Thursday 12th September 2013

Audi Sport Quattro - will it be built?

Audi's head of concept design on whether or not we'll see it on the road 

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There was much to like about the original Paris 2010 Sport Quattro Concept, not least its hot hatch kerb weight and authentic 408hp five-cylinder turbo engine. 

Steve Lewis, British head of Audi's concept design studio, obviously agreed. Which is why we got another version of it at Frankfurt. So how's it different?

Expect this front end on your bumper soon...

"Well, we changed the colour!" he laughs, before taking a more serious tone. "From our side we really believed in the original Paris concept car and we wanted to have another go at it to get it into the heads of our management that we need to get this car made." Promising!

So why the half tonne weight gain, longer wheelbase and on-message hybrid theme? Albeit 700hp's worth. 

"I think before the marketing and management teams didn't see the numbers," he says. "Marketing said if it's going to sell we need more room in the back so with that influence we're testing the water again." A shift from an RS5-based platform to a newer RS6/RS7 one meant more room, a wider and more muscular stance to give it proper concept presence and that 560hp V8 too. 

Whether it makes it into production or not certain styling elements will. "The traditional Quattro wheelarches ... that's something we're really going to pick up on in the future for sure," says Lewis. So why did they ditch them for the new RS6? "We did try it but there was a problem with the rear door handle position. The blister was exactly where the door handle was."

Four headlights and the sharper grille elements will become signatures for forthcoming performance Audis though so expect a clearer identity for fast Audis in the years ahead.

  

 

[strummerville]

There was a comment in the old Autocar 'Past Masters' section on the ur quattro.
"Audi's masterpiece - they are still trying to match it's impact..."

With this corpulent offering, they never will.

[IAJO]

Back end looks a bit mustang/camaro ish and fromt end very audi. They'd sell enough if it is coupled with a reasonable engine choices.

[epom]

Not a nice yellow at all, doesnt suit it. Would be nice in the RS blue with the blackout pack.

[drcarrera]

I like it! Although the rear looks like an Aston Martin Vantage ...

[Liquid Tuna]

Needz moar chrome!!!

[anonymous-user]

If that was in the old rally colours and lost those disgusting US style wheels it might not look so bad.

[Riyazc]

Rear lights have a hint of maserati in them...

[QuattroDave]

I'd rather they built the 2010 concept which had the right looks, right engine, right length and right weight to be a sport Quattro successor.

This is just, well NOT a Quattro relative!

[Andy75]

Well, balls to all of you naysayers - I like it! :P

Then again, will pretty much not afford it either, so it's neither here nor there

[HighwayStar]

I'm not one to make the profetic do this and that and they'll sell loads but the 2010 concept seemed to nail pretty much what an enthusiast would want. Im sure Audi would've had no problem selling limited numbers of 750-1000 units.
Bigger, massive extra weight, I just don't see it. It would sell of course but it's just not what the 2010 car was.

[vit4]

It's like a cross between a Camaro and an Aston V8 Vantage. Not a bad thing though, prefer it to most stuff Audi churns out

[Yell_M3]

Looks too similar to my S5!

[Red than Dead]

Nope!!

[Guvernator]

I'm not usually one to jump on the Audi bashing bandwagon as I think they actually make some decentish cars. They might not be the last word in "driver enjoyment" but they get a lot of things right that the man on the street obviously appreciates going by their obvious popularity.

However a revival of the Sport Quattro name was a real chance for them to do something a bit different and win back some of that lost kudos amongst enthusiast drivers and the 2010 concept looked like a big step in the right direction. Unfortunately as is usually the case with Audi these days, it looks like the accountants and marketing men have stepped in again and turned that exciting concept into just another big fat Audi estate with too much weight and power.

That interview especially reads like a list of excuses as to why they couldn't do the original concept rather than reasons for why they should.

When the engineering department are allowed to, Audi can make some really exciting cars like the RS4 or the R8, it's just a shame that that marketing men don't seem to let them out to play very often.

Edited by Guvernator on Thursday 12th September 15:16

[Matthew Clarke]

Unless they take it rallying I am not going to take it seriously

As stated above shame they didnt use this opportunity to make a serious drivers car

[deltashad]

Looks like a 'tuner' had let loose on an A5.
From the back its quite unusual and I like it. Every other angle looks horrific. Cheap. Glitzy. Sickening. Vomit worthy.

[budgie smuggler]

Over-weight, over-sized, over-powered blob of st. 2010 concept much more interesting.

[AstroMonkey]

Well, looks divide (definitely doesn't look anything like a rally car) but this is just an obscure mix between an R8 Etron and an RS5.

1/10 Audi, get your st together.

[Countersteer]

Looks like a Cadillac coupe with an Audi grille/lights. I detest it...

[Endorphin]

Will it be built? Or should it be built?

I'd agree with the general consensus here and say no. It's not cutting edge enough in terms of tech or design to be at the top of the range (Vorsprung Durch Technik and all that). In fact, it's not cutting edge at all I'd argue.

Strikes me that it's an attempted spoiler to grab some headlines/coverage from BMW's altogether more intelligent i8. Or am I being cynical?