Audi takes its quattro concept seriously. Need proof? Just take in these specs: the Audi Sport quattro concept that will debut in Frankfurt produces an astounding 700 hp within a plug-in hybrid drive, sprints 0-100 km/h in 3.7 seconds and uses 2.5 liters of gasoline per 100 km (94.09 mpg). The concept’s top speed is 189.52 mph.
The German automaker has gone on to sell more than five million vehicles since first introducing “Ur-quattro” in 1980. The first version of the Sport quattro, which debuted at the 1983 IAA ahead of the World Rally Championship and generated 306 hp, was hailed as one of its generation’s premier supercars.
The Audi Sport quattro concept honors the past by bringing it into the present via a coupe design that “combines the DNA of the Ur-quattro with dramatic elegance,” according to a news release. The short wheelbase and 21-inch wheels are as much a nod to the classic quattro as the angular, flat C-pillars and the rectangular double headlights with Audi’s Matrix LED technology, which will be available commercially for the first time in the new A8.
The exterior design is marked by “blisters” above the fenders to “give the body even greater emotional appeal and broad shoulders.” The hexagonal single-frame grille has a new, sculpted grille insert and serves as a preview of Audi’s new design philosophy.
The plug-in hybrid drive produces a total of 700 hp with torque output of 800 Nm (590.05 lb.-ft.). Power is distributed by a modified 8-speed tiptronic to the quattro powertrain with a sport differential on the rear axle. The gasoline engine is a 4-liter, twin-turbo V-8 that produces 412 kW (560 hp) and 700 Nm (516.29 lb.-ft.) of torque.
Between the 4.0 TFSI and the transmission is the disc-shaped electric motor that produces 110 kW and 400 Nm (295.02 lb.-ft.), powered by a liquid-cooled lithium-ion battery in the rear with a capacity of 14.1 kWh.
Photo Credit: Audi
