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Audi to end RS6 production soon

2010-07-14 08:11

In the never ending quest for German über-sedan supremacy between BMW’s M-division, AMG and Audi’s RS technicians the RS6 was statistically the most powerful car of its generation. Now it is nearly gone.

    Vehicle Specs
    Manufacturer Audi
    Model RS6
    Engine 5l V10 turbo
    Power 426kW @ 6 250r/min
    Torque 650Nm @ 1 500r/min
    Transmission Six-speed auto
     

    Audi’s most powerful road car ever is going out of production by the end of the third quarter of this year.

    The RS6’s billing as Audi’s headline output act will be replaced by the R8 GT.

    Although the most focussed of all R8s is quicker it will remain 14kW down on the RS6’s 426kW output.

    As the RS6 fades off the performance car radar (following BMW’s recently retired E60 M5) fans of Ingolstadt’s bruising full-sized über-sedan will bid it a fond farewell.

    Despite being quite late to market (it only arrived in 2008) the RS6 mated a 426kW 5l turbocharged V10 to Audi’s rather unremarkable A6 underpinnings.

    Brand neutral observers thought Audi would be courting disaster by adding so much power to the A6 chassis. In the fullness of time RS6 proved to be a (very) well sorted performance sedan.

    The RS6’s epic pace was contained by Audi’s signature quattro all-wheel drive system, whilst adaptive dampers ensured a driving experience that could be varied between tolerable ride quality and apex-clipping poise.

    Perhaps the most curious consequence of the C6 RS6 was its status amongst aftermarket tuners.

    Nearly a dozen German tuners produces RS6 versions with power outputs exceeding 500kW.

    Legendary Audi tuner Roland Meyer's MTM RS6 Clubsport is claimed to be good for around 350km/h.

    It has all come to an end now. The second generation RS6 will always be remembered as the most powerful German über-sedan of its time.

    Audi’s new A6 is (finally) expected to debut at next year’s Geneva Auto Show. If the C6 RS6’s development timetable is anything to go buy, it will be quite some while yet before we see another large Ingolstadt über-sedan bearing the famous moniker.


