2023 Audi RS6 E-Tron to take electric fight to BMW M5 PHEV

A 2023 Audi RS6 E-Tron is said to be in development, as the brand transitions towards an all-electric future.

British publication Autocar reports Audi is currently working on a battery-powered RS6 E-Tron – with the high-performance model expected to offer outputs equal with the current Audi RS E-Tron GT.

In numbers, it puts the RS6 E-Tron in the realm of 440kW to 475kW (the higher figure being available as a short ‘overboost’ function in the RS E-Tron GT) – or roughly on par with the current RS6, which produces 441kW from its 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8.

However, in a recent conference with Australian media, Audi spokesperson Josef Schlossmacher said we could expect more power from its electric platform in the future, but stopped short of naming the RS6 as the beneficiary.

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“I can’t exactly tell you whether we will have a 530kW version in a production car, or whether it will be 520 or 540 [kilowatts]. But something like that is really the future, especially for the [large car] class,” Schlossmacher said.

With a move from petrol to electric, a healthy power increase could help win over customers reluctant to embrace the new technology.

It’s a different strategy than is being taken by the BMW M5. BMW is pursuing the electrification of its petrol engines, while Audi is looking to switch directly to battery power.

Evidence is stacking the M5 will be moving to a plug-in hybrid twin-turbo V8, with rumours it could deliver as much as 560kW. If true, an electric RS6 will need to offer similar performance figures to remain competitive.

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Audi’s RS division also has to be wary of stepping on the toes of Porsche – its cousin within the Volkswagen Group family – and vice versa, but arch rival BMW M has no such concerns.

The RS6 is expected to be one of many electrified models to be introduced within the RS line-up, with the brand planning to have more than 50 per cent of its high-performance models being either plug-in hybrid or fully electric as early as 2024.