Two new Audi concept cars grabbed the limelight on press day at the Paris motor show; the quattro concept and Spyder e-tron plug-in hybrid sports car.
quattro concept reborn
The quattro concept celebrates the 30th anniversary of the iconic quattro. Based on a shortened RS 5 platform, the concept is actually closer in spirit to 1984’s Sport quattro, a more compact version of the original coupe that was designed to improve the car’s agility on the world’s rallying stages.
The concept’s wheelbase is 150 mm shorter than the RS 5’s, its roofline is around 40 mm lower and the 4.28 metres overall length is around the same as a Volkswagen Scirocco’s, which is 200 mm shorter than an A5. However, unlike the RS 5, the concept is a strict two-seater.
Most of the bodywork is aluminium, but the bonnet and rear hatchback are carbonfibre. The car weighs approximately 1300 kg, around the same as the Sport quattro.
Power comes from a 400PS version of the TT RS’s twin-turbocharged five-cylinder engine, mounted north-south. This is comfortably more than the 300 bhp of the original road-going special. It is paired with a six-speed manual gearbox and the quattro can accelerate from 0-62 mph in just 3.9 seconds.
Like the RS 5, the quattro “has full four-wheel-drive, not the TT's Haldex system,” commented the quattro concept’s designer, Steve Lewis.
The front styling is dominated by a huge rectangular grille, while the side profile’s key feature is an extra-thick C-pillar that has the four-ring logo stamped into its metal. The cabin features a slender, ‘floating’ dashboard and bucket seats that are 40 per cent lighter than regular items.
quattro concept reborn
The quattro concept celebrates the 30th anniversary of the iconic quattro. Based on a shortened RS 5 platform, the concept is actually closer in spirit to 1984’s Sport quattro, a more compact version of the original coupe that was designed to improve the car’s agility on the world’s rallying stages.
The concept’s wheelbase is 150 mm shorter than the RS 5’s, its roofline is around 40 mm lower and the 4.28 metres overall length is around the same as a Volkswagen Scirocco’s, which is 200 mm shorter than an A5. However, unlike the RS 5, the concept is a strict two-seater.
Most of the bodywork is aluminium, but the bonnet and rear hatchback are carbonfibre. The car weighs approximately 1300 kg, around the same as the Sport quattro.
Power comes from a 400PS version of the TT RS’s twin-turbocharged five-cylinder engine, mounted north-south. This is comfortably more than the 300 bhp of the original road-going special. It is paired with a six-speed manual gearbox and the quattro can accelerate from 0-62 mph in just 3.9 seconds.
Like the RS 5, the quattro “has full four-wheel-drive, not the TT's Haldex system,” commented the quattro concept’s designer, Steve Lewis.
The front styling is dominated by a huge rectangular grille, while the side profile’s key feature is an extra-thick C-pillar that has the four-ring logo stamped into its metal. The cabin features a slender, ‘floating’ dashboard and bucket seats that are 40 per cent lighter than regular items.
Spyder e-tron plug-in hybrid sports car unveiled
The Spyder variant will be a diesel hybrid in contrast to the pure electric e-tron, which was shown at the Detroit motor show earlier this year.
It has a twin-turbocharged TDI unit powering the rear axle and a pair of electric motors at the front. The new concept’s dimensions are similar to those of the original e-tron. At 1.8 metres wide and 4.06 metres long, it’s 13 cm longer and 3 cm wider than the all-electric version.
