Audi to slot high-powered RS 6 Avant wagon in U.S. lineup

Audi

A spokesman for Audi of America said customers interested in the Avant can sign up now, and that the brand will offer preordering for deliveries in 2020.

In what might be considered a bold product move given market trends, Audi is bringing its high-powered estate wagon, the RS 6 Avant, to North America in the later half of 2020.

The redesigned wagon boasts a 591-hp twin-turbo-powered V-8 engine mated to an eight-speed automatic transmission and all-wheel drive, producing 590 pounds-feet of torque. When it arrives, it will join the A4 Allroad as the only wagons in Audi's U.S. lineup.

"Throughout our 25-year RS history, the Audi RS 6 Avant is one of our absolute icons with a large global fan base," Oliver Hoffmann, managing director of Audi Sport GmbH, said in a written statement. "We will also be offering the RS 6 Avant in North America for the very first time. As such, we will be tapping into a new market with huge potential and generating further growth."

While they remain popular in Europe, wagons haven't fared as well in North America, where crossovers, minivans and SUVs dominate in the family hauler space. Audi's sibling brand, Volkswagen, said last month that it intended to end production of the Golf Sportwagen and Alltrack station wagons this year, pulling the plug on a 50-plus-year run of wagon offerings from Volkswagen in the U.S. Similarly, sales of the recently introduced Buick Regal Tour X have slowed as well.

Pricing of the RS 6 Avant was not announced. A spokesman for Audi of America said customers interested in the Avant can sign up now, and that the brand will offer preordering for deliveries in 2020.

By: www.autonews.com