Why Audi Sport won't build an RS1 | PH Meets
PH chews the Audi Sport fat with Oliver Hoffman and Julius Seebach
Before flying home from the Audi RS6 Avant launch earlier this month, I sat down with the bosses of Audi Sport for a wide-ranging conversation. I spoke to co-managing directors Oliver Hoffmann and Julius Seebach about the British government's plan to ban the sale of new combustion engine cars from 2035, the next R8 supercar and the company's motorsport activities. I even pitched my idea for a hot version of the A1 hatchback. It takes inspiration from the Group B-derived Sport Quattro. It's hard to say if Hoffmann and Seebach shared my vision for a four-wheel drive S1 with 300hp and a manual gearbox - read on and see what you think.
Q: The British government has announced plans to ban the sale of new petrol, diesel and hybrid cars from 2035. Does that seem realistic to you?
Hoffmann: Electrification is a foundation for Audi Sport's future. We kicked off electrification last year with mild-hybrid models like the RS6. Later this year we will present our first fully electric sports car, the e-tron GT. We will also develop plug-in hybrid cars in future, which means we will have a wide range of powertrains. I'm a fan of our five-cylinder engine -- we will continue to have this engine in the future.
Q: Will 15 years be enough time to switch the electric cars only?
Hoffmann: It's a question of market regulations. If we have some markets where combustion engines will be forbidden, there is no other choice but to go with fully electric cars. But my opinion is we will continue with plug-in hybrids in the future. We will have the right answer for each market.
Q: How is Audi Sport's Formula E programme influencing its road cars?
Hoffmann: We work very closely with the guys from our motorsport division regarding battery technology, power electronics and so on. This is a good opportunity for us to get experience from our motorsport guys and bring it into our series cars. It's not just battery technology; it's also the cooling system, where we see very high development speeds.
Q: What does the immediate future hold for Audi Sport?
Seebach: Last year we celebrated 25 years of RS, starting with the RS2 in 1994. Since then we've seen a constant increase in our portfolio and also volumes. We're seeing big demand in markets worldwide and we will bring our cars to more markets than in the past - for instance, making the RS6 available in the United States. We will double our sales figures by the end of 2023 with this strategy. There are lots of opportunities with BEV technology. We see a bright future and we think we can bring Audi Sport to the next level.
Q: I have an idea for a hot version of the A1. That car already has three slots in the nose like the Group B Sport Quattro. All it needs now is four-wheel drive, wider bodywork, 300hp and manual gearbox... What do you think?
Hoffmann: The RS3 is our entry point into the RS world at the moment. The platforms it uses is already available with four-wheel drive, cooling...everything you need for an RS model. But to make an RS1, for example? We would have to spend a lot of money on the platform. We are focusing instead on B and C segment models, starting with the RS3.
Q: So that's a no to an RS1. But what about an S1?
[A PR minder steps in to say they can't discuss an S model right now.]
Hoffmann: No decision has been taken yet.
Q: Have we now reached the top of the curve in terms of power output, or will Audi Sport's next generation performance cars be even more powerful?
Hoffmann: We see very high demand from our customers for more and more and more power. Electrification is a foundation for our future in terms of meeting all the regulations worldwide, but with electrification we also have the chance to increase the full system power of our cars. I remember a few years ago everyone was talking about downsizing and decreasing weight - no, there is still high demand for power from our customers and we have a chance to fulfil this with electrification. But consequently, weight is a big challenge for the next generation RS models.
Q: Sound is an important part of a performance car, but electric cars are almost silent. How will you address that?
Hoffmann: We are working very hard to design a special electric sound. A synthetic combustion engine sound is not the correct answer. We will see differentiation between brands, so there will be a special Audi Sport electric sound. Every brand will have a specific electric sound. But we will still have plug-in hybrids with combustion engines, which I'm very happy about.
Q: The R8 was updated last year, but it's been with us since 2015. Is the third-generation R8 on its way?
Hoffmann: First of all, we introduced the facelifted one last year so we are in the middle of the lifecycle of the current mode. We are working very hard to reach a concept for the next R8. It will have to fulfil all the regulations worldwide, which means it will be electrified. We are working on the concept, but there is no decision yet regarding technology or a platform.
Q: And are you already working with Lamborghini on this project?
Hoffmann: Yes, we are working very closely with all the others brands in the group, which means Porsche as well as Lamborghini.
Seebach: Being part of the Volkswagen Group gives us opportunities, economies of scale and access to technology. That means we can focus on the things that bring Audi Sport high performance DNA to the car, and work together with the other brands on its platform, electric strategy and so on.
Q: Does that mean the next R8 will be full electric?
Hoffmann: No decision has been taken yet regarding the technology of the next R8. But an important consideration is that the current model is the basis for our customer racing programme, and we have to fulfil the demand for customer racing in the future. The next R8 has to fit together with this. Last year we ran more than 700 races worldwide with the R8 GT4 and R8 GT3.
Seebach: We can manufacturer the R8 alongside the e-tron GT on the same production line. With regards to assembly, it would be a small step to bring the two concepts together.
Q: I love the emotional side of driving a mechanical performance car. Is there anything you can say to make me believe an electric sports car can be not just very fast, but also fun to drive?
Hoffmann: [After a long pause] Look at watches - you can have a mechanical one or something like an Apple Watch. The Apple Watch doesn't try to copy the mechanical one. If you drive our e-tron GT, it feels very different to a completely mechanical car, but it's still an emotional car. Not just the design, but also the behaviour of the car, the response...it's very direct. The throttle response is amazing. It is different to a combustion engine car, but it's just another type of emotional driving.
So, to sum up. Electrification - which encompasses hybrids as well as full EVs - is about to become a big deal for Audi Sport, just as it is for every major car maker on the planet. Not only will electrification help to ramp up horsepower figures, it will also underpin an unprecedented two-fold increase in Audi Sport sales over the next three years.
Meanwhile, there might well be an S1 on the cards. That stock response so beloved of car company execs - 'no decision has been taken yet' - means one of two things: one, 'you will hear about this new model very soon'; or two, 'no decision has been taken yet'. If the idea for an S1 had already been discussed and dismissed entirely, wouldn't Hoffmann or Seebach just say so?
We know for certain the next R8 is being planned already and that it will be electrified in some way, but that doesn't necessarily mean it'll be a full EV. The need for it to support Audi Sport's customer racing programme tells us there will be a combustion engine version, or at the very least, a hybrid one.
Finally, you can add Audi Sport to the long list of performance car manufacturers that haven't yet been able to reassure me a fully electric sports car could actually be fun to drive the way a mechanical, combustion engine car can be, and not merely very fast in a straight line. In that sense, the future of the sports car still looks somewhat uncertain from where I'm sitting...
Watch the PH video review of the RS6 Avant here
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