- Redesigned Audi A5 will soon spawn high-performance RS 5 flagship
- New RS 5 will come with liftback and wagon body styles
- Power will likely come from plug-in hybrid powertrain built around twin-turbo V-6
Audi has a new A5 on its hands, and once again there will be a high-performance RS 5 flagship, prototypes for which are still out testing.
Our latest spy shots show a prototype for an RS 5 Sportback liftback, but also out testing is an RS 5 Avant wagon.
The redesigned A5 is based on Volkswagen Group's new Premium Platform Combustion (PPC) architecture designed for gas and hybrid cars, and this time around there are only liftback and wagon body styles.
The previous generation didn't have a wagon body style, but it did offer coupe and convertible body styles in addition to a liftback. The coupe and convertible won't be repeated with the new generation, due to low demand.
2026 Audi RS 5 Sportback spy shots - Photo via Baldauf
The redesigned A5 made its debut in July, in regular A5 and sporty S5 guises. The RS 5 is expected to debut next year, meaning it will likely be offered as a 2026 model in the U.S., though it may also be delayed until the 2027 model year. The A5 and S5 are due in showrooms next spring or summer, likely as 2026 models.
We know the latest prototype is for an RS 5 and not the A5 or S5 because of the extra intakes in the front fascia, the wide fenders housing a widened track, the huge cross-drilled brake rotors, and the cutouts in the rear fascia to fit signature RS oval exhaust tips. The exhaust tips on the prototype appear to be temporary units only.
Audi hasn't mentioned plans for a new RS 5 but the car is expected to feature a plug-in hybrid powertrain using the same twin-turbocharged 2.9-liter V-6 found in the previous RS 5. The addition of one or more electric motors should help boost power from the previous RS 5's 444 hp, in order to put up a fight to the 671 hp of the Mercedes-Benz AMG C 63 S E Performance, which is also a plug-in hybrid.
The RS 5 Sportback is almost certain for the U.S. market, though the jury is still out on whether Audi will bring over the RS 5 Avant. The automaker currently sells the bigger RS 6 Avant, though the 2025 model year is expected to be the car's final. Filling the gap will be both an electric RS 6 Avant E-Tron and a plug-in hybrid RS 7 Avant.
