Set to be revealed to the public in March at the Geneva Motor Show, Audi's new überwagen is something on the top of every dad's wishlist. The Audi RS6 is, of course, officially forbidden for us Americans, but maybe not for long.
Business as usual as far as the aggressive styling goes, but what's under the hood very much justifies the sporty looks. The 4.0 TFSI V8 makes 560 horsepower, and more importantly: 516 lb-ft of torque available from as low as 1,750 rpm. To give a chance for the tyres to survive, all that power is delivered through Ingolstadt's famous all-wheel drive system. With the Quattro's grip and the short gearing of the eight-speed tiptronic transmission, the RS 6 accelerates to 62 mph in 3.9 seconds, and won't stop until reaching 189 mph.
At that speed, fuel consumtion is not an issue, but when not flat out Audi has managed to cut back the V8's hunger by 40 percent, claiming 24 mpg. That was achieved by cylinder deactivation, a long eighth gear, and considerable weight savings, which you can ruin anytime by filling up the 59.33 cu-ft cargo area.
Around 20 percent of the car is made out of aluminium, resulting in a weight cut of 220.46 lb compared to the previous model. To remind you of the superior power-to-weight ratio, the interior is trimmed with either carbon fiber, or matt aluminium. Both of which are very vorsprung. Since now shift lights are also visible on the dashboard, it's no wonder that the RS 6 can be ordered with DRC system instead of the adaptive air suspension it normally comes with.
The steel springs with the three-way adjustable shock absorbers probably control body roll quite well, and to make sure the vented steel discs won't let you down on the Nürburgring, carbon-ceramics measuring 420 millimeters are also optional. If the six-piston calipers were painted anthracite gray, your opponent is a carbonized RS at the red light.
What you're interested in is of course if it is coming to the States, or you still have to buy a Cadillac CTS-V, rather quickly. The answer is a cautious maybe. Audi's plan is to double its sales of performance models in the U.S. to around 16,000 vehicles by 2015, and the RS 6 is a nice tool for achieving that goal. They've already teased the Audi RS4 Avant
(Hat tip to Axel645!)