First Time in Audi History: RS-Propelled Q5 Sportback
The Volkswagen Group wants to halve its massive portfolio to cut costs drastically, but obviously that won't happen overnight. Before it starts swinging the axe at vehicles that don't make enough money, the Audi arm of the automotive giant is planning to roll out two models it has never offered before. While the three-row Q9 is no longer a secret, some will be surprised to learn an RS Q5 is also on the way – in hatchback and Sportback guise.
Audi has been selling the Q5 for nearly 20 years, yet it has never given the SUV the RS treatment. The first-ever spy shots of the Sportback RS Q5 were taken outside the German Nürburgring today. It's not just the double oval exhaust finishers that give away the vehicle's identity. We can also clearly spot the flared wheel arches concealing meaty tires and possibly wider front and rear tracks.
As if that wasn't enough, the high-voltage yellow sticker indicates we're looking at a plug-in hybrid. Given that the Q5 is closely related to the A5, the high-performance versions should follow the same formula. The RS Q5 is likely to borrow the plug-in hybrid V6 from the RS5, which produces 630 horsepower and 609 pound-feet of torque.
Audi Sport's first plug-in hybrid comes with a chunky 25.9-kWh battery, a major reason why the RS5 Avant tips the scales at a hefty 5,225 pounds. We wouldn't be surprised if the RS Q5 ends up even heavier, given that SUVs typically weigh more than equivalent sedans or wagons.
The RS Q5 is important not just for Audi but for Porsche as well. Zuffenhausen retired the first-generation Macan at the end of July and will launch a direct successor in 2028. Once again, it'll be closely related to the Q5, so it's reasonable to expect similarities between Porsche's range-topping version and the upcoming RS-badged Q5.
The two Volkswagen Group brands are working more closely together to spread development costs and accelerate new projects, including Porsche's 718 Boxster/Cayman EVs and Audi's Concept C. Additionally, the upcoming Q9 we mentioned earlier could share some of its underpinnings with Porsche's three-row SUV.
Spotted With Less Camouflage: Mercedes-AMG Electric SUV
Mercedes-AMG has finally named the day it will pull the camouflage off its most unusual SUV. The fully electric GT SUV will make its world debut on October 17 at The 140 Festival by the Mercedes-Benz Museum in Stuttgart, Germany. The first cars are expected to reach customers in early 2027.
For AMG, this is far more than just another premiere. The project was officially announced back in November 2024: the full-size electric SUV will become the second vehicle on the dedicated AMG.EA platform and the first SUV whose architecture the Affalterbach specialists developed entirely on their own. At the time, the company kept the exact debut date secret. Now the countdown is on.
But the numbers around the new GT SUV still require caution. The 1,169-hp output, up to 1,475 lb.-ft. of torque, 106-kWh battery, 800-V architecture and charging at up to 600 kW officially belong to the electric Mercedes-AMG GT 63 4-Door Coupé. That version uses no fewer than three axial-flux electric motors. The technology is spectacular, but Mercedes-AMG has not given anyone permission to simply copy those figures onto the upcoming SUV.
The technical relationship between the two models, however, is hardly in doubt: both are built around the AMG.EA architecture. Mercedes-Benz's Sindelfingen plant has already been converted for EVs on this platform and produces the new GT 4-Door. Mercedes-Benz Automobil AG also lists Sindelfingen as the future production site for the GT SUV.
So, one date is now circled in red: October 17. That is when Mercedes-AMG is expected to reveal the production GT SUV's specifications, range and final configuration. Only then will we know how close the electric crossover has come to the outrageous numbers of its four-door relative.
Story and photos by Andreas Conradt, Automedia
