New Audi RS Petrol Models Will Get Their Own Platform

As a petrolhead, reading about new performance cars can be doom and gloom - everything’s going electric and there’s not much we can do about it. Today though, Audi offers a small glimmer of hope, confirming dinosaur-powered RS models aren’t done just yet and will have a platform of their own.

In an in-house interview, Audi’s Head of Design, Marc Lichte, discussed the RS division’s plans going forward. “We’re going to mainly build cars using two platforms,” he said; “The [Premium Platform Electric] for electric vehicles and the [Premium Platform Combustion] for vehicles with conventional powertrains”.

With Lichte stopping shy of stating exactly which cars will be produced on the latter, rumours suggest one final wave of petrol Audi RS models will come before the brand ends a rollout of combustion-engine models from 2026.

Along with a more hardcore RS6 that’s been spotted lapping the Nürburgring, it’s expected a new Audi RS4 is on the way - albeit moving under the RS5 nameplate - plus a next-gen RS7.

Of course, Audi’s RS electric models will be coming thick and fast too - and they should look just as aggressive as you’d hope. Lichte added: “For me, what’s truly unique is that the form of Audi legends like the original Quattro or Sport Quattro, i.e., the muscles, the blisters, the extra wide fender flares, can be found on every current – and I can promise that – will be found on every future RS model.”

Though the Audi RS e-tron GT, which shares a platform with the Porsche Taycan, has proved Inglostadt’s electric performance cars have promise - we’re yet to see a follow-up to build on it.

Being a designer, we can’t expect Lichte to provide a swathe of technical assurances, but he did add: “Going forward, customers will continue desiring RS models to deliver performance, albeit always combined with functionality. That’s the kind of feedback we receive from our customers and fans in studies as well.”. If nothing else, it at least shows Audi still knows what the people want.

It shouldn’t be too long before we can find out for ourselves. Audi has previously confirmed a new electric RS model will be coming in 2024, again developed with Porsche, and widely expected to be an RS Q6 e-tron.