Audi promises to keep V6 alive in the S5, make RS5 Avant a hybrid car

Back in March, Audi CEO told Auto Bild that the company was switching to a different model naming convention using odd numbers for ICE cars and even numbers for EVs. As such, the next-gen Audi A4 will be officially referred to as ‘A5’, while the new A4 will be a completely electric sedan.

This week, Evo Magazine has supplied some interesting details on the same topic. The publication learned that the S5 and S5 Avant will continue to be available with a V6 engine under the hood. As for the RS5 Avant, Audi had stated before that there would be no RS-series cars with only four cylinders, so you can safely expect it to get a V6, too.

It is also worth remembering the words of the Managing Director of Audi Sport, who said back in 2019 that the next RS5 Avant would utilize a hybrid powertrain. Provided that the stance on that model hasn’t changed, we can be looking forward to more power in the RS5 than ever before.

On a related note, we haven’t seen any spy photos of an RS5 sedan so far, which might mean that Audi plans to ditch that model. Since the entire A4 lineup switches to being called ‘A5’ in the next generation, perhaps the new A5 Sportback will be advertised as the successor to the old A4, rather than a standalone model.

While there are still no official launch dates, we expect the standard A5 lineup to break cover in late 2023, with the S5 following next year and the RS5 in 2025.