Photo: Theophilus Chin
So far, Audi's new head of design has done... some of what he promised. When Marc Lichte joined the company, he said everything would stop looking the same.
After the Q7 came out, he apologized and said that one was ready when he arrived. Then came the all-new A4 sedan that most people said looked like a minor facelift. To make matters worse, the A3 compact models are getting the same headlights as the A4.
So we think Lichte's greatest legacy will remain with the Prologue family of stunning concepts, constructed in several body styles. The A8 will be the first car designed from scratch by him and should come out together with the A6 and A7 in 2018.
Graphics designer Theophilus Chin jumped the gun a little bit and made renderings of the next RS6 Avant, even going as far as to revive the sedan body. We like what he's done; no, we love it, as the wagon body is even sexier than the current 560 PS machine.
The RS6 is probably the most respected and revered Audi performance vehicle. The current generation switched from a V10 to a smaller V8 without any losses in performance. We have no idea what will happen with the next generation, expected in 2019 or later, but Audi and Porsche are currently working on a brand new family of modular V6 and V8 engines. So the displacement of the next quattro wagon will be the same as the 2017 Panamera Turbo's.
Lichte's idea for the Avant body is that the roofline provides the practicality while the sloped D-pillar gives it a sportier look. Inspiration comes from the 5000, which was the company's first Avant in the early 1980s.
Sadly, America doesn't want a performance wagon, but it might get a sedan instead, just like it's happening with the RS3. Within the next three or four years, the performance market will take a dramatic turn towards electric power as the next M5 is reportedly going to have AWD and a hybrid system. So far, Audi hasn't taken such measures. But it wouldn't surprise anybody if RS and e-tron joined in one car. In fact, the Prologue had a hybridized V8 powertrain, if we remember correctly.
So we think Lichte's greatest legacy will remain with the Prologue family of stunning concepts, constructed in several body styles. The A8 will be the first car designed from scratch by him and should come out together with the A6 and A7 in 2018.
Graphics designer Theophilus Chin jumped the gun a little bit and made renderings of the next RS6 Avant, even going as far as to revive the sedan body. We like what he's done; no, we love it, as the wagon body is even sexier than the current 560 PS machine.
The RS6 is probably the most respected and revered Audi performance vehicle. The current generation switched from a V10 to a smaller V8 without any losses in performance. We have no idea what will happen with the next generation, expected in 2019 or later, but Audi and Porsche are currently working on a brand new family of modular V6 and V8 engines. So the displacement of the next quattro wagon will be the same as the 2017 Panamera Turbo's.
Lichte's idea for the Avant body is that the roofline provides the practicality while the sloped D-pillar gives it a sportier look. Inspiration comes from the 5000, which was the company's first Avant in the early 1980s.
Sadly, America doesn't want a performance wagon, but it might get a sedan instead, just like it's happening with the RS3. Within the next three or four years, the performance market will take a dramatic turn towards electric power as the next M5 is reportedly going to have AWD and a hybrid system. So far, Audi hasn't taken such measures. But it wouldn't surprise anybody if RS and e-tron joined in one car. In fact, the Prologue had a hybridized V8 powertrain, if we remember correctly.
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