Boxster Coupe GTS:
Boxster Coupe GTS:

"Audi reveals new e-tron Vision Gran Turismo" (Autocar)

Virtual race car turned into fully functioning coupe as marketing spearhead for e-tron electric car brand and Formula E involvement

(9 April 2018)

Audi has revealed a new four-wheel drive 805bhp electric-powered supercar to be deployed as a race taxi at selected Formula E events, hinting the low slung two-door holds clues to a zero-emission flagship being considered as a performance figurehead to sit above the company’s recently confirmed four-door e-tron GT in an extended line-up of pure electric production models due out in the coming years.

Originally conceived as a virtual race car for the 15th anniversary of the Gran Turismo video game on Sony’s PlayStation 4, the e-tron Vision Gran Turismo has been turned into reality by Audi as part of a marketing campaign built around its new e-tron electric car sub-brand.

The one-off prototype, constructed at Audi’s pre-production workshop in Ingolstadt, is planned to be used to provide selected customers and guests of the German car maker with high-speed passenger rides during Formula E race weekends, starting at the Rome event in Italy on April 14.

The decision to build the electric powered supercar makes the e-tron Vision Gran Turismo the first simulated race car developed for Playstation’s Gran Turisimo to be made fully functional, according to Audi.

It also hints at possible plans by Audi to bolster its presence in the supercar ranks with a new performance-based e-tron model that, Ingolstadt insiders suggest, could complement the R8 with pure electric drive.

“With the Audi e-tron Vision Gran Turismo race taxi we are turning electric mobility into a tangible experience for our customers and guests as part of the Formula E races – in the middle of the world’s metropolises,” says Peter Mertens, head of Audi R&D, adding, “we are also expanding our gathering of valuable experience in extremely demanding conditions”.

Audi has so far confirmed three battery propelled e-tron models: the e-tron quattro, the e-tron Sportback and e-tron GT.

The e-tron quattro, a Telsa Model X-rivalling SUV, and e-tron Sportback, a high riding five-door liftback, are planned to be produced at the company’s plant in Brussels, Belgium, with the former set to go on sale during the second half of 2018.

The more exclusive e-tron GT is set to roll out from a dedicated production line being established at Audi Sport division’s showcase Bollinger Hof factory in Neckarsulm, Germany, with the first customer deliveries planned for 2020.

Backing up claims that the e-tron Vision Gran Turismo could one day see production are comments from senior Audi officials that it represents more than a mere concept.

“Although the design of a virtual vehicle allows greater freedom and the creation of concepts which are hard to implement in reality, we did not want to put a purely fictitious concept on wheels," says Audi design boss, Marc Lichte.

Lichte, who has headed the design team working on Audi’s upcoming range of all-electric e-tron models, says the e-tron Vision Gran Turismo incorporates numerous elements of a new Audi design language, including the inverted coloured keyed single-frame grille to be featured on new e-tron models.

Drawing on technology used by the ultra-low-volume R8 e-tron as well as the three upcoming e-tron production models, the e-tron Vision Gran Turismo is powered by three electric motors - one sited up front providing drive to the front wheels and two at the rear driving the individual rear wheels - each with 200kW, or 268bhp.

The electric motors used by the new supercar are based on the production unit set to be unveiled in the upcoming production version of the Audi e-tron quattro. Developed in-house at Audi parent company, Volkswagen, they are produced at its plant in Kassel, Germany.

Altogether, the three electric motors provide a combined 805bhp - sufficient, according to Audi, to provide its new 1450kg coupe with a power-to-weight ratio of 555bhp per tonne.

No official torque figure for the new Audi prototype has been revealed, though officials from Audi’s pre-production workshop have revealed to Autocar the trio of electric motors deliver more than 1000Nm, which translates to over 737 lb ft.

With a specially developed quattro four-wheel drive system providing variable drive distribution between the front and rear axles as well as the individual rear wheels, the e-tron Vision Gran Turismo is claimed to accelerate from 0 to 62mph in 2.5sec.

By comparison, the 1840kg R8 e-tron, which was revealed in definitive production guise at the 2015 Geneva motor show prior to being dropped from the line-up after an unspecified production run, boasted two electric motors acting on the rear wheels with a combined 455bhp and 678lb ft.

Audi is yet to provide details to the battery used by the e-tron Vision Gran Turismo, although Autocar has been told it shares its technology with the lithium-ion unit planned to appear in the production version of the e-tron quattro due out later this year.

Among those Audi has chosen to drive the e-tron Vision Gran Turismo on the sidelines of Formula E races is former DTM race driver Rahel Frey and Le Mans victor Dindo Capello.

