Audi unveils E-Tron Quattro

[DanDC5]

Audi have launched their 2012 Le Mans challenger, stupid name, no doubt it'll win though.

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/97739

[thanetspeedshop]

Stupid name? Apparently 'etron' means st in French...

Can we only hope that when they race against Toyota at Le Mans, the Japanese will revive the MR2 name?

[ajprice]

If they are going to have the fins on the back, they look better black than painted up with the livery and logos.

[Richard-G]

the new etron looks like it has a nightrider strobe on the front of the nose! thats quite cool.........

[caine100]

The R18 E-Tron Quattro sounds like it's straight out of the marketing department and the fact that they will be running the two factory R18 Ultra diesels alongside them suggests to me that they have no faith in the hybrids.

[Allyc85]

caine100 said:

The R18 E-Tron Quattro sounds like it's straight out of the marketing department and the fact that they will be running the two factory R18 Ultra diesels alongside them suggests to me that they have no faith in the hybrids.

That was my very first thought! And if the hybrids break down they will just brush if off as new tech to them, but if they win they win they will be lapping it right up!

Il be supporting Toyota this year, it would be great to see someone different win it, and the noise a racing diesel makes is just wrong!

[ArnageWRC]

I think Audi have been desperate to get the Quattro name back in top level World Motorsport - so having a Hybrid driving the front wheels make sense. Despite all their recent Le Mans/ Sportscar success, Audi are still best known for the Quattro,,,,and the WRC......

[caine100]

PW said:

Except they've put their best drivers in the two hybrid cars,

Putting the best drivers in the hybrid cars screams marketing department once again to me. No one expects much from Toyota running unproven tech in their first time back and with Peugeot pulling out Audi don't really have any competition to worry about. It's the perfect scenario to run the hybrids, market Audi's e-tron hybrid tech and get that Quattro name back on a race car.

PW said:

and only the hybrid cars are entered in the WEC, rather than the "safe" option of 1 hybrid and 1 ultra.

Audi press release said:

Audi plans to enter an R18 e-tron quattro and an R18 ultra in the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC)."

[tmk2]

Also good to see the Williams Flybrid is getting high profile customers