# Audi Brings quattro Back to the Race Track with New R18 e-tron quattro



## [email protected] (Apr 9, 2004)

Ingolstadt/Munich – Motor sport is used yet again by AUDI AG to pioneer new technology: the brand with the four ring’s new Le Mans race car is the world’s first LMP1 car to combine a highly-efficient TDI with a hybrid system. quattro drive also celebrates its comeback to the race track with the prototype – in a entirely new form.


* Full Story *


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## mynameisnigel (Mar 4, 2006)

That is what I call very clever marketing !

The Audi guys really rock, including Audi's marketing. While it is logic to use the WEC and Le Mans platform to communicate about Audi's upcoming range of "e-tron" models, combining it with the well-known "quattro" designation that is strongly associated to Audi's sport heritage (and current car branding) is very clever.

This being said, the "e-tron quattro" designation may be somewhat confusing.

Up to now, I believe that the "e-tron" designation was mostly used in connection with Audi's fully-electric concept cars. I do however recall that Audi recently presented an Audi A1 e-tron concept with a small electric motor delivering power to the rear axle in addition to a conventional combustion engine delivering power to the front axle (or am I wrong ?). Interestingly, but logically, the R18 e-tron quattro works the other way around 

As regards the "quattro" designation, the R18 e-tron quattro is clearly not a true AWD car since power is separately delivered to the front axle for a relatively short duration, and only above 120 km/h.

This being said I am again eager to see this car in race conditions and how its compares to the "normal" R18 "ultra".


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## [email protected] (Apr 9, 2004)

mynameisnigel said:


> That is what I call very clever marketing !
> 
> The Audi guys really rock, including Audi's marketing. While it is logic to use the WEC and Le Mans platform to communicate about Audi's upcoming range of "e-tron" models, combining it with the well-known "quattro" designation that is strongly associated to Audi's sport heritage (and current car branding) is very clever.
> 
> ...


The e-tron designation seems to be a bit fluid, and in the past we were told an e-tron would be an all-electric or a plug-in hybrid like the A1 where the engine does not drive the wheels. In this case the engine most definitely drives the wheels (at least the front ones).

As for quattro, I brought this up with a highly placed contact at Audi Sport after doing the math on the 911 Hybrid and realizing it was all-wheel drive at certain points. I would bet Audi would love to use the all-wheel drive as a handling advantage since it's so much a part of the DNA but that's a concern by competitors and thus the ACO. The rules stipulate when the power can be used and as such it's only at speed minimizing handling benefits. That particular suspected competitors and rule makers were concerned that quattro in handling conditions would be an unfair advantage.

If you look back on the old A4 touring car era, quattro was banned because it was just that... an "unfair advantage", at least in the eyes of competitors. Audi was dominating the field way too easily in the minds of those who weren't Audi and most assumed it was AWD that was the advantage... at least that was the way they curbed Audi's dominance. In fact, companies like Ford experimented with an AWD Mondeo but were not able to make it competitive. The real advantage with Audi is not just quattro all-wheel drive but also their sheer experience and ability in manipulating all-wheel drive into making a seriously competitive racecar. In that regard they're virtually unrivaled.

So do I think it's a quattro? Well you won't have any standing wet launches like the old World Challenge RS 6 Competition used to do but it's still all-wheel drive and thus IMHO still quattro.


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## [email protected] (Apr 9, 2004)

In case you haven't satiated your hunger for more information about the R18 e-tron quattro, we've just uploaded a few more assets including more photos from the live event and two videos provided by Audi on our YouTube channel Fourtitube. The videos share similar content, with the first an edited and narrated shorter version. The second includes the interviews (some in German) and footage of the R18 e-tron quattro prototype on track. Below is the link to the photo gallery, then the two videos in the order in which they were described. Enjoy.

* PHOTO GALLERY: Audi R18 e-tron quattro Reveal in Munich *


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## 2035cc16v (May 18, 2000)

Oh god... Big monitor wallpaper resolutions...please George...


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## [email protected] (Apr 9, 2004)

*Williams Hybrid Power Chosen as Supplier by Audi Sport for 2012 R18 e-tron quattro
*

Grove, UK. Williams Hybrid Power (WHP) is pleased to announce an association with Audi Sport to become the hybrid system energy storage supplier for the Audi R18 e-tron quattro. WHP’s innovative electric flywheel will be at the heart of the Audi R18 hybrid system for the 2012 24 Hours of Le Mans race and the FIA World Endurance Championship.

For the Audi R18 e-tron quattro, WHP has designed an entirely new, ultra-lightweight electric flywheel and associated power electronics and the company has worked closely with Audi engineers to fully integrate its unique electric flywheel into the car. The system will provide 150kW of power and have a top rotor speed of 45,000 rpm. The Audi R18 e-tron quattro using WHP’s system will make its first competitive outing in the six-hour race at Spa-Francorchamps on 5th May.

The defining features of WHP’s flywheel made it the prime energy storage candidate for Audi’s project when compared to other technologies such as batteries, ultra-capacitors or mechanical flywheels. The main benefits of the WHP system are a high power density and correspondingly low mass, high efficiency energy transfer to and from the e-storage, the ability to continuously deep power cycle and an insusceptibility to performance or life degradation over a wide range of operating temperatures. In short, the technology is perfectly suited to the high performance demands of endurance racing.

* Full Story *


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## mynameisnigel (Mar 4, 2006)

This video is of greater quality and contains some interesting shots of the R18 e-tron quattro:


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## Boyvw (May 2, 2012)

nice


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## aliced456 (May 7, 2012)

Wow!!!!!!!!!!!!

Wat a style a fantastic car.....


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