Audi Pulls the Plug on the RS6 e-tron: What Went Wrong With the Super-EV Dream

Picture this: you’ve waited years for Audi to slap its legendary RS6 badge onto something futuristic, electric, and terrifying enough to melt your eyebrows. You’ve even endured the endless teaser shots, the 2022 A6 e-tron concept with its massive wheels and air-slicing bodywork, and all the marketing talk about the “future of performance.” And now? Audi’s just wheeled it quietly into the scrapyard of abandoned dreams. No RS6 e-tron. No hyperwagon with enough torque to bend space-time. Just… nothing.

So, what happened? Why has another long-promised super-EV been binned before it ever hit the road?

The EV Dream Meets the RS Reality

The plan was simple. Take Audi’s RS6 – the car that made dads feel like rally heroes on the school run – and give it the full electric makeover. Massive batteries. Dual motors. Tesla Plaid-destroying power. A proper spaceship disguised as a wagon.

Except, when Audi peeked at the order books, the numbers didn’t add up. The company already has the RS e-tron GT, a four-door missile with 923bhp that can out-drag most roller coasters. And guess what? Hardly anyone’s buying it. Turns out, “superfast EV saloon” is currently about as popular as a vegan steakhouse in Texas.

EV Hype: From Rock Concert to Village Fête

Five years ago, the car industry was on an electrify-everything binge. Executives were promising battery-powered versions of everything short of the company stapler. If it had wheels, it was going electric.

Fast forward to today and… the mood has shifted. The early adopters have their Teslas, the government subsidies are drying up, and the general public is realising that charging a 2.5-tonne wagon on a rainy Thursday evening is less “vision of the future” and more “DIY punishment exercise.”

So, when Audi’s engineers asked: “Shall we spend hundreds of millions developing a 1,000bhp RS6 EV that nobody seems to want?” the bean counters simply answered: “Nein.”

Petrol Still Has a Pulse (and a V8)

Here’s the twist: the RS6 isn’t dead. In fact, it’s about to get another petrol-powered hurrah. Confusingly, Audi is selling two different A6s – one fully electric, one stubbornly old-school with petrol, diesel, and hybrids. And it’s the latter that’s destined for the RS treatment.

Yes, there’s a chance the next RS6 could keep its beloved V8, possibly helped along with a hybrid system nicked from Bentley, Porsche, or even Lamborghini. Imagine that: a 780bhp wagon that still burbles, snorts, and scares Labradors as you pass by.

Heavy? Absolutely. But compared to the battery-laden corpse the RS6 e-tron would’ve been, it’s practically a ballet dancer.

Why Audi Pulled the Plug

Let’s break down the logic in plain English:

• Performance wasn’t the issue. Audi already knows how to build a 1,000bhp EV rocket.

• Demand was the killer. RS6 fans don’t want silent speed. They want noise, drama, and a car that feels alive.

• The EV market’s cooling. Luxury EVs are struggling against high prices, patchy charging, and customers who aren’t convinced yet.

In short: Audi realised it was about to spend a fortune building a car for a fanbase that didn’t exist.

The Bigger Picture

Audi isn’t alone here. The EV “supercar” dream is wobbling across the industry. Mercedes-AMG has delayed its own halo EV project. Even Tesla – king of the big boast – has managed to turn the Roadster into a punchline instead of a product.

What we’re seeing is the great reset. Carmakers are still going electric, but they’re focusing on stuff people will actually buy – SUVs, family cars, and sensible hybrids. The fire-breathing RS6 e-tron? That’s been sacrificed on the altar of realism.

So, Should You Be Upset?

If you’re the sort of person who wanted an electric RS6, yes. Go ahead and rage. Shout into your steering wheel. Scribble angry comments online.

But for most RS6 fans, the news is secretly a relief. Instead of swapping their V8 thunder for digital whooshes, they’re likely getting one last petrol-powered masterpiece. Something that makes the right noises, smells faintly of fuel, and doesn’t need a charging app the size of War and Peace.

Final Thoughts

Audi cancelling the RS6 e-tron isn’t the death of the RS legend – it’s proof the company knows its audience. Petrol still sells. V8s still sell. And while the electric age creeps forward, the RS6 gets to roar one more time.

So yes, the RS6 e-tron has been consigned to the great automotive bin marked “Nice idea, wrong decade.” But let’s be honest: would you really swap the rumble of a V8 for the sound of a Dyson on boost mode?