Audi Quattro Heads for Production

KOMPAS.com - A huge response to the stunning Audi Quattro Concept Paris motor show car is unprecedented, says designer.

A rapturous response to Audi's Quattro Concept means the Paris motor show star should soon be in showrooms. The 30th anniversary tribute to the original all-wheel-drive Quattro was one of the few true surprise reveals of the show, and it delighted most people, designer Steve Wright told Drive.

"The chances of production are pretty high from the feedback we are getting," the 20-year Volkswagen Group veteran said. "I've never seen such response to a show car. Even our bosses are saying 'we have to do it, we have to do it'."

The Quattro Concept's striking exterior evokes the original around the rear-most pillar (C-pillar), complete with Audi's four-ringed logo embossed within.

But Audi's latest E-Tron electric sports car family shines through in the Quattro's aggressive, hooded front-end, introducing a freshened design theme. Clothed in aluminium panels and a carbon-fibre bonnet and rear hatch, it weighs in at just 1300kg, the same as the original Quattro that helped redefine world rallying.

"That was one of the aims of the project," Lewis confirmed. "The brief was to go mainly light weight to demonstrate Audi's use of technology and light weight production."

The Quattro Concept is powered by the five-cylinder twin turbo engine from the TT-RS mounted longitudinally in a shortened version of the underpinnings used on the RS5 coupe.

With the twin-turbo engine pumping out 300kW and traction delivered by the RS5's sophisticated all-wheel-drive system, the Quattro Concept promises stunning performance. Audi claims a 3.9 second 0-100km/h time.

We'll soon know how accurate that is as the Concept car from the Paris motor show is a full-runner and Audi plans to make it available to the media for no-holds barred testing.

Lewis says the car has been developed from day one to translate into production, although he admitted it would be an expensive proposition, especially thanks to its extensive use of carbon-fibre.

"It would be getting up toward R8 money," he said, referring to the $300,000-plus Audi supercar. "It has got to be above RS5 in the range, the only question is how close can you get to the R8 without making competition for yourself."

The good news for Australia is it is fully capable of being built in right-hand drive, although whether that happens will depend on the business case.

Already Volkswagen Group boss Martin Winterkorn has been quoted in the European media saying he wants the Quattro Concept built. A 30,000-35,000 production run is mooted with a launch as close as three years.

The Quattro Concept has a 150mm shorter wheelbase than the RS5, is 200mm shorter overall and 40mm lower. It is a strict two-seater with a minimalist interior that includes visible carbon-fibre.

There's even space to store helmets in the cabin. Lewis admitted the design team's dream is to take the car to the legendary Pikes Peak hill climb in Colorado, where the original starred. A rally version of the concept was even tucked away in an upstairs area of Audi's Paris stand.