Audi Denies Rumor RS4 Avant Is Coming To The US

Mar. 08, 2023 6:54 AM ET by Jay Traugott Scoop / 6 Comments

At first, there was excitement, but then Audi cleared things up.

Audi has confirmed to CarBuzz that there are no plans to bring the RS4 Avant Competition hot wagon to America, following a report from MotorTrend.

"There are no plans to bring the RS4 to the US market. [I'm] afraid whatever was heard was not correct," an Audi spokesperson told us.

The original report claimed the decision to bring the RS4 Avant to our neck of the woods boiled down to the solid sales success of the RS6 Avant. All 2,000 examples of the 591 horsepower super wagon sold out quickly, thus prompting Audi to consider that Americans do actually love wagons, albeit extremely powerful and expensive ones.

AUDI AG

Additional proof of this came last year when an online petition was launched in a now-failed effort to convince BMW to bring its M3 Touring stateside. The hope was that Audi might have taken note. BMW's loss could have been Audi's gain, at least in this case. The current generation 3 Series Touring, codenamed G21, was never homologated for the North American market. Doing so for the M3 Touring would make no financial sense, given that it would sell in limited numbers. However, BMW has suggested the forthcoming M5 Touring may arrive in the US in response to the Audi RS6.

For Audi, however, homologation issues for the RS4 wouldn't be insurmountable. The A4 allroad is already on sale here, so bringing over the high-powered RS version probably wouldn't be a huge ordeal. Last summer, our spy photographers caught an RS4 Avant test mule on the road, which only made us want it more.

AUDI AG

Under its hood lies the Porsche-designed 2.9-liter twin-turbo V6 with 444 horsepower and 442 lb-ft of torque on hand. Power is directed to all four wheels (yeah, quattro!) via an eight-speed automatic transmission. The top speed is electronically limited to 155 mph. Other cool features include 20-inch wheels, an RS exhaust system, and optional Pirelli P Zero Corsa tires. Major enhancements were also made to the quattro sport rear differential and suspension.

Given the combination of the RS6 Avant's sales success and the A4 allroad's US availability, the RS4 Competition seemed like a no-brainer. Unfortunately, it's not happening now or ever.

Meanwhile, a facelifted RS6 is due in the near future, and it will continue to be sold stateside.

AUDI AG

Audi Denies Rumor RS4 Avant Is Coming To The US

Join The Discussion

Gallery

Audi Denies Rumor RS4 Avant Is Coming To The US

Join The Discussion

Gallery

Related Cars