Audi Quattro Concept Production: Yes or No by September

Last year, Audi introduced the Quattro Concept, which was conceived to celebrate the 20th birthday of Audi’s legendary original Quattro model and all-wheel drive system. Last we heard of the four-ringed product, Audi was considering considering limited production of the model with development of the production model fairly advanced.

However, things aren’t as clear as they might first appear, as whether a tribute to the rally legend will make it into production was still up in the air. According to Inside Lane, a final decision will be made by the start of this year’s Frankfurt Auto Show in September.

“Although the final decision has been made, I’m hoping to remain optimistic that the Quattro Concept will get the green light for production” said Quattro GmbH’s head, Stephan Reil. He also stated that the production run could indeed be limited to about 500-1,000 units, and the the car could use a lot of exotic materials to keep the weight under 1,400 kg (3,086 pounds). However, he added that there would be "no better way of demonstrating Audi's 'Ultra' lightweight technologies."

It will use the same 4.2-liter engine as the RS5 but it will be tweaked to produce more than 450 hp. The engine would also have to be "mounted longitudinally instead of transversely," according to Reil. Despite the fact that an "amazing" full prototype has already been built, a production model would not come until 2013 at the earliest. We suspect this announcement is just to keep us tense, and the prototype is already heading to Frankfurt. If we’re right the Quattro might also see some motorsport application.