Audi to introduce high-performance lineup’RS’ in Korea… Head-to-head battle with Mercedes and BMW

Input 2021.03.23 06:00

Audi is introducing the ultra-high performance lineup’RS’ in Korea. Last year, if we tried to rebuild the lineup, which was discontinued after the diesel gate, this year, it is a strategy to solidify the’German car’s top 3 structure’ by securing enthusiasts centering on high performance cars.

According to the industry on the 23rd, Audi will release the RS5 Sportback, RS6 Avant, RS7 Sportback, and RS Q8 sequentially within this year from the third quarter of this year. It has been 5 years since Audi introduces a new RS car in Korea. It is reported that these models have even completed emission and noise certification.

The name RS means’Rennsport’ in German and’Racing sport’ in English. It has a powerful performance comparable to that of a supercar, enough to run on a car racing track. Compared to Audi’s base model, the engine, gearbox, brakes, suspension, and transmission are all enhanced.

The introduction of the Audi RS model is expected to bring new winds to the imported high-performance car market, which was divided into Mercedes-Benz AMG and BMW M. Audi president Jeff Mannering met with reporters last year and said, “For Audi, 2021 will be the year of sports cars. We will introduce the RS lineup to the Korean market as soon as possible.”

First of all, the RS7 Sportback will be released first. It combines a 4.0-liter V8 TFSI engine with a maximum output of 591 horsepower and a maximum torque of 81.6 kg.m and an eight-speed Tiptronic transmission. It takes 3.6 seconds from stop to 100 km/h. The maximum speed is 250 km/h.

Not only the performance but also the design made a major change compared to the general model. Most of the vehicles have been newly designed, and the width of the front fender has been increased by 20 mm compared to the previous one. The honeycomb-structured grill, which is a unique RS design, was applied.

The RS6 Avant is the only high-performance wagon in its class and is the first model to be introduced in Korea. The RS6 has a maximum output of 600 horsepower and a maximum torque of 81.6 kg.m, and it reaches 3.6 seconds from a standstill to 100 km/h and 12 seconds to 200 km/h. The 48V mild hybrid system has been installed to improve efficiency and acceleration.

With the adaptive suspension, the vehicle height can be lowered by 10 mm when driving at high speeds and increased by 20 mm when driving at low speeds. As it is a wagon model, the storage space is ample, but the basic loading capacity is 565 liters, and when folded in two rows, it expands to 1680 liters.

The RS5 Sportback is equipped with a 2.9-liter V6 TFSI twin-turbo engine with a maximum output of 450 hp and a maximum torque of 61.2 kg.m and an eight-speed Tiptronic transmission. It is equipped with high-performance technologies that combine motor sports know-how, such as sports differential and dynamic ride control, and is expected to compete with the new M3 to be released by BMW.

The RS Q8 is the first sports utility vehicle (SUV) in the RS lineup. It is a model that shares the platform with the Lamborghini Urus, and is equipped with a 4.0-liter V8 twin-turbo engine with a maximum output of 592 horsepower, an eight-speed automatic transmission, and a four-wheel drive quattro system.