Audi to end the horse power war (?)

[Erik]

Comments please!

"Audi’s S and RS ranges will no longer offer more power than the equivalent models from AMG or BMW M-Power. Stephan Reil, the General Manager of Development at Quattro Gmbh, the company responsible for Audi’s RS models, claimed that, ‘continuing to increase the power outputs is not the way forward. With more power the car normally gets heavier and then you need more power again.’

Taking a sideswipe at AMG, which recently launched the 603bhp S65 AMG, Reil said ‘with a rear-wheel-drive car, all you succeed in doing is lighting up the yellow traction control sign. Our drivetrain allows us to transfer the power to the road.’

Reil said the Quattro Gmbh brand will develop cars that combined high power outputs with ‘outstanding driving dynamics and road handling.’ Audi is planning to adopt a new naming structure (SQ3 to SW8) for its sporting models. "

from AUTOCAR

http://www.autocar.co.uk/News_Article.asp?NA_ID=211153

[GoFastKindaGuy]

I hope Audi refines that message and the cars behind it.

I would rather have heard: "Audi quits the power race, but plans to lead the pack in performance. With a superior mix of power, traction, handling and economy of weight, Audi will rule the real world of performance automobiles."

[Fab5]

That´s one step in the right direction.What brings you 600hp when the car weighs more than 2500kg and he handling will be lke in a Truck.

for example:The S4,the 2003 model is about 150-200kg heavier than the previous model.The s4 Avant with around 1600-1650kg would be great,that´s nearly the same weight like the RS4.

The same goes for Porsche.I don´t know where all the kg comes from.At every facelift the cars get 25-30kg heavier. My ´03 model weighs 1450kg empty.The facelift model from ´01 till ´02 are 30 kg lighter.

[Finnus]

Kudos to Audi! I'm all for improving performance/handling as opposed to JUST increasing hp. What about getting more hp out of the same or smaller engines (re: keep the weight the same), while improving handling/performance characteristics. ie reduce weight and improve weight distribution.

Regarding the new SQ naming convention, forget it:

Finnus

[Nordschleife]

I wouldn't get too excited about this. Stephan is sufficiently junior to be totally deniable and quattro GmbH does not blow wind without Audi Marketing's say so. I don't know what Stephan is originally, but he appears not to have been an engineer, and is not much of a marketing man.
You always release your new models with just a bit more power than the competition. Until Audi starts using an entirely different platform, the driving dynamics of a BMW are going to be superior. So to offset this, better performance specs and AWD does the trick. Once they get the new platform, can you see them releasing a competitor for the M5, say, with less power?
I do think that a lot of the AMG cars are a complete waste of time, and a Lorinser I recently tried in Winnenden was the supremely useless car, 900NM of largely unusable torque. No it did have a purpose - laying down smoke screens!

R+C

[Finnus]

and a Lorinser I recently tried in Winnenden was the supremely useless car, 900NM of largely unusable torque. No it did have a purpose - laying down smoke screens!

What is a Lorinser - a MB protype?

Finnus

[Erik]

Originally posted by Finnus
What is a Lorinser - a MB protype?

German tuner. More know for styling I'd say.

http://www.lorinser.de/

[SpinEcho]

I hope Reil is right. This hp war is plain silly, especially when you add the fact that everyone wants a luxury car with all the bells and whistles and safety devices, even if it's supposed to be a sports car! AMG's are already unmanageable. BMW can only go so far with their suspension expertise before the laws of physics take over. And Audi has the most to worry about with excess mass.

As Fab5 pointed out, even formerly bare-bones sports cars like the 911 are now lardy and more suitable as GT's.

And I'm with Finnus: the proposed names sound like something Mazda or Infiniti would market!

[audirs6sport]

PLEASE make the cars "LIGHTER!"

[R Revolution]

Audi always follows through from what I see. In my opinion, I think they handle better than the Mercedes-Benz vehicles, but no where compared to the BMW.

That's perfectly fine each vehicle has its pros/cons. I think Audi will take a step in another direction that'll be outside the box instead of going with the bandwagon of just increasing hp/tq.

[A418TQTip]

Folks,

Don't know how senior that guy is, but his statement in itself doesn't sound too bad...

I like the idea of getting a better overall package rather than just more power... I mean, look at the Elise... It's a giant slayer and all it's got is a 1.8L I-4 engine...

Of course, I'm not saying future Audi models need to be that "raw", but you get the idea...

[RS4Ever]

i think they are definately looking at it the right way.

from now on whenever i hear someone say "man! that thing has 700 hp!" then i will have to ask "yeah ok.. but how much does it weigh?"

kind of like the deal with that ugly chevrolet truck the SSR.. they made the thing have around 350 hp (i think..not worth checking) but the weight was hideous for a pick-up truck.




the real deal is "how fast can it get to fast?" and how fast it can corner safely... performance factors... not only how much HP!!!

[tailpipe]

Originally posted by Nordschleife
Until Audi starts using an entirely different platform, the driving dynamics of a BMW are going to be superior. So to offset this, better performance specs and AWD does the trick. Once they get the new platform, can you see them releasing a competitor for the M5, say, with less power?
R+C

Nordschleife,

Any ideas about what's happening in Audi's platform/ chassis development department? First, I heard they were testing the trans-axle of the Maserati Quattroporte. Then Pischetsreider vetoed rear wheel drive, so I understand that the latest thinking is to retain front wheel drive but move the engine much further back to improve weight distribution. According to a post you made, this raises an issue about the position of the front wheels and the Torsen system. (I seem to remember that some French cars in the 1930s had the gearbox mounted in front of the engine, so maybe this is a way to overcome the problem.

If Audi will not move to a rear wheel drive layout, but still wants to be a serious performance player, then they need to do something innovative. I am sure they will. Can you enlighten us?