Photo: kelsonik / Instagram
Everywhere around the world, with maybe the exception of China, the automotive situation is pretty dire for passenger cars – and it's all due to the rising passion for crossovers, SUVs, and trucks.
In Europe, for example, CUV and SUV deliveries covered no less than 51% of the new vehicle sales quotation last year, rising 19% compared to 2022. In America, the first seven best-selling nameplates are trucks and SUVs, with only the eternal Toyota Camry mid-size sedan punching into the top ten. After it, the next passenger car only comes in 12th place – Tesla's Model 3, which keeps it company, from a distance, to fifth-placed Model Y.
However, some automakers obstinately invest in passenger cars. Of course, some are helped by their wider margins, so it's easy to understand why premium brands still keep a relatively big cluster of passenger cars. Curiously, some of them also shell out the big bucks to make high-performance versions in formats that are currently almost on life support. Let's take a look at Audi and BMW for a quick CGI second because they just released information about their latest station wagon heroes.
The Ingolstadt-based automaker has just 660 examples prepared for the RS 6 Avant GT special edition on a worldwide level, so maybe there's a chance that it will also arrive in the United States. Meanwhile, BMW also shared the first look at its all-new 5 Series Touring, and the big estate can also be had in the i5 Touring flavor. Of course, some people might ask what Audi's RS 6 Avant GT has to do with BMW's more relaxed i5 Touring.
Well, two things. For starters, the GT special edition keeps the same 4.0-liter turbo V8 credentials as the RS 6 Avant performance variant, including 621 horsepower and 625 pound-feet of torque (850 Nm), which is enough to shoot to 124 mph (200 kph) in 11.5 seconds and a maximum speed of 190 mph (305 kph). On the other hand, BMW also has an i5 Touring that's eerily coming close to that level of performance – the i5 Touring M60 xDrive, which churns out a combined EV output of 593 hp and 605 lb-ft (820 Nm), so it needs just 3.9 seconds to hit 62 mph!
Secondly, they have both attracted – and for good measure – the attention of the imaginative realm of digital car content creators. More precisely, Nikita Chuicko, the virtual artist better known as kelsonik on social media, thinks now is the right time to work on a couple of cool station wagons – and he's absolutely right. Between the Audi RS 6 Avant GT and the BMW i5 Touring M60 xDrive, you could teach a lesson or two to any crossover or SUV out there.
Even better, the pixel master worked his subtle CGI magic again – treating the RS 6 GT to five new colors, tinted windows and taillights, and 23-inch Brixton Forged CM10 aftermarket lightweight wheels. Just for good measure, he also reworked the i5 Touring M60 with a redesigned front lip and a nice set of modern Y-spoke aftermarket wheels. So, which of these two would you take home if money is no object of concern (after all, the RS 6 GT costs $236k in Europe, and the i5 Touring should be way cheaper) and why?
However, some automakers obstinately invest in passenger cars. Of course, some are helped by their wider margins, so it's easy to understand why premium brands still keep a relatively big cluster of passenger cars. Curiously, some of them also shell out the big bucks to make high-performance versions in formats that are currently almost on life support. Let's take a look at Audi and BMW for a quick CGI second because they just released information about their latest station wagon heroes.
The Ingolstadt-based automaker has just 660 examples prepared for the RS 6 Avant GT special edition on a worldwide level, so maybe there's a chance that it will also arrive in the United States. Meanwhile, BMW also shared the first look at its all-new 5 Series Touring, and the big estate can also be had in the i5 Touring flavor. Of course, some people might ask what Audi's RS 6 Avant GT has to do with BMW's more relaxed i5 Touring.
Well, two things. For starters, the GT special edition keeps the same 4.0-liter turbo V8 credentials as the RS 6 Avant performance variant, including 621 horsepower and 625 pound-feet of torque (850 Nm), which is enough to shoot to 124 mph (200 kph) in 11.5 seconds and a maximum speed of 190 mph (305 kph). On the other hand, BMW also has an i5 Touring that's eerily coming close to that level of performance – the i5 Touring M60 xDrive, which churns out a combined EV output of 593 hp and 605 lb-ft (820 Nm), so it needs just 3.9 seconds to hit 62 mph!
Secondly, they have both attracted – and for good measure – the attention of the imaginative realm of digital car content creators. More precisely, Nikita Chuicko, the virtual artist better known as kelsonik on social media, thinks now is the right time to work on a couple of cool station wagons – and he's absolutely right. Between the Audi RS 6 Avant GT and the BMW i5 Touring M60 xDrive, you could teach a lesson or two to any crossover or SUV out there.
Even better, the pixel master worked his subtle CGI magic again – treating the RS 6 GT to five new colors, tinted windows and taillights, and 23-inch Brixton Forged CM10 aftermarket lightweight wheels. Just for good measure, he also reworked the i5 Touring M60 with a redesigned front lip and a nice set of modern Y-spoke aftermarket wheels. So, which of these two would you take home if money is no object of concern (after all, the RS 6 GT costs $236k in Europe, and the i5 Touring should be way cheaper) and why?
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