Audi Ups Its Wagon Tease Game

Despite wagons facing a growing unpopularity that rivals that of free speech, Audi continues winking and nudging at North America, sneakily hinting that the king of all long-roofs might make its way to this side of the Atlantic.

There, it could see dozens, perhaps even hundreds of orders. Cynical? Perhaps, but a niche pocket of enthusiasm does greet any mention of the A6 Avant midsize wagon and its upcoming, beastly RS 6 Avant performance variant. Believed to pack a twin-turbo 4.0-liter V8 and a boatload of horsepower, the next-generation RS 6 launches for the 2020 model year, but it remains to be seen whether any of these wagons arrive on these shores.

Certainly, Audi wants fans to think they will.

Audi embarked on its teaser campaign earlier this year, and this past week brought a new salvo of speculation:

It’s rarely been seen in America. pic.twitter.com/iptIyUZuCE

— Audi (@Audi) August 15, 2019

The first generation RS 6 Avant. Was never available in Canada 🇨🇦. pic.twitter.com/rv1leHlRsN

— Audi Canada (@AudiCanada) August 17, 2019

Hmm, I wonder what they’re trying to get across?

While the larger of Audi’s wagons did once tempt U.S. dealership visitors, the only long-roof Audi passenger car currently on sale stateside is the smaller A4 Allroad, which gets a mild suspension lift to go with its body cladding. It’s a crossover-adjacent wagon, not unlike Buick’s Regal TourX.

Of course, there’s also an Allroad version of the fifth-generation A6 that launched in Europe last year, and it’s this model that’s seen as the most likely candidate for a boat trip. At last report, Audi officials in the U.S. haven’t given any of the A6 wagon variants a green light. Should the Avant, Allroad, or RS 6 make the trip, it wouldn’t face much competition in its micro-segment.

Wagons are flirting with extinction in North America. While Jaguar’s XF Sportbrake will remain in the brand’s U.S. lineup for 2020, its future looks grim, what with Jag culling unpopular car configurations. The next-gen BMW 3 Series, introduced for the 2020 model year, sees the wagon variant drop from U.S. order books. Adding to the bloodbath, Volkswagen recently announced the death of its Golf Sportwagen and Alltrack.

That leaves Subaru, Volvo, the aforementioned Buick, and Mercedes-Benz’s E-Class Estate to keep the A4 Allroad company.

It definitely looks like we’ll see some version of the A6 Avant here; if all of this teasing comes to naught, Audi deserves a slap. As for the next RS 6 Avant, rumored to boast between 650 and 700 horsepower, we’ll get our first glimpse of it at the Frankfurt auto show on September 10th.

[Images: Audi]