In celebration of the 30th birthday of the Sport quattro, Audi will present its legitimate successor at the 2013 IAA in Frankfurt am Main. The Audi Sport quattro concept show car continues the grand quattro tradition, with a stunning coupe design and plug-in hybrid drive with a system output of 700 hp. Since the debut of the “Ur-quattro” in 1980, Audi has sold more than five million cars with permanent all-wheel drive, far more than any other premium manufacturer worldwide. The competition car “Sport quattro” wrote racing history when Walter Röhrl drove it to victory in the 1987 Pike's Peak International Hill Climb in Colorado, US. When the V8 and the electric motor work together, the Audi Sport quattro concept accelerates from 0 to 100 km/h in 3.7 seconds – much like the powerful Audi rally cars once did. Its top speed is 305 km/h. Audi Sport quattro concept show car has a powerful, intense road stance. The overhangs are short, the proportions sportily balanced. All of its design solutions are driven by a technical function. These include the angular, flat C-pillars and the rectangular double headlights featuring Audi's groundbreaking Matrix LED technology. Throughout the car, sharp contours frame tautly muscular surfaces. The grille is part of Audi's new design philosophy and provides a first glimpse at the future design of the sporty production models. The interior is focused on the driver. The steering wheel, digital instrument cluster and head-up display are all in the direct field of view. The lightweight construction typical for Audi is reflected both in the design and in the choice of materials. The support structure of the interior is a carbon shell. A crossbeam behind the rear seats provides for additional rigidity. The multifunction sport steering wheel is used to switch between a number of virtual 3D displays. Choices include a Race mode with central speedometer, track information and a stopwatch, for example, or the Setup mode with detailed information about numerous race tracks. The plug-in hybrid drive makes the Audi Sport quattro concept a breathtakingly dynamic coupe. System output is 700 hp; system torque is 800 Nm. Power flows through a modified eight-speed tiptronic to the quattro powertrain, which features a sport differential on the rear axle. The show car consumes on average 2.5 liters of fuel per 100 kilometers, a CO2 equivalent of 59 grams per kilometer. The Audi Sport quattro concept accelerates from 0 to 100 km/h in 3.7 seconds – much like the powerful Audi rally cars once did. Its top speed is 305 km/h. The combustion engine is a four-liter, twin-turbo V8. It produces 560 hp and 700 Nm of torque. The cylinder on demand (COD) system and a start-stop system make the sonorous eight-cylinder unit very efficient. Located between the 4.0 TFSI and the transmission is a disc-shaped electric motor producing 110 kW and 400 Nm. It draws its traction energy from a liquid-cooled lithium-ion battery in the rear with a capacity of 14.1 kWh. The Audi Sport quattro concept can cover up to 50 kilometers on electric power alone. An intelligent management system controls the interplay between the two drives as needed, and the driver can choose between various operating modes. EV mode is for purely electric driving; Hybrid mode for maximum efficiency and Sport mode for maximum performance. The lightweight construction concept also plays a large part in this dynamic performance. The occupant cell combines ultra-high-strength steel panels and cast aluminum structural elements; doors and fenders are made of aluminum, and the roof, engine hood and rear hatch are made of carbon fiber-reinforced polymer. The result is a curb weight of just 1,850 kilograms. Quattro is Audi and Audi is quattro – the brand and the technology are indelibly linked. In celebration of the 30th birthday of the Sport quattro, Audi will present its legitimate successor at the 2013 IAA in Frankfurt am Main. The Audi Sport quattro concept show car continues the grand quattro tradition, with a stunning coupe design and plug-in hybrid drive with a system output of 700 hp. Quattro is more than just a technology – quattro is a philosophy. The term stands for driving safety and sportiness, technical competence and a dynamic approach to life. Since the debut of the “Ur-quattro” in 1980, Audi has sold more than five million cars with permanent all-wheel drive, far more than any other premium manufacturer worldwide. The strengths of the quattro concept and its successes in racing have been impressively displayed for over three decades now. With the Audi Sport quattro concept show car, Audi is bringing this grand tradition into the present and taking up ideas again that were first seen in the Audi quattro concept study three years ago. The coupe combines the DNA of the Ur-quattro with dramatic elegance. It has a powerful, intense road stance, its body tautly perched over the 21-inch wheels. The overhangs are short, the proportions sportily balanced. With a wheelbase of 2,784 millimeters, it is 4,602 millimeters long. With 1,964 millimeters, the two-seater is very wide and at just 1,386 millimeters unusually low-slung. Like the Audi Sport quattro, the Audi Sport quattro concept was designed in the spirit of racing. None of its design solutions are an end unto themselves. — SG
