Audi’s long-promised hot wagon is finally stepping out of the shadows, and the first official look at the RS5 Avant confirms what enthusiasts have been hoping for: this is not a niche side project, it is the new heart of Audi’s fast family fleet. The car pairs a plug-in hybrid powertrain with the brand’s familiar 2.9-liter V-6 muscle, wraps it in a low, wide estate body, and aims it squarely at drivers who want super-sedan pace with everyday practicality. With the global premiere locked in and early performance numbers already surfacing, the RS5 Avant is shaping up as one of the most important performance launches of the year.
What makes this debut so significant is how much is changing at once. The RS5 line is going hybrid for the first time, the Avant is taking over from the old RS 4 as Audi’s main fast wagon, and the brand is openly chasing both BMW M3 and AMG C63 customers with a car that promises big power, real electric range, and a properly usable cabin. The result is a machine that looks ready to carry Audi’s RS badge into its plug-in era without losing the attitude that made earlier generations cult favorites.
Design, body style and the big debut date
The new RS5 Avant does not just add another body style, it effectively becomes the lead character in Audi’s performance story. The company has already confirmed that the car will be offered in both sedan and Avant forms, with the wagon taking center stage as the first to reach showrooms, while a coupe or convertible is described as unlikely in early previews of the Avant. Audi has also made it clear that the new RS 5 will replace the previous RS 4 as its core fast estate, with the first wave arriving in Avant form and other variants following roughly a year later according to early Audi RS teasers.
All of that anticipation now has a firm calendar slot. Audi has announced that the RS 5 Avant and sedan will have their global premiere on a Thursday in February, with the reveal set for February 19, 2026, a date repeated in both early news of the Audi event and in a separate confirmation that the RS 5 Avant and sedan reveal is scheduled for Thursday, February 19, 2026, with pricing expected to sit around 100,000 euros according to Thursday coverage. Enthusiast chatter has picked up on the same timing, with community posts noting that Audi announces the global premiere of the new RS 5 Avant and sedan on February 19, 2026, and highlighting that these plug-in hybrid models are expected to feature a 600-h output according to one widely shared Avant and thread.
Plug‑in powertrain, performance numbers and what carries over
Under the skin, the RS5 Avant is where Audi’s performance future really shifts. The brand has already confirmed that the new RS 5 will be its first performance plug-in hybrid, a point that was initially revealed in a LinkedIn post describing the car as Audi’s “first performance plug-in hybrid” and later echoed in more formal statements that the new RS 5 is going to be a plug-in hybrid, with Audi RS officials also flagging a new entry level EV for 2026. Separate reporting notes that the new RS5 will be Audi’s “first performance plug-in hybrid,” a description repeated in coverage of the upcoming station wagon that credits Audi with using this car to open a new chapter for its RS badge.
Despite the hybrid shift, the heart of the car will feel familiar to existing RS5 owners. Audi will be sticking with the 2.9 L twin turbo V6 used in the current RS5, with one early preview stressing that the 2.9 L turbo engine is the fact that this car is going to keep its character even as it adds electric assistance, a detail highlighted in a deep dive on the upcoming 2.9 setup. Earlier context helps explain why that matters: the third-generation RS5 used a 2.9-liter V-6 engine that made 444 horsepower, could go from zero-to-60 in 3.5 seconds, and revved out to 8,300 RPM, a combination that gave the outgoing car serious pace and a distinctive soundtrack according to detailed specs on the previous model’s 2.9-liter unit.
The hybrid hardware is not just there for emissions. The next generation RS5 is expected to pair its 2.9-litre twin-turbo V6 with an electric motor for a combined output of 639 hp, a figure that would comfortably eclipse the old car and put it right in the mix with the latest M3 and C63 rivals, as outlined in early technical breakdowns of the 2.9-litre drivetrain. Performance estimates suggest the car will be capable of accelerating from 0-62 m in around 3.4 seconds and will offer an electric range of about 50 miles, numbers that appear both in previews of the Avant’s launch and in separate reporting that the next-gen RS5 will hit 0-62 m in roughly 3.4 seconds while delivering that 50 miles of EV running, as detailed in early 62 m coverage and in follow up analysis of the RS5’s 639 output.
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