which has already been tuned to 730+ horsepower. That’s Abt’s “civilized” setup. Then, after tuning the 4.0-liter, V-8, Abt integrated a new electric motor.

You know what is the most striking fact about this car yet? It accelerates to 62 mph in 3.3 seconds. Remember, the electric motor can only be used after 62 mph. So, all the hard work from the get-go to 62 mph falls on the ICE. The electric motor then appropriately motivates the hyper-wagon with additional 288 horsepower, pushing it at an almost unimaginable rate. Whining of the electric motor is clearly evident in the cabin which is perfectly suited to the insanity of the whole setup.

Daniel Abt, a German racing driver, and son of Jonathan Abt who founded Abt Sportsline released two videos showcasing the barbarity of the RS6-E Hybrid. You must see this:

for mad acceleration, skip to 14:30 and be amazed, to say the least


So, as you can see, the NOS stuff will become a thing of legends. Having an electric motor strapped to your transmission is the next best thing, and Abt Sportsline is the one to go to if you want an electric motor engineered and installed. Personally, I am astounded by what Daniel Abt and his team achieved. What these guys did in the video is basically what the Fast and Furious educated us to do. There’s just one difference.

This is real.

Well, I know you love numbers, so I’ll drop these here:

0-62 mph:

3.3 seconds

Power:

1,004 horsepower

Torque:

943 pound-feet

Top speed:

199 mph


Further reading

Read our full review on the 2015 Audi RS 6 Avant .

Read more Audi news.