SPY PICS: 2026 Audi S6 e-tron and RS 6 e-tron spotted

Our European spy photographers have captured what looks like the production-spec 2026 Audi RS 6 e-tron and its lesser S6 e-tron sibling undergoing development testing in Germany, both closely resembling the A6 e-tron Sportback concept shown in 2021.

Performance and high-performance versions of the eventual large electric sedan were always a given and it’s clear that Audi was serious when it said the production version(s) would be 95 per cent faithful to the concept.

Casual readers may struggle to tell much of a difference between the two camouflaged prototypes beyond the differing alloy wheel designs, but the proof is in the subtle details – for instance the more aggressive intake designs and bigger braking package of the RS 6 (the one with the slatted cheeks).

The entire A6 e-tron portfolio will be underpinned by the PPE electric vehicle architecture that Audi co-developed with Porsche and recently debuted under the Q6 e-tron.

Using the SUV as a reference point, odds are the slinky S6 e-tron will output a punchy 380kW while the rapid RS 6 range-topper could be good for up to 475kW.

Both those figures will be a big step up from the models they replace, with the turbo V6 and twin-turbo V8 in the current S6 and RS 6 developing 331kW/750Nm and 463kW/850Nm respectively.

Fast-charging capabilities of up to 270kW have already been detailed for the entire A6 e-tron line-up, along with a maximum WLTP range of more than 700km.

However, it’s unlikely the hot versions will offer a range much beyond 600km on account of their more powerful and potentially numerous motors.

Audi has already hinted at the prospect of a rabid RS 6 Avant e-tron, telling carsales in February it had no plans on abandoning the fast wagon market – a niche it’s essentially made its own over the past couple of decades.

But why are the prototypes Sportbacks when the RS 6 has traditionally been an Avant-only proposition?

Because Audi is restructuring its naming strategy to have even numbers refer to EVs and odd ones applied to internal combustion and hybrid models, hence the 2025 Audi RS 5 has been spotted testing as a wagon.

In concept form the A6 e-tron packed a 100kWh traction battery and that looks set to remain the case for the production version since the Q6 e-tron has exactly that, along with 800-volt charging technology that’s claimed to add up to 300km of range in just 10 minutes.

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