Report: Audi to phase out RS4 sedan later this year

Audi will discontinue its RS4 sedan in the very near future, according to an unconfirmed report from the U.K.'s Autocar magazine. The German automaker will keep the RS4 Cabriolet and Avant, but will stop producing the regular four-door sedan.



The reason for the move is to make room for the forthcoming RS6, according to the report. The RS6 will be considerably more expensive, and will use a turbocharged 5.0-litre V10. It will debut at the Frankfurt motor show in September.

RS5 to blame?

If Autocar's report is indeed accurate, a more likely explanation for the RS4 sedan's discontinuation might be the forthcoming Audi RS5. While the A5 and S5 coupes have already debuted, the RS5 is still in the works. When launched, it will offer all the features of the RS4 in a two-door format.

Still, it seems strange Audi would scrap the RS4 sedan when the BMW M3 sedan is right around the corner. The only possible explanation for this is limited production capacity, with the RS5 and RS6 deemed priorities.

Eventually, Audi will phase out its A4, S4, and RS4 Cabriolets in favor of A5, S5, and RS5 drop-tops. Why? Because the A5 is essentially a two-door A4, and once the the A5 Cabriolet is launched, it will replace the A4 version.

With the RS4 Sedan and Cabriolet eventually gone, we don't think there'd be much hope for the low-volume RS4 Avant to stay in production.

So does this mean the whole RS4 line will be dead in a few years? We'll hold judgement until we hear something from Audi directly. The RS4 Sedan has only been on the market for two years, and discontinuing it now seems hard to believe.