July isn’t exactly the best time for a vacation in Spain. Unless, that is, you’re looking for temperatures well into the triple digits. European automakers love it, because they can get serious hot weather testing without leaving the continent, but it leaves them open to getting spied.
That’s what has happened here. Audi test drivers are exercising the latest performance models, including the RSQ5, SQ9, a very sneaky-looking Volkswagen Golf R, and one of Audi’s hottest wagons. And it was all caught on video.
Audi’s Dropping The Hammer In Spain This Summer
Audi SQ9 Spy ScreenshotNCars / YouTube
The cars were spotted by YouTube channel NCars (video below) while testing on winding mountain passes in Granada, Spain. The region is hot, high up, and has more hairpins and twisty roads than the average driver would know what to do with. It’s the perfect place to put prototypes through their paces, which is probably why there are so many Audis running rings around the place.
First up in the video is the Audi RSQ5. This will be the first RS version of Audi’s small-sized Q5 SUV, which will compete against the likes of the BMW X3 M and Mercedes-AMG GLC.
CarBuzz has spied the hot SUV before, but this is a better look at what to expect, namely the plug-in hybrid system under the hood. The yellow stickers give away that it’s a PHEV, and the strange, hopefully still not production wheel arch extensions make it clear this is an RS. Of course, it’s cruising along so we only hear tire noise, not the 2.9-liter V6. Expect it to make around 640 horsepower.
The next one appears to be Audi’s RS5 Avant. The hot version of the car that was named the A4 until Audi went mad with electrification. This, too, is likely to get the 2.9-liter V6 and PHEV system, making around the same amount of power as the RSQ5.
SQ9, Q9 Horch Hit The Highway
Audi SQ9 Spy PhotoCarBuzz/Valnet
Next up, Audi’s largest model makes an appearance. Audi still hasn’t revealed the Q9, at least not the exterior, but the SQ9 is out testing in the mountains with its 4.0-liter V8. Even the Q9 Horch (not the official name yet), Audi’s answer to Mercedes-Maybach, is testing its diesel V8 ahead of the new luxury brand’s launch.
The strange one is the VW Golf R with fender flares. Is Audi using this as some sort of mule for a new model? It has a BS plate code, which is for the German region of Braunschweig, where VW Group has a factory, while the other vehicles carry HN plates, which denote Audi’s Neckarsulm plant. We’re not going to speculate too much on that one, other than to note that a Golf R with a much wider track or some serious tires seems less likely than a mule for a new Audi TT or similar.
CarBuzz Insight – Why This Matters:
Volkswagen Golf R PrototypeCarBuzz/Valnet
Seeing this many prototypes at the same time and place shows just how rapidly Audi is launching new models. New models it needs, as it struggles to not just sell cars but to remain relevant in a market that seems to be leaving it behind.
Even better, most of these are the performance versions – and performance versions that didn’t exist before. This makes it clear that Audi isn’t walking away from performance anytime soon, even if it needs a plug-in system to help make it happen.
