The 2018 Audi RS5 Coupe is set to arrive at U.S.
dealers shortly and Audi of America president Scott Keogh has confirmed it will
be joined by the RS5 Sportback.
Speaking with Roadshow, Keogh said the RS5 Sportback
is coming stateside as the A5 Sportback was a “homerun model.” There’s word on
when the car will arrive but it will feature a twin-turbo 2.9-liter V6 engine
that develops 450 hp and 600 Nm of torque. In the coupe,
the engine enables the model to accelerate from 0-100 km/h in just
3.9 seconds.
Besides mentioning the RS5 Sportback, Keogh
suggested the new RS7 Sportback will come “soon enough.” The executive also
said there’s “another surprise we’re working on” but he refused to say what it
is. Keogh described the car as a cool European model that we haven’t brought
over yet and said it is the #1 vehicle on his wish list.
While a number of automakers such have embraced
subscriptions, Keogh believes they have limited appeal as most consumers won’t
allow their monthly payments to dramatically increase just so they can swap
vehicles on demand. However, he still sees opportunities where customers could
rent a vehicle for several months or have one waiting for them when traveling.