Audi RS6 Not Coming to United States; RS5 Will Debut in Detroit

INGOLSTADT, GERMANY – According to Audi RS6 project manager Jens Koch, the twin-turbocharged V-10 sedan won’t be coming to the United States in its current iteration. Originally, Audi thought that the four-door body style would be more appealing to Stateside consumers rather than the Avant, but apparently there’s too much energy and expense involved in making the V-10 powerplant pass the more stringent sniffer standards here in the United States, according to www.autoblog.com.

However, the third-generation RS6 is being developed for the global market, so the next iteration should arrive in the United States in 2012. Meanwhile, Audi will unveil the RS5 this January in Detroit, with the next RS4 debuting shortly thereafter.

Audi plans to further its goal of taking on BMW’s M division and Mercedes’ AMG lineup with more Quattro-branded vehicles, along with more clearly defined R-, S-, and RS-derivatives. “S” badged variants will also be sportier than current S models, while the “R” lineup will be “significantly souped-up” and “RS” will be reserved for lightweight, track-friendly models, according to www.autoblog.com.