2026 Audi RS 5 Avant spied with plug-in hybrid power

Audi’s A5 family currently consists of coupe, convertible, and hatchback body styles, but a new A5 Avant wagon is expected to join the fray for the next generation. Avant is the name Audi uses for the wagon body style.

Prototypes for the A5 Avant wagon have been spotted in the past, and new prototypes for what appears to be a high-performance RS 5 variant have surfaced. Prototypes for the sporty S5 Avant have also been spotted in the past.

The RS 5 Avant will replace the current RS 4 Avant sold overseas as part of a shift in Audi’s naming strategy. The new strategy, announced last year, will give models with internal-combustion engines an odd number in their names and electric models an even number. It means the next A4 will be an electric vehicle.

We know the latest prototype is for an RS 5 Avant and not the regular A5 Avant because of the extra intakes in the front fascia, the wide fenders housing a widened track, the huge cross-drilled brake rotors, and the cutouts in the rear fascia to fit signature RS oval exhaust tips. The exhaust tips on the prototype appear to be temporary units only.

The prototype also sports both a fuel filler cap and a charging port, according to our photographer, indicating a plug-in hybrid powertrain. Yellow warning stickers in the windscreen seen in some of the shots also indicate some form of electrification.

It isn’t clear what’s planned for the powertrain, but rumors point to the twin-turbocharged 2.9-liter V-6 of the current RS 5 getting paired with an electric drive system. The current RS 5 delivers 444 hp, but the next one should have substantially more power to challenge the 671 hp of the Mercedes-Benz AMG C 63 S E Performance, which is also a plug-in hybrid.

While the new A5 Avant and S5 Avant should debut later this year, the RS 5 Avant is likely to arrive next year.

Audi has also been spotted testing the next-generation A5 in its hatchback body style. It isn’t clear whether the automaker will launch new versions of the A5 coupe and convertible due to slow sales for the two-door models.