Quattro's new boss: PH Meets

Heinz-Peter Hollerweger talks diesels, hybrids and the importance of ludicrous power for future fast Audis

Germany's in-house performance divisions have been playing musical chairs recently.

Earlier this year Quattro GmbH's then-boss Franciscus van Meelsuddenly left to head up Audi's Chinese operations, after reportedly falling out with the company's overall product supremo Ulrich Hackenberg (we can only presume the head of Audi Siberia was already taken.) Since then, perhaps not altogether surprisingly, van Meel has left Audi and will shortly be taking the reins of BMW's M-Division, following the retirement of the genial Friedrich Nitschke. Meaning that Quattro also has a new boss, veteran Audi engineer Heinz Peter Hollerweger, who we spent an illuminating 30 minutes with at the Paris show.

If a C63 stays V8 then the RS4 will. Good

In corporate terms, Austrian-born Hollerweger is the safest pair of hands, an Audi lifer whose last job before Quattro was as overall head of vehicle development. The good news is he's certainly not a corporate clone, attending the Paris show wearing a jaunty cravat in stark contrast to the grey-over-grey suits of most of his colleagues. And although Hollerweger doesn't quite match the fearless honesty of Hackenberg - a man who has been known to discuss the finer points of his five-year model plan while PRs slit their wrists in the background - he's certainly happy to tell it like it is.

We start with the thorny question of diesel-powered RS models. Audi has been dropping some very broad hints that these are going to happen, none broader than letting hacks have a go in a prototype with "RS5 TDI" written on the side of it, but Hollerweger insists that diesel RSes aren't a done deal yet. "That battle has not been won yet," he says. "It's one of the battles, but I have to say it's mainly a European battle."

When pressed harder, Hollerweger raises the interesting prospect that high-performance diesels might not be full 'RS' models, with Quattro effectively creating an equivalent of BMW's M Performance diffusion line. "I'm not sure if you should weaken the strength of the RS brand with two different engines [in the same model]. But I could really imagine having some design elements and performance elements of the RS with a diesel engine. Whether it's called 'RS' or not I don't know, it's not decided."

And the five-cylinder turbo stays. More good news!

There's positive news on the division's existing powerplants, with Hollerweger confirming secure futures for both the warbling 2.5-litre five-cylinder and the almighty twin-turbocharged V8. Audi's announcement earlier this year of a 400hp version of the existing EA888 four-cylinder turbo seemed to make the five-pot redundant, but Hollerweger confirms it will be developed, hinting it will produce substantially more power "I think that 400hp is not the limit of the five-cylinder at all," but also that Quattro still wants its 'own' powerplant for the junior RSes. "I think its value is not only pure power. It's an exciting engine, the sound and the feel is unique - and it will have significantly more torque at low revs."

The twin-turbocharged V8's future also looks rosy, with Hollerweger's refusal to confirm that power levels have peaked effectively confirming a plus version of the RS6 and RS7, likely to have around 600hp - "I think people with money still like to buy horsepower." He also said that Quattro will continue to develop V8 engines for next-generation models, and even hinted that the next RS4 and RS5 will be sticking with eight-cylinder power rather than following BMW down the downsizing route. "Look at Mercedes," he says, "they have introduced the C63 with an eight cylinder." He didn't quite tip a comedy wink at this point, but it wasn't far off.

Hollerweger is a career Audi man

The really new news is part-electric powertrains, with plans clearly advanced to bring some volt-based assistance to RS models. Separately at the show Hackenberg said there would be a hybrid version of the next R8 in conjunction with the fully-electric E-Tron, and Hollerweger confirmed that work is advanced on producing part-electric powertrains, with Quattro's role as a technology leader meaning its products will be used to showcase new performance technology. "High performance electric driven cars or part electric cars don't need to use a big battery at all. There's no engine that has better torque at zero revs than an electric [motor], and I believe you can adopt it into a high performance car without carrying 250kg or even 150kg of batteries."

He also confirmed that the electric turbochargers that Audi has been talking about for several years will be here very soon, with the move to 48-volt electrical systems making them possible. Active 'performance' aero is also coming, in addition to the sort of efficiency-boosting active systems that Audi AG is working on.

Diesel RS models "not a done deal yet"

When it comes to growing Quattro, Hollerweger takes a relaxed approach. "It's hard to say if there's a natural size for the number of cars we products - maybe 15,000, maybe 20,000, maybe 25,000," he offers. "But the important thing is to make sure the cars are right, not to aim at growth at any price. If there's a natural growth, that's great - but I want to keep RS models as niche models, not mainstream models."

So does that mean fewer RS versions? Probably not. "I wouldn't say it's necessary to have RS models for all, but I cannot say 'this is too small' or 'this is too big' - an RS1 could be a nice alternative, even if there is a very small market for these cars - as well as an RS Q7. I certainly wouldn't exclude that for the future at all."

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