With the five-cylinder TT RS and V10-powered R8 going away, you might be tempted to say the Audi Sport lineup loses a lot of the excitement. That’s true to an extent, but the CEO of the Four Rings’ Go-Fast division promises more performance models are on the way. Speak with car carSebastian Grams said the team is looking at “different types of concepts” to replace the mid-engine supercar.
The successor to the R8 must fit in with the electrification strategy of the Volkswagen Group, and this also applies to the TT. Audi’s parent company has to give the proverbial green light. Grams went on to say that without going into specifics, there will “definitely” be more RS-badged SUVs in the future. One cannot help but wonder if the Next-gen Q5 will finally get the Audi Sport treatment to rival the AMG GLC and BMW X3 M.
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The Audi Sport managing director also promised to follow up with more electric RS cars RS E-Tron GT.Ü Future non-combustion engine models will be developed without adding too much weight by finding the perfect balance between performance and the added bulk of the batteries.
Additionally, plug-in hybrid performance cars are on the way and these “will be no less amazing than what you drive today.” According to a September 2019 announcement, the The next-gen RS4 Avant will adopt a PHEV setup. Not all models get the RS treatment as the German marque wants to avoid what Sebastian Grams calls ‘RS inflation’.
When asked whether the company Commitment in Formula 1 from 2026 at Sauber will lower the R&D budget for road cars, Audi Sport’s top brass said it won’t. He explained that F1’s budget cap is important in order not to have to spend big to stay ahead of the competition.
By 2030, all Audi Sport models will be partially electrified, so the days of pure combustion engines are numbered. In the meantime, the company has already ruled out four-cylinder RS models, unlike Mercedes-AMG with its “45” series.
