Audi has been spied putting the next all-electric RS6 e-tron through its paces once again, and while there aren’t all that many EVs that get us really excited, this is definitely one of them.
We first received word about an electric Audi RS6 in late January when the company’s design boss Marc Lichte confirmed work on the model. It didn’t take our spy photographers long to snap the car being tested, most recently in the wintry conditions of Northern Europe.
Read: Is This Our First Look At Audi’s Electric RS6 E-Tron?
The prototype you’re looking at in these images is a sedan. That may seem rather strange at first given that the current combustion-powered RS6 is sold exclusively as an estate. However, Audi will sell the electric version in both sedan and estate guises that will be inspired by the A6 e-tron Concept and A6 e-tron Avant Concept respectively.
The similarities between the A6 e-tron Concept and this prototype are immediately evident. It has a near-identical shape to the concept. We can see very similar LED headlights to the concept as well as a similar lower front grille area. Unsurprisingly, the digital wing mirrors of the concept have been replaced by traditional mirrors on this prototype but it’s certainly possible the production model will be offered with cameras. Seemingly denoting this model as an RS6 are the red brake calipers.
Curiously, the bodywork of this prototype doesn’t appear any wider than the original concept, leading us to believe that this isn’t the body of the production model. Indeed, Licthe confirmed just a few weeks ago noted that the A6 e-tron Concept had a “narrow body” design and that the RS6 e-tron would have a much wider stance and be “very wide, and very sporty.”
It is understood that the Audi RS6 e-tron will be underpinned by the VW Group’s PPE electric vehicle platform, also set to be used by the Porsche Macan EV. Preliminary rumors suggest the car could rock four electric motors combining to deliver around 800 hp.
