The head of Audi’s Sport division has said that the manufacturer’s range of RS high-performance models will nearly double within the next year and a half.
Stephan Winkelmann, who formerly headed up Lamborghini, told Autocar that a total of eight Audi RS cars will be launched by early 2018 at the latest.
Audi’s RS range is made up of high-performance versions of its regular vehicles, with more motorsport DNA, more power and a much more hardcore focus than even its S models.
Currently, the RS range includes super-hot versions of the A3, the Q3 and the TT, alongside the A6 and the A7, and that will spread out to other models in Audi’s range within the next 18 months.
There’s no word on exactly what Audi has planned, but it’s likely that the widely-anticipated RS 1 hatchback will be the first, while RS versions of the Q5 and even the R8 are also possible.
After Winkelmann took over the RS brand earlier this year, he’s endeavoured to roll separate offshoots of the manufacturer’s business – quattro, RS and Audi Exclusive – all into one umbrella organisation.
The news to expand the RS lineup has drawn obvious comparisons with Mercedes’ AMG wing, which has undergone rapid expansion in the past few years with more AMG models now than ever before.
However, Winkelmann deflected the similarities and stated that Audi is “not going to do what they do”, and will likely keep its RS cars more exclusive.
