2027 Audi RS 5 Avant plug-in hybrid spotted again

Audi's current A5 family consists of coupe, convertible, and liftback body styles, but the new generation A5, unveiled last year and slated for the 2026 model year this spring or summer, will feature only liftback and new wagon body styles in most markets. In China, a new sedan body style will also be adopted.

High-performance versions of the RS 5 are planned for both the liftback and wagon, and a prototype of one of these, the RS 5 Avant (Avant is Audi for wagon), has been spotted again, this time in video footage testing it on the Nürburgring race track in Germany. A liftback prototype is also being tested.

The RS 5 Avant will replace the current RS 4 Avant sold abroad as part of Audi's shift in naming strategy; the new strategy, announced for 2023, will give models with internal combustion engines odd numbers in their names and electric models even numbers. This means that the next A4 will be an electric car.

That the latest prototype is not a regular A5 Avant but an RS 5 Avant is evident from the large intakes in the front mask, wide fenders to accommodate the widened track, huge cross-drilled brake rotors, and the RS's signature oval-shaped exhaust tips.

The photographer also noted that the prototype has both a fuel filler cap and charging port, indicating a plug-in hybrid powertrain. A yellow warning sticker on the windshield also indicates some form of electrification.

The soundtrack of the latest video suggests that a V-6 engine will serve as the internal combustion engine in the hybrid setup, and rumors point to this engine being the same 2.9-liter V-6 twin turbo found in the current RS 5. The current RS 5 delivers 444 hp, but the upcoming model should be significantly more powerful to challenge the 671 hp of the Mercedes-Benz AMG C 63 S E Performance, which is also a plug-in hybrid.

The new RS 5 will debut later this year and will likely be available as a 2027 model in the US. It is almost certain that this market will adopt the liftback, but it remains to be seen if Audi will introduce a wagon. The regular A5 wagon has already been ruled out for this market.

Audi currently sells the larger RS 6 Avant in this market, but this car will have its last year in 2025. Both the electric RS 6 Avant E-Tron and the plug-in hybrid RS 7 Avant would fill the gap, but it is not clear whether both options would be offered in the U.S.