What If Audi Never Killed The RS5 Coupe?

The two-door coupe has long been part of the appeal of the Audi A5 and Audi RS5. But with the latest generation, Audi has shifted the lineup entirely to five-door Sedan and Avant body styles, leaving some enthusiasts wishing the coupe had not been retired.

Independent designer Sugar Design decided to imagine what a modern RS5 Coupe might look like if Audi had kept it alive for 2026. The front end stays very close to the real RS5, with large air intakes, a honeycomb grille, sharp Matrix LED headlights, and wide fenders with small vents.

From the side, the difference becomes clear. The coupe design shortens the wheelbase, stretches the doors, and gives the roof a steeper downward sweep toward the rear. The wider rear arches flow neatly into a tail design borrowed from the fastback model, complete with a large diffuser and Audi’s signature oval exhaust outlets.

Since the design is based on the latest RS5, it would likely use the same plug-in hybrid setup. That system combines a twin-turbo 2.9-liter V6 with an electric motor built into the eight-speed transmission and a 25.9 kWh battery. Together, they produce around 630 horsepower and 609 lb-ft of torque, sending power to all four wheels through a quattro system with torque vectoring and even a drift mode.

Even as a coupe, it would probably remain fairly heavy. The current RS5 Sedan weighs around 5,192 lbs, while the Avant is slightly heavier. A two-door version might shave off some mass, but it would still be heavier than earlier RS5 generations. With that much power, though, a 0-62 mph run in under 3.6 seconds seems very realistic, before topping out at about 177 mph.

The RS5 story goes back to 2010 with the B8 generation, powered by a naturally aspirated 4.2-liter V8. It was loud, rev-happy, and very much a product of its time. The B9 version arrived in 2017 with a twin-turbo V6 and eventually added the more practical Sportback body style.

The latest B10 generation changes things again with plug-in hybrid power and, for the first time, an RS5 Avant that effectively replaces both the RS4 and RS5 lines. Audi has also confirmed that the upcoming Concept C will become a production model, intended to carry the spirit of its smaller performance coupes forward. The twist is that it will be fully electric.

Source of renderings: Sugar Design