     
    Assif ( Audi Salesman )
    7/20/2010 12:09 PM
    Trevor - Do yourself a favour, please visit your closest Audi Dealer, and go and drive the any of our products. Then go to BMW or mercedes. I know that Audi has come along way, And thats a fact! Drive on the highway, and take note of howmany Audis you see on the road. If " We " rip them of there money, do you think we would have so many Rings on the road. Lets not even talk about our Quatro technology, LED Running lights which the Unsidedown " Y " ( Merc ) Is using on the new E Class. They surley look like they have taken the Look alike running lights that one can purchase from any midas store that you could use on your Honda Ballard Filp lights!!!
    Assif ( Audi Sales Executive )
    7/20/2010 11:57 AM
    All you guys out there that's saying the car was a flop/failer/not a success. You guys need Big Ba#ls to drive this car, You need to be sobber for three weeks before you can sit in the driver seats, and lastly you guys cant afford the car, so what you do, call it a flop!!! This is not a citi golf on sterriods kids!!!! And just a warning, the M5 driver needs to have even bigger ba#ls than you to come next to the ULTIMATE RS6 for a dice!!!! I am sorry, The truth does hurt!!!
    Opelisti
    7/15/2010 12:48 PM
    A6 underachiever? Me think not, Actually it is the best seller in its class (obviously not in ZA), check your facts again.
    @ S
    7/15/2010 10:45 AM
    ...and where does the Audi S models fit into? are they produced by Audi or that "Quattro GmbH" for argument sake let's look at the current Audi S5 or the A5 3.2 Quattro.
    jackey
    7/15/2010 8:56 AM
    @Steve...Sound business model ?Spending millions of Euros on R&D of the RS6,5 years in the making and canning it after 2 years, never recouped the money spent,Is that what you call sound business sense ??Or is it more like Oops we screwed up, lets can the "Underachieving, the most powerfull Audi of all time" including the whole A6 range for that matter..2015 will just be a pipe dream for them but we can at least look forward to the RWC..
    Trevor
    7/14/2010 8:57 PM
    @S, Thanks for the explanation. I hope that one day Quattro GmbH will grow to the levels of BMW M GmbH and AMG. Maybe they will increase their RS production using the money they are milking from customers with their re-branded VWs. In comparison to the AMG and M, they have only released one remarkable product which was the RS4. I cannot give them credit to the R8 because they just continued their re-branding culture, in this case they used a Lamborghini.
    Mr. BMW I6
    7/14/2010 7:35 PM
    This is a real shame for car lovers, we're quickly deteriorating into 4-cylinder FWD econoboxes as "luxury cars" @archie: these cars are not commodity items, a person buys them because they love them, not for resale really.
    S
    7/14/2010 3:31 PM
    For those who don't know RS cars are not built by Audi but by Quattro GmbH. This company is subsidary of Audi AG but is purely responsible for its own P&L. Quattro GmbH is relatively small company in comparision to AMG and M division. Hence Quattro GmbH could only manufacture 1 type of RS at a time at their plant in Neckarsulm. Just recently Neckarsulm they could manage 2 cars and the second line is solely for the R8. Because of size of this company they had ask Audi AG if they could use Audi AG's factory in Gyor, Hungary just to produce the TT RS. So in effect if Quattro wants to produce another model RS, one model has to give. When they started the RS6 they had to stop the RS4. Now they stop the RS6 to giveway to R8 GT, which most likely give way for another RS soon unless they can find space somewhere else to accomodate it. For such a small subsidary of Audi AG I think Quattro GmBh does fairly well. The previous RS4 was best car out there for 2 years till the new M3. The TTRS has no competitors currently in terms of performence. The RS6 might a slight dissappointment, but like the article said great for tuners. R8 is awesome for a everyday usable sportscar. Not Bad I would say for small company
    M3 King
    7/14/2010 1:47 PM
    Hehehehe, king of nothing but stats bows out within 24 months, what a rip off. Four rings means, maximum 4 years of endurance, then they fall off.
    PeterM
    7/14/2010 1:30 PM
    I thought the lifespan of these cars is 5 years before the production is ceased. RS6 production started in 2008 if not mistaken, it supposed to end in 2013. Why such a soon production ceasing??? Simple...the car was a failure!
    Steve
    7/14/2010 12:57 PM
    Ah jackey, time and time again I see your blind obsession for one brand cloud your judgement in your stupendously biased and subjective opinions. Each manufacturer has different development and manufacturing processes implemented and refined over the decades, due to economies of scales, technological and industrial efficiencies etc etc. It is no secret that the A6 is an underachiever in the local market compared to overseas markets, but you have to admit yourself something jackey: clearly Audi have a sound business model and product portfolio if their sales figures are out-accelerating their competitors (note, I didn't say exceeding, I said out-accelerating). With their goal of becoming the leading premium manufacturer by 2015, I think their competitors can learn from their business and product strategy.
    jackey
    7/14/2010 12:09 PM
    @Willem...The new 5 series came long before the outgoing M5 was retired.. Do you perhaps have a name for that to ??
    Karl
    7/14/2010 11:33 AM
    The original Audi Quattro 1980 - 1991 is the one to have. A strong durable classic for everyday use that's up there with the best of the that the modern German trio have to offer. Nice try by Audi with the RS6 but not good enough. The Merc 500 and M5 are/were the standard in this class of motor car - but oh are they tempremental with all the electronics; expensive to maintain and certainly not durable any longer.
    archie
    7/14/2010 10:48 AM
    It is the resale on these big Audi's that just kills the sale. The one or two that I did see on the road looked and sounded pretty awesome. It had a real presence about them. Big daddy RS4. There are rumours that the replacement will be a V8 with Supercharger(ala current S4) or turbos as with the soon to be released A7.
    smartass
    7/14/2010 10:27 AM
    @RS6 SUCCESS - No my bud it did not sell, Great AND VERY FAST car on its own right but dynamically inferior to the M5
    R truth
    7/14/2010 10:27 AM
    Let's be honest, these things didn't sell, If they can't sell A6, how can they sell RS6?
    Willem
    7/14/2010 10:20 AM
    Jackie, the new A6 arrives in Q1 2011. A production line needs to be prepped and tested. RS6 goes out of production in Q3 this year. It is called industrial engineering planning and implementation.
    jackey
    7/14/2010 10:13 AM
    Why so soon ???Sales failure ??? Not as much cred as a M5 or E63 ??? Over powered, chassis can handle that power..So much questions ...Just shows that big Audi's dont sell...
    RS6 Success??
    7/14/2010 9:26 AM
    Did it sell?? I've harldy seen any of these RS6 monsters even in comparisson to the new E63AMG or even R8 V10's on the roads.
    fredster
    7/14/2010 9:10 AM
    I own a A6 and tell you what.... Never again in my life. The reason for the 4 rings, is that they rip your 4 new ones everytime something goes wrong, and it does...
    Paul
    7/14/2010 8:58 AM
    Amazing what they did with essentially a warmed over FWD contaminated platform. Comfy inside. Looks subtle outside. Goes like hell.
    jody
    7/14/2010 8:56 AM
    it's the end of the dinosaures.shame.we are at the point when the 'teutonic' three are downsizing in capacity and possibly budgets. these cars are known for being more expensive to make than it is to sell.i was never a lover of the RS6, but i give it respect. what i would like to see is a 'completely' de-limited standard RS6.i know Audi can increase the limiter to 280km/h, but i still want to see what the standard can really do.the first gen RS6, is so rare on our roads and arguably better looking (not as mean though). goodbye and RIP RS6
    Kelso
    7/14/2010 8:52 AM
    Always felt the RS6 was much more of a hooligan than it was given credit for.
    Andre
    7/14/2010 8:42 AM
    "Audi's rather unremarkable underpinnings"? Proof that this journo probably knows more about knitting than cars...

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