Link: http://www.autocar.co.uk/car-news/new-cars/audi-reveals-new-e-tron-vision-gran-turismo

Video Link: http://youtu.be/VeTcgLaJ_rI

Smiley

"Audi e-tron Vision Gran Turismo: 805bhp prototype driven on track" (Autocar)

(28 April 2018)

The new pure electric coupé you see here started life as a computer-generated design, just one of 20 or so created by Audi's in-house design team over the past two years.

The original idea was to use the car as a purely virtual entity to boost Audi’s presence in the latest version of the Gran Turismo video game on the Sony PlayStation 4. However, Audi bosses liked the e-tron Vision Gran Turismo  so much they decided to build it as a rolling prototype to star at Formula E races as part of a marketing campaign surrounding the new e-tron electric car sub-brand.

I first see the new coupé up close at the end of a row of garages at Audi’s Neuburg test track facility on the outskirts of Ingolstadt. Low and wide and with a generous front splitter, it looks like it means business and its carbonfibre body sports a livery that evokes the company’s 90 quattro IMSA GTO of 1989. Size-wise, it’s around A6 dimensions.

Former DTM driver Rahel Frey will pilot the car at Formula E events, but today she has been asked to ride shotgun with me. Encouragingly, she’s smiling when she hands me a crash helmet.

The basis for the car is a tubular frame chassis to which Audi’s motorsport division has combined various elements from its 2018 A4 DTM race car, including double wishbone suspension and electric steering and braking systems.

Drawing on technology used by the upcoming e-tron production models, its powertrain consists of three electric motors: one sited up front providing drive to both front wheels and two at the rear, each driving a wheel. With a combined 805bhp, they provide the 1450kg coupé with a power- to-weight ratio of 555bhp per tonne. Audi hasn’t revealed an official torque figure, but it is said to deliver more than 737lb ft in total. With a quattro four- wheel-drive system providing variable drive distribution between the front and rear axles as well as the individual rear wheels, the car is claimed to accelerate from 0-62mph in 2.5sec and reach a restricted 140mph.

Inside, the left-hand-drive Audi resembles a DTM race car. You sit well back in the cockpit in a reclined position, snugly contained within a carbonfibre seat by a six-point harness. There’s a rather idiosyncratic starting procedure to perform: a nudge of the brakes, then the press of a button placed within the drive selection controls down on the floor to the left of the driver’s seat to prime the electrics before you press the drive button. A whir of electrics indicates it is ready to go. As we head out onto Audi’s oval test track, there’s whine from the rear electric motors but nothing immediately intimidating.

The car has a sensitive throttle and gorgeously direct steering. It’s easy to drive smoothly and, despite being a one-off, it feels remarkably well engineered. In keeping with its competition breeding, the e-tron Vision Gran Turismo feels more urgent than any other electric- powered sports car I’ve driven. This is brought into clear focus after a number of exploratory laps when I receive the all-clear from Frey and plant the throttle.

The new Audi doesn’t so much as gather speed but pile it on all at once in a seamless and instantaneous surge. The vast torque and four-wheel-drive traction provide truly explosive acceleration. Before I have time to collect my thoughts, we’re already up on the speed limiter at 140mph. On the long back straight of the test track, I get some time to appreciate the ferocity of it all. Even more savage than its accelerationis the braking. The brakes have been borrowed from the Audi A4 DTM racing car, but with electric actuation. The sheer performance of the carbon discs and the race-grade calipers combines with the purchase of those big slicks and the massive great wing to generate incredible stopping power.

The downforce under braking is far removed from that of any existing Audi road car and there’s no ABS to rely on, so getting the braking right from high speeds is probably the trickiest thing. You have to hit the pedal with proper force, then gradually back out as the downforce fades. There’s not much feel in the pedal itself, and its travel is quite short. At first, I’m a little hesitant to give it the full blast of left foot, fearful of a tail-led exit into the scenery, but with some urging from Frey, I feel like I at least managed to scratch the surface of its full potential.

The Audi delivers so much confidence from the steering and outright front-end grip that you can carry terrific speed though corners. A low centre of gravity helps, as does Audi’s claim that the e-tron Vision Gran Turismo has 50:50 weight distribution. It takes a lot of provocation to unsettle either end, although it is surprisingly easy to gather it up again.

I suspect it would take more skill than I can bring to really unlock its true potential, but if this new Audi taught me anything, it’s just how engaging a dedicated electric-powered race car can be.

Autocar Link: http://www.autocar.co.uk/car-news/new-cars/audi-e-tron-vision-gran-turismo-805bhp-prototype-driven-track

Another Person's First Drive Video Link: http://youtu.be/QcIIX3IikP0

...what chance that Audi are already planning a road car version?  Smiley