The Next Audi RS4 Will Be Packing A 480bhp V6 With An Electric Turbo

With the brand new Audi A4 now here, most petrolheads have one question on their minds: what will the RS4 be like? The S4 will almost certainly be powered by a turbocharged V6, but what about the RS4? We know the glorious 4.2-litre naturally-aspirated V8 found in the outgoing model - plus the RS5 and first-gen R8 - is on its way out, and as that’s one of our favourite engines, well, ever, its replacement has rather a lot to live up to.

Now, the time for speculation may be over. Speaking with Auto Express, Audi technical development head Dr Ulrich Hackenberg hinted at the use of a V6 with an electric turbocharger in the pokiest A4. With no need to wait for exhaust gasses to spool up the blower, an electric turbo does away with lag. And should the RS4 end up with such a system, the power would come from energy recovered from braking forces, to ensure maximum efficiency.

So, how powerful would it be? Well, the S4 - running a single, conventional turbocharger - will be good for "in excess of 350bhp,” while the full-fat RS4 won’t quite be as powerful as the V8-powered Mercedes-AMG C63 S. Bearing these two factors in mind, around 470-480bhp is the expectation.

What’s most interesting about all this, though, is this electric turbo’d six-pot is most likely going to be the motor that powers the eventual entry-level R8. “The R8 is a V10 supercar, there will not be a V8 version again. But there are some markets which demand a smaller capacity engine for that car,” Hackenberg said. Even if it’s just the result of vehicle tax rules in places like China, a turbo V6 R8 is an intriguing prospect, don’t you think?