Audi has proven not only that it can build fast station wagons, but that it has no problem doing it. And, while it wasn’t the first brand to slap a go-faster family hauler on the road, Audi RS wagons have their own cult following. That following is primarily in Europe, where wagons are much more popular, but we were graced with the RS6 Avant in the U.S. back in 2020, so we don’t always miss out. Obviously, the company will continue to build wagons for the foreseeable future, but will the company’s venture into electrification kill its desire to remain in the fast-wagon market? As it turns out, Audi is already thinking about what to do.

An Audi RS6 E-Tron Hasn’t Been Confirmed, But It Isn’t Ruled Out, Either

Audi will launch one last generation of combustion-powered cars by the middle of the decade while, at the same time, exploring its future in electrification. That exploration has given us concepts like the A6 E-Tron sedan concept we saw in 2021 or the most recent A6 E-Tron Avant that was revealed just this month (March 2022). Independent renderings started surfacing a while ago of what an A6 Avant could like, and I even sat down and laid out how such a car could be the electric wagon that we need this decade. All of these cars, however, including the A6 E-Tron Prototype we spotted a while back, are destined to be entry-level cars, not performance-inducing machines.

Cars like the RS E-Tron GT, however, show just what Audi can do with electrification. The low-slung four-door coupe –I still call it a sedan – is capable of delivering 637 horsepower (475 kW) and can sprint to 60 mph in around three seconds. It might not be supercar fast by today’s terms, but it’s not exactly a slouch, either. The recently revealed A6 Avant E-Tron concept is said to be good for 469 horsepower (350 kW) and 590 pound-feet (800 Nm) of torque. Will Audi build an RS version with the same electric prowess as the RS E-Tron GT?

As it turns out, the answer to that question is definitely maybe. In a sit-down with Top Gear, COO and Head of Technical Development, Oliver Hoffmann, was asked about performance cars. “ For me, it’s very clear that when we present an electric A6, it has to also include some performance versions of it” He went on to discuss how the ICE and EV lineup would vibe together, essentially offering something for everyone.

So, Audi will offer performance versions of its next-gen ICE vehicles and some of its EVs. That’s not a definite yes as to whether or not we'll see an RS6 E-Tron Avant, but considering the company has the platform, the powertrain, and the body structure in the A6 Avant E-Tron Concept, it almost seems silly not to spend the little extra to offer the RS6 E-Tron Avant. It might not be a volume seller like the mainstream models will be, but the sheer number of shared parts should more than make it doable. As for the A6 E-Tron, Audi expects to launch the liftback sedan in 2023 as a 2024 model, so the A6 E-Tron Avant should arrive in 2024, probably as a 2025 model. It won't be as early as we expect to see the RS6 E-Tron, unfortunately, but it's not that far off.