Photo: Audi
First there was quattro GmbH, which used to develop the go-faster Audi models we all know and love. But in 2016, the company changed its name to reflect that all-wheel-drive isn’t the only specialty of the four-ringed automaker’s performance division.
Under Audi Sport GmbH, the Neckarsulm-based outfit started experimented with rear-wheel-drive, with the R8 RWS paving the way to more tail-happy sports cars and supercars.
Stephan Winkelmann, who prepares to take the reins of Bugatti following his imminent leave of Audi Sport, confirmed that electrification is key to the future. Speaking at the RS4 Avant launch to Autocar, Winkelmann let it be known the first Audi Sport EV will come “by the end of 2020,” but didn’t offer any details in regard to powertrain, range, or even body style.
“We are also looking into cars which are, let’s say, in a growing segment or a body segment which is growing. These are the Qs,” he added, and it shouldn’t come as a surprise. After all, sport utility vehicles and crossovers are outselling conventional-bodied cars, with the sedan and multi-purpose vehicle segments hit hardest by this change in the market.
Electric power, however, isn’t all there is to the future of Audi Sport. Winkelmann mentioned that “a lot of turbo engines” are coming until the end of the decade, and the automaker is committed to keeping them alive for as long as legislators allow internal combustion to keep on keeping on.
Probably the most important electric Audi that’s confirmed to premiere in 2018 is the e-tron. Scheduled to enter production at the four-ringed automaker’s Brussels plant in Belgium, the newcomer will boast sharp styling and ride on the electric equivalent of the MQB platform (MEB).
Previewed by the e-tron quattro Concept (pictured), which was unveiled in 2015, the production-spec model will be available in two configurations in the first instance, with the third variant expected to go on sale in 2019. Pricing for the entry-level model, which could pack 300 horsepower, is estimated at $60,000.
“We are also looking into cars which are, let’s say, in a growing segment or a body segment which is growing. These are the Qs,” he added, and it shouldn’t come as a surprise. After all, sport utility vehicles and crossovers are outselling conventional-bodied cars, with the sedan and multi-purpose vehicle segments hit hardest by this change in the market.
Electric power, however, isn’t all there is to the future of Audi Sport. Winkelmann mentioned that “a lot of turbo engines” are coming until the end of the decade, and the automaker is committed to keeping them alive for as long as legislators allow internal combustion to keep on keeping on.
Probably the most important electric Audi that’s confirmed to premiere in 2018 is the e-tron. Scheduled to enter production at the four-ringed automaker’s Brussels plant in Belgium, the newcomer will boast sharp styling and ride on the electric equivalent of the MQB platform (MEB).
Previewed by the e-tron quattro Concept (pictured), which was unveiled in 2015, the production-spec model will be available in two configurations in the first instance, with the third variant expected to go on sale in 2019. Pricing for the entry-level model, which could pack 300 horsepower, is estimated at $60,000.
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