Maybe about 5 years back, before the arrival of the e-tron models, people often wondered why Audi never made two cars: the RS8 super-sedan and an A8 Avant wagon. These vehicles are unlikely to ever be produced but have been combined into a very believable RS8 Avant in this 3D video by rendering artist Hycade.
A8 Avant renderings have existed for many years, probably a solid decade. However, Audi never got around to making such a car, not even as a concept. It’s obvious why: the A8 competes with luxury limos.
But it’s not like the quattro brand ever beat Mercedes at its own game. So why not give people what they want, a big wagon? I’ve probably asked that question half a dozen times because I’ve written about a lot of Avant renderings. But I still don’t understand why Audi made a TT shooting brake (2005) and a TT off-roader concept (2014), but not this.
The closest we’ve ever gotten was the Prologue concept, which came in both Avant and Allroad flavors, though they’ve been largely forgotten. Right now, they’re still showing off the Urbansphere concept, but that’s shaped more like an MPV and is self-driving.
3D artist Hycade makes some amazingly crisp renderings, and I often joke he makes everything look like an Audi RS. After bringing the RS8 sedan into the digital world, he decided it needed to be a wagon as well and gave is maybe the only RS8 Avant in the world of 3D pixels.
It’s a very believable car based on the body of the new S8, but fitted with an obvious widebody kit and aggressive air intakes. The same wheels, exhaust, or brakes that you’ll see on an RS7 are installed here as well. The roof box is a popular fashion accessory for custom Avants, and a carbon top shell has been installed here as well.
RS8 flagship: how and why?
And RS8 Avant would set all kinds of records if put into production. It would easily measure about 17 feet from bumper to bumper, almost as big as those Cadillac wagons of the 1970s. Maybe they can turn one into the next Ectomobile.
And since the S8 already makes 563 horsepower, the RS8 would need about 650 hp, meaning it would be the most powerful Audi. Such performance technology would also cost more than the $120,000 RS Q8, so we’d have a new flagship.
Last time, we suggested that an RS8 sedan would probably require the plug-in hybrid V8 powertrain from Porsche, which does fit on this platform. However, since Audi will probably never make a flagship wagon like this, we might as well suggest something sci-fi, the most iconic RS powertrain, a twin-turbo Lamborghini V10. Wouldn’t that be cool?
You don’t even need room to do the timing chain. Just make it work for 3 years and people will LS-swap it after.
