First Audi RS 5 Avant lands in NZ after ‘staggering’ early response to performance PHEV

New Zealanders are getting an early look at the new Audi RS 5 Avant, with a pre-production example arriving on local shores before the first customer vehicles have even been delivered in Europe.

The left-hand-drive RS 5 is in New Zealand solely for showcase duties and will make its public debut at Auckland's Britomart precinct on June 24 before embarking on a nationwide dealer roadshow.

It gives Kiwi enthusiasts an exclusive preview of Audi Sport’s latest flagship performance wagon, ahead of the first customer deliveries, which are now expected to begin in August.

The RS 5 arrives in New Zealand with some big shoes to fill. Offered in sedan and Avant body styles and priced from $194,990 and $196,990 respectively, it directly replaces the RS 4 Avant while also helping plug the gap left by the V8-powered RS 6 Avant, which ended production earlier this year.

However, early indications suggest the RS 5 has already struck a cord with Kiwis. Audi New Zealand says demand has already exceeded expectations, with around 50 customer orders secured ahead of launch.

“We’re looking at August arrivals for the very first cars,” Audi New Zealand sales and product planning manager Ina Economopoulos told CarExpert.

“There’s quite a few pre-sold customer orders already, which is really exciting, and they start arriving towards the end of the year.”

“The global demand has definitely exceeded what they [Europe] thought because we always planned quite a high volume for this car. There’s other markets that are maybe a bit more cautious in their planning.”

Audi New Zealand general manager Greg Leet said the response from local buyers had been exceptionally strong.

“The response from New Zealanders has been staggering, and we’re excited to give them the opportunity to experience the RS 5 Avant a bit sooner than expected. For anyone keen to secure one of these models, we would encourage you to talk to your local Audi dealership.”

The enthusiasm is perhaps unsurprising given New Zealand’s unique position within Audi’s global performance-car business.

According to Ms Economopoulos, New Zealand is Audi’s number-one market globally for RS sales on a per-capita basis, with Kiwis buying more RS-badged models relative to population than any other country.

The new RS 5 Avant sits at the top of the A5 lineup and continues a bloodline stretching back more than three decades.

Audi traces the heritage of its performance wagons to the legendary RS2 Avant, launched in 1994 and widely regarded as the world’s first high-performance wagon. That lineage continued through four generations of RS4 Avant before the baton was passed to the new RS 5 Avant under Audi’s revised naming strategy.

The new-generation RS 5 is also a major technical departure for Audi Sport.

It’s the brand’s first plug-in hybrid RS model, pairing a twin-turbocharged 2.9-litre V6 petrol engine with an electric motor and a 22kWh battery pack. Combined outputs stand at 470kW of power and 825Nm of torque, a substantial increase over the outgoing RS4 Avant’s 331kW and 600Nm.

Audi says the plug-in hybrid system also enables an electric-only driving range of approximately 80km.

The twin-turbocharged V6 and electric motor deliver a 0 - 100km/h time of 3.7 seconds and both models will accelerate onto an electronically limited top speed of 250km/h.

In European specification, the RS 5 Avant weighs 2370kg. Despite the additional mass of its battery and electric motor, Audi claims the newcomer improves on the RS4 Avant’s power-to-weight ratio.

According to Audi New Zealand, the RS4 offered 5.2kg/kW, while the new RS 5 improves that figure to 5.0kg/kW.

The performance flagship also arrives with pricing that undercuts several key rivals, with both sedan and Avant variants priced below the equivalent BMW M3 Sedan and Touring, as well as the Mercedes-AMG C63 S E Performance.

Standard equipment includes RS-specific exterior styling, LED headlights, OLED tail-lights, a Bang & Olufsen 3D sound system and heated, ventilated, and massaging front seats.

Buyers can also option carbon-fibre styling packages and an Audi Sport package, which lifts the electronically limited top speed from 250km/h to 285km/h.

While Audi New Zealand previously announced a September launch timing, the arrival of this pre-production example means local enthusiasts will be among the first in the world to see the new RS 5 in person.

Following its Auckland debut, the RS 5 Avant will visit Audi dealerships around the country, before the first customer vehicles begin arriving.

MORE: 2026 Audi RS5: NZ pricing revealed for 250km/h PHEV sedan and Avant

Audi RS 5 Avant dealer roadshow schedule