Grabbing all the attention at the Audi pavilion is the Quattro concept that is here as a special treat for the Indian audiences at the 2014 Auto expo. The Quattro concept revives the original or the Ur-Quattro car from the 80’s to a modern day adaptation for an all new sports car of the future. The Ur-Quattro boasted of a rally heritage, winning several titles during its decade long journey. To commemorate the success of the Ur-Quattro, Audi decided to name its 4×4 system as the ‘Quattro’ . The modern day Quattro concept on the other hand carries the legacy forward.
To be very frank the concept looks production ready in terms of design. The conservative lines and the masculine looks on the two-door coupe surely remind you of the original Quattro but are in sync with today’s times. The overhangs are short and the proportions sportily balanced. The Quattro concept takes heavy design cues from the competition ready Ur-Quattro. The typical Audi trapezoidal shaped grille is retained, while the pronounced wheel arches and a strong roofline give muscle car like look. The bumper gets bigger air inlets. A distinctive portion on the concept is the headlight which incorporates the Matrix LED technology which made its production debut with the A8 saloon.
The interiors on the other hand are sportily elegant. The cabin uses grey tones and is focused on the driver. The steering wheel, an all digital instrument cluster and a heads up display unit are in the direct field of view. The latest tech wizardry from Audi with the new MMI control unit makes an appearance on the concept as well. You can choose from the race mode or the setup mode for all details needed on track days, while the car is feature rich with all the necessary creature comforts available at the push of a button.
The Quattro concept measures at 4602 mm in length, 1964 mm in width and 1386 mm in height with a wheelbase of 2784 mm. The four-seater coupe is very wide and low slung. The concept uses lightweight construction with the occupant cell combining ultra high strength steel panels, cast aluminium structural elements and carbon fibre reinforced polymer (CFRP) and tips the scales at 1850 kgs.
Coming to the performance and drivetrain, the plug-in hybrid system on the concept is capable of producing *drum rolls* a staggering 700 HP of power while the torque is 800 Nm from a 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8 TFSI engine coupled with an electric motor. The front engined super car will send power to all four wheels with a modified 8-speed tiptronic using a Quattro powertrain, that features a sport differential on the rear axle. You also get the cylinder on demand system, which cuts the use of 4-cylinders when not needed along with a start-stop unit. The concept rides on 285/30 R 21 tyres.
If the Quattro does hit production, it will be positioned above the flagship R8 supercar. There are even rumours that Audi might make a four-door limited edition unit of the same as well. With the mouth watering figures and a voluptuous design, the Quattro concept is currently the closest the German manufacturer can get at recreating Audi’s legendary sports car. How we hope to drive this one soon.
