Friday, December 14, 2012

Hot News: Audi is Preparing on New RS Models for 2013

A teaser image of four new Audi RS models has appeared online today. It shows the 2013 RS5 Cabriolet and three other models hidden beneath sheets – we know one of them is the 2014 RS6 Avant, but could the other two be the upcoming RS7 and RS Q3?

The picture was posted by Car, and thanks to the loosely draped sheets, it’s not difficult to make out the silhouettes of the new models. Audi already pulled the wraps off of the RS6 Avant last week, so it’s clear that the traditional-wagon-shaped vehicle is that 552-hp monster mommy-mobile. Given that the automaker has already created the RS6, it makes sense that an RS7 will follow, since the A6 and A7 share all of the same mechanicals. Expect the same twin-turbocharged 4.0-liter V-8 to power the RS7, and the sinewy hatchback to gain more aggressive bodywork and larger grilles and intakes. Right now, the top-spec version is currently the S7 that produces 420 hp from a detuned version of the same 4.0-liter found in the RS6.

So then what is that final model? It’s clearly a crossover of some sort, so choices are between the Q3, Q5, or Q7. It’s most likely an RS Q3, given that Audi showed off such a concept at the Beijing Motor Show last spring. The RS Q3 concept uses the same 2.5-liter I-5 from the TT RS that is good for 360 hp. Like the RS5 and RS6, the RS Q3 concept utilized a seven-speed S-tronic dual-clutch transmission to send power to all four wheels.

All Audi has said is that we’ll see “Four new RS models” in 2013, though it remains to be seen how many of these Audi RS cars will appear in the U.S. The RS7 may debut at the Detroit, Geneva, or New York shows in the next three months; don’t be surprised to see the production-spec RS Q3 at the next Beijing show in the spring.

Thanks to: Motor Trend

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