Quattro GmbH’s boss Heinz Hollerweger has hinted that the next-generation Audi RS4 will arrive in the United States either as an Avant or as an RS5 Sportback body style.
According to the executive, expanding sales in the United States is vital for Audi’s performance division. “Europe is becoming a less important market, the U.S.A. and China are where we see growth happening,” Hollerweger told Car&Driver.
He confirmed that the new RS4 will launch as an Avant estate, which likely means the US will not get it. However, the executive offered hope.
“The U.S. is changing, and there is more demand there for wagons, so maybe that will change,” Hollerweger said.
“We have to think of where we want to sell cars, and what is expected there. The potential in China and the U.S. for RS models is getting us thinking about body styles that may work there – maybe a hatchback, like the RS7,” Quattro GmbH’s boss added. What this means is the RS4 could arrive stateside as an RS5 Sportback.
Hollerweger confirmed that the new car will switch from a naturally-aspirated V8 to a twin-turbocharged V6 engine, adding that output will be higher than the current model’s 420 hp. “I think that power has increased more than enough, and of course other performance is improved too,” the executive said.
Compared to previous RS4s, the upcoming model will be launched relatively early in the production cycle of the new A4, Hollerweger said, although he didn’t provide exact timing. This could mean the RS4 will arrive not long after the Audi S4, which is expected next year.
Audi RS4 Avant renderings via Theophilus Chin
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