It looks like the next king of the hyper-estate may produce over 700 horsepower!

The outgoing Audi RS6 and RS7 were biological twins in bodies of varying usefulness. Both had 552bhp from a 4L Twin-Turbo V8 in their standard form, and 597bhp from the same engine in their Performance guise. But whereas the RS6 was the only car a person needed to own, the RS7’s sloping roofline rendered its rear seats useless to anyone with a head.

Practicalities aside, they were mechanically identical. Which is why information given on the RS7’s upcoming successor can also be taken as information for the new RS6. And thanks to what Audi’s head of design, Marc Lichte, has been saying to Evo magazine, we have that information.

According to Lichte, the new RS7/RS6 will be offered in two states of tune. The first will see the 4L Twin-Turbo V8 turned all the way up to produce 650bhp - which would put it ahead of rivals like the Mercedes-AMG E63 S and BMW M5 Competition by quite a margin. After this, there will be another, more powerful version that uses hybrid assistance. With the V8 detuned down to 550bhp - which is a shame - electrical augmentation will add a further 150bhp, for a grand total of 700bhp!!

Of course, there’s no word on precisely how much weight the hybrid system will add, so it could very well undo the benefits of that 50 horsepower increase. But it will be the first time any Audi RS-car has used a hybrid drivetrain, which will mark the start of things to come for the performance brand.

The RS7/RS6 will use an 8-speed double-clutch gearbox, similar to the what’s found in the Porsche Panamera and Bentley Continental GT. Despite Audi’s new cars sounding architecturally similar to the new Panamera, it’s worth mentioning that they actually use different platforms within the Volkswagen group.

For these cars to produce 700bhp and be the first in their segment to dip a toe into the waters of hybridity would be quite something. Personally, I have every hope that the next Audi RS6 will take the hyper-estate baton from its predecessor with convincing aplomb, and show the E63 S who’s boss.

But now I have to ask you guys: do you think the new RS6 will be a better performance estate than the E63 S? Let me know in the comments.

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Written by: Angelo Uccello

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Twitter: @AngeloUccello

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