Photo: Andrei Tutu
Mercedes already has the bespoke AMG GT sportscar that seems to be grabbing everyone's attention these days, while BMW is probably going to revive the M1 sooner rather than later. Not being the ones to sit idly by and let the competition run away with the prize, Audi is likely to turn the quattro nameplate into something rather special as well.
Speaking to Autocar magazine, Audi's charismatic new design director Marc Lichte, the man behind the Prologue, revealed a quattro sportscar is back on the table. It was four years ago at the Paris Motor Show that they revealed the first concept, followed by a second version fitted with laser headlights last year. After that, it sounded like the company pulled the plug.
“The two concepts we did had base potential but we can do something more extreme,” he said. “We have restarted this project and made them more extreme. It’s still a secret though… There will be surprises.”
Engineering or developing such a car is not the only problem Audi faces. Their lineup is filled with all sorts of different sports coupe models, ranging from the 310 HP TTS to the 450 HP RS5 and the R8. Whatever they make needs to be different than all of these and still sell well.
At the beginning of this year, Audi Chief Technical Officer Ulrich Hackenberg also hinted the Sport quattro would enter production around 2017, though he failed to provide details. The last version of the concept weighed 1,850 kg (4,078 lbs) and had a hybrid powertrain comprising of a 4.0-liter twin-turbo V8 TFSI engine generating 560 HP and an electric motor with another 150 HP. It was theoretically good for 0 to 100 km/h in 3.7 seconds and a top speed of 189.52 mph (305 km/h).
Its green side was also pleasantly surprising, as the on-board battery gave it a range of 31 miles (50 km) and a combined fuel consumption rating of 2.5 l/100km (113 mpg UK), slightly down on the 2.1 l/100km (121 mpg UK) of the BMW i8, but still impressive.
The concept measured 4602mm (181.18 inches) long, 1964mm (77.32 inches) wide and 1386mm (54.57 inches) tall, with a 2784mm (109.61 inches) wheelbase, meaning it slightly shorter and visibly wider than a BMW M4.
“The two concepts we did had base potential but we can do something more extreme,” he said. “We have restarted this project and made them more extreme. It’s still a secret though… There will be surprises.”
Engineering or developing such a car is not the only problem Audi faces. Their lineup is filled with all sorts of different sports coupe models, ranging from the 310 HP TTS to the 450 HP RS5 and the R8. Whatever they make needs to be different than all of these and still sell well.
At the beginning of this year, Audi Chief Technical Officer Ulrich Hackenberg also hinted the Sport quattro would enter production around 2017, though he failed to provide details. The last version of the concept weighed 1,850 kg (4,078 lbs) and had a hybrid powertrain comprising of a 4.0-liter twin-turbo V8 TFSI engine generating 560 HP and an electric motor with another 150 HP. It was theoretically good for 0 to 100 km/h in 3.7 seconds and a top speed of 189.52 mph (305 km/h).
Its green side was also pleasantly surprising, as the on-board battery gave it a range of 31 miles (50 km) and a combined fuel consumption rating of 2.5 l/100km (113 mpg UK), slightly down on the 2.1 l/100km (121 mpg UK) of the BMW i8, but still impressive.
The concept measured 4602mm (181.18 inches) long, 1964mm (77.32 inches) wide and 1386mm (54.57 inches) tall, with a 2784mm (109.61 inches) wheelbase, meaning it slightly shorter and visibly wider than a BMW M4.
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