RS6 Avant

Make
Audi
Segment
Wagon

Audi Sport GmbH, formerly Quattro GmbH, is the performance subsidiary that is responsible for building all of Audi's hardcore models. The RS cars, despite having a vast 25-year history, are not as well known in the United States because we only received a handful of them at any given time with most of the offerings limited to Europe only. But a recent boom of new models like the 2021 Audi RS6 Avant, the 2020 Audi RS7 Sportback, and 2020 Audi RS Q8 will proliferate the RS lineup that already includes the RS5 Coupe and Sportback, RS3, and TT RS.

In order to get customers more acquainted with the RS brand, Audi Sport has released a new documentary video showing how its performance cars are born. The video shows how the cars are taken from typical Audi models and tested in harsh conditions to offer thrilling performance mixed with everyday usability.

One of the most grueling tests for any RS cars is lapping the North Loop (Nordschleife) of the Nurburgring. 80 percent of the 20.832-kilometer (12.92-mile) course is taken at full throttle and Audi Sport conducts 8,000 kilometers (5,000 miles) of endurance testing there to prove it can stand up to customer abuse.

"The North Loop represents the ultimate endurance test in our development and coordination work," says Oliver Hoffmann, Managing Director of Audi Sport GmbH. "Every RS model undergoes at least 8,000 kilometers of testing here. The track provides us with detailed information about the durability of our parts under extreme conditions and specifics about the suspension. With the RS Q8, our main focus was on the setup of the springs, dampers, and the ESP as well as the performance characteristics of the roll stabilization and the sport differential."

The RS Q8 notably smashed the Nurburgring SUV record with a time of 7 minutes and 42.253 seconds.

"RS vehicles have a strong and unique character: spontaneous maximum performance wherever and whenever desired, and effortless performance on long journeys," Hoffmann explains. "An RS is a true Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. It is important for every kilometer, no matter how it is driven, to be an experience. This is achieved thanks to breathtaking design, high-end look and feel, and outstanding quality."

Audi currently has 12 RS models in its global portfolio. Eight of these were revealed in 2019 alone and Audi Sport says it is not finished expanding the lineup with "more ideas up its sleeves for the near future." In fact, Audi Sport says that RS models will enhance their product line soon after the reveal of their base car. Audi did just release a new A3 in the US, so a hotter RS3 could be incoming.