The Audi RS5 dropped its V-8 a generation ago, following BMW in stepping away from a beloved eight-cylinder in the performance compact car space. It kept its performance bona-fides with a 2.9-liter turbocharged V-6 that helped save around 70 pounds of mass, but the marginal added lightness was not nearly as charming as the high-revving V-8 it replaced. But another RS5 is coming very soon—and an apparent since-deleted LinkedIn post suggests that it is once again bringing a controversial change.
According to screenshots shared by CarScoops, Audi took to the notoriously unlikable social media network to announce that the next RS5 would be a plug-in hybrid. The post describes the car as Audi’s “first performance plug-in hybrid,” suggesting that the RS5 should still be more than just an S5 with a little more power and the added benefit of a few miles of all-electric driving range.
While moving to a plug-in hybrid is not an unusual choice for a performance-oriented car, it comes with some controversy. BMW and Mercedes have each moved one of their signature performance products, the M5 and AMG C63 respectively, to a plug-in layout. Both have been panned for the added weight that came with the change. Porsche made a similar move with its top-line Panamera a full generation ago, but that car’s considerable starting bulk made it a better fit for the added weight of a battery.
Dutch outlet Autoblog.nl has also secured a teaser photo of the car, seemingly taken from a since-expired Instagram Story. It shows the new RS5 in Avant form, expected to be the launch body style of the car after the runaway success of the outgoing RS6 wagon. The same story claims that the RS5 is expected to keep its 2.9-liter V-6, suggesting that it should combine with electric motors for a substantial increase in power. Fingers crossed that we’ll have more official details soon.
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Fred Smith’s love of cars comes from his fascination with auto racing. Unfortunately, that passion led him to daily drive a high-mileage, first-year Porsche Panamera. He is still thinking about the last lap of the 2011 Indianapolis 500.
