Vehicles designated simply as “Quattro”—in contrast to vehicles with the name affixed to another badge—carry significant history at Audi. The original Quattro is remembered for its absolute dominance in the rally world of the 1980s. That car led to a homologation special, the 1984 Sport Quattro, which has a cult following of its own. Audi, of course, is well aware of the significance of the name and launched the Quattro concept in 2010. Three years later, the four-ring brand is at it again: the automaker will debut the Sport Quattro concept at the Frankfurt auto show next month.
Specifications aren’t yet finalized, but we hear that the Sport Quattro concept is a plug-in hybrid, powered by a combination of the Volkswagen Group’s twin-turbocharged 4.0-liter V-8 and an electric motor that produces nearly 150 horsepower. Total output should surpass 600 horsepower, which will loft the car into the rarified air of the supercar stratosphere. Power will be transmitted to all four wheels, logically, through a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic. A 0-to-60 time of 3.0 seconds and a top speed of 200 mph likely will be possible.
The Sport Quattro concept will be capable of driving on electric power alone. The plug-in hybrid powertrain qualifies the vehicle for Audi’s “e-tron” moniker, but it’s unclear whether the automaker will use such branding. In the name of lowering the center of gravity and offsetting the weight of the front-mounted gasoline engine, the heavy battery pack will be placed below the trunk.
The concept will make use of Audi’s modular-longitudinal MLB architecture, and whereas the Quattro concept was based on a shortened A5 platform, the closest relative of the new Sport Quattro concept is the RS7. “We have moved up a class,” an Audi source tells us. With a total length of around 185 inches, the new concept will be a two-plus-two coupe, but it will have usable—by adult standards—rear seats. Those four seats will rest on a carbon-fiber framework both to keep weight down and to keep aesthetics up. The gauge cluster will be made up for a configurable TFT display, which will be launched in production form in the next-generation TT and high-performance variants of the next A4. To top it off, as it were, Audi has installed a head-up display in the Sport Quattro.
The concept’s styling borrows from those models that have borne the same name: the Quattro concept, the Sport Quattro, and the original Quattro. The burly C-pillar is a signature element seen in all three of these models, and it continues with the Sport Quattro concept, while the four LED headlamp units specifically evoke the original Quattro. But it wouldn’t be a modern offering from Quattro GmbH without the RS-specific styling cues we’ve become accustomed to, such as the honeycomb grille and the enormous oval exhaust outlets.
- Feature: Audi Quattro Concept Meets Ur-Quattro
- Instrumented Test: 2013 Audi RS5
- Instrumented Test: 2014 Audi R8 V-10 Plus
The Sport Quattro hasn’t been approved for production, but we understand that Audi is strongly considering a small run of 200 or 333 units. If the green light is given to those in Neckarsulm, a production-spec Sport Quattro could hit the road within two to three years at a price point loftier than the R8’s.
So is this Audi’s answer to the other plug-in hybrid sports car, the BMW i8? “It is a message not to BMW, but to the world,” our confidant says. That’s a bold statement—just like the car.
Source: CarAndDriver
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