Audi to resurrect RS 4 sedan
New RS 4 will lose V8 but gain twin-turbo V6, and will be available as a sedan againAudi’s next-generation RS 4 will once again be available as a sedan, according to Audi’s chassis engineer Horst Glaser.
Glaser made the announcement that the high-performance small sedan -- which will be a direct rival for the BMW M3 and Mercedes-AMG C 63, would once again return sporting an ‘RS’ badge to British magazine, Autocar, in a new interview that discusses the next-generation RS 4.
On sale next year in 2016, the new RS 4 breaks tradition by arriving far earlier in the production cycle than any previous RS models, which have traditionally come on line years after the mainstream car’s launch. Glaser says that’s because “customers want the RS version earlier in the product lifecycle while the car is still new”.
As already announced, the bad news is the next-generation RS 4 will ditch the current model's high-revving 331kW 4.2-litre V8 for a smaller, forced-induction 3.0-litre V6 -- perhaps with e-turbo tech.
Glaser remained tight-lipped about how much power the new RS 4 would get, but expect at least 375kW as Audi’s performance division, Quattro GmbH, is unlikely to allow it to be out-gunned by the Mercedes-AMG C 63.
Still to be confirmed are exact details of the lightweight, more fuel-efficient twin-turbo V6.
Some industry pundits suggest that the V6 could be the world’s first production engine to feature electric-driven turbochargers. If so, the new RS 4 will benefit from turbos that can deliver maximum boost from idle -- making it one of the fastest reacting engines on sale.
Electric turbos also boost efficiency as energy is recovered when braking, stored in special lithium-ion batteries to be deployed even on low throttle applications to save fuel.
According to Autocar, Audi senior board member, Ulrich Hackenberg, has confirmed e-turbos will be offered in the A4 on at least one of its 1.6-litre turbo-diesels too.
Explaining his reasoning for using the electric turbos on the small diesel, which reduces CO2 emissions to just 95g/km, Hackenberg said: “I want to do this because it's an easy way to reduce CO2 emissions.”
Audi is expected to also offer the new 3.0 V6 twin-turbo RS 4 engine in Avant wagon and cabriolet forms. It's believed the decision to bring back the sedan was driven by the Chinese market.
But given the new A4 sedan won't arrive here until next year, the next RS 4 may not become available until 2017.
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