Trevor

Presence, performance and practicality in equal measure: the celebrated RS 4 Avant has earned its place in Audi Sport’s hall of fame on the strength of its brilliant balance of everyday usability and extraordinary potency. Now, in newly launched Competition form it tips the scales a little further in favour of a driving experience that is even more powerfully immersive and track-focused, without compromising the many other attributes of this perennial favourite. Limited to just 75 units in the UK, the highly exclusive RS 4 Avant Competition is equipped with an array of visual enhancements and chassis improvements, including RS Sport Suspension Pro (coilover suspension), the RS Sports Exhaust System Plus bringing reduced sound insulation, and a top speed increase to 180mph. Priced from £84,600 (OTR), it will be available for order in early September ahead of first customer deliveries at the start of 2023. “As the successor to the seminal RS 2 Avant, which rewrote the rule book for the traditional estate car, the RS 4 has been a milestone model in our range for well over two decades,” commented Audi UK Director Andrew Doyle. “With every evolutionary step over the years it has cemented our eminent position in the segment even more firmly, and this new Competition version with its elevated performance and exclusivity definitely continues that trend.” UK specification: performance upgrades RS Sport Suspension Pro (coilover suspension) is an exclusive feature of the new RS 4 Avant Competition. Designed to maximise handling performance without compromising everyday usability, the coilover suspension is manually adjustable across a broad range, enabling the driver to prioritise comfort or agility as required. The Competition model sits 10mm lower than a standard RS 4 Avant, and its ride height can be reduced by a further 10mm by the driver if required. A higher spring rate, three-way adjustable dampers, and stiffer anti-roll bars guarantee exceptional precision, composure and control. The potent biturbo 2.9-litre V6 develops 450 PS and 600Nm of torque from 2,000 to 5,000 rpm. Further improvements have been made to the updated software in the transmission control unit, resulting in shorter shift times and enhanced acceleration; the Audi RS 4 Avant Competition can sprint from 0-62mph in 3.9 seconds, an improvement of 0.2 seconds over the standard model. The top speed has also increased to 180mph, making it the fastest RS 4 Avant in the model range. The dynamic steering is fixed at a ratio of 1:13.1, and the enhanced quattro sport differential ensures an increased degree of adjustability – especially in the “dynamic” driving mode - while a new data set in the control unit with revised parameters places more emphasis on the rear axle. Further fine-tuning to the engine control unit software makes for tighter load changes in S mode when “dynamic” mode is active. The result of these chassis improvements is improved handling and even greater precision. A new RS Sports Exhaust System Plus featuring tailpipes in matte black has also been developed especially for the RS 4 Avant Competition. It generates a more intense sound pattern, thanks not only to system modifications but also to adjustments to engine soundproofing, an added benefit of which is a reduction in kerb weight of around eight kilograms. UK specification: visual enhancements A single, very high level of specification will be common to all 75 UK-bound examples of the RS 4 Competition. Each track-focussed model will be finished in Sebring Crystal Black Paint, a fitting link to Audi’s motorsport pedigree and in honour of the 10th anniversary of Audi’s win at the inaugural World Endurance Championship at Sebring in 2012. Unique 20-inch Competition wheels with Pirelli P Zero Corsa high-performance tyres designed for the road and the racetrack will help to set the RS 4 Avant Competition apart externally, while standard red brake calipers will further hint at its even more acute focus on performance. An exclusive carbon matte finish for the front splitter, mirror housings, front air intake inserts and rear diffuser will round off the exterior enhancements. Inside, the standard RS Sports seats feature piano black gloss side trims and a leather / Dinamica honeycomb combination upholstery that is exclusive to the RS 4 Avant Competition. Further exclusive touches include red decorative stitching on the RS floor mats, centre console and door armrests and red edging on the seatbelts. The track-focused model is also the only RS 4 Avant to benefit from an Alcantara flat-bottomed steering wheel. Upgraded standard equipment also includes an advanced key, the Bang & Olufsen 3D Sound System, a 360-degree camera and a multi-coloured extended LED interior Lighting Pack.

One car has been exciting Audi Sport GmbH and a worldwide fanbase like no other for 20 years: across four generations, the Audi RS 6 has set the tone for high-performance station wagons with impressive performance and outstanding everyday usability. It owes the success of its underlying concept from 2002 to its double-charged engine and all-wheel drive. The basic concept has been the same across every generation of the RS 6. Again and again, it sets new standards in its competitive environment as well. Technical Vorsprung also turns up in other places, such as Dynamic Ride Control suspension. It has been used in other RS models from Audi for a long time The C5: a desire for performance in the upper mid-range Shortly after the start of the new millennium, what was then quattro GmbH (now Audi Sport GmbH) was faced with the question of which car the staff would give a sporty renovation to after the RS 4. It was an opportune moment for the Audi A6. The first generation (C5) underwent a product enhancement in 2001 and Audi also wanted to add more power under the hood in its upper mid-range. The brand was self-aware and motorsports were in high demand. Audi drove its way to the winners stand on the first try at its premiere in the legendary 24-hour Le Mans in 1999. The company with the four rings made history again in 2000, 2001, and 2002. With 13 wins, it is now the second-most successful team of all time in Le Mans after Porsche. The Audi engineers at quattro GmbH put a great deal of effort into making the A6 a sportscar. That meant not only adapting the engine, suspension, and transmission. Audi also shifted its appearance into a higher gear: it grew four centimetres (1.6 in) in both length and width. New skirts, wider sills, a spoiler for the Avant, a distinctive breakaway edge for the Sedan, 18” or 19” wheels, and two oval tailpipes emphasized its sporty ambitions. In 2002, no other Audi had more power The objective was to add an eight-cylinder to the basic design of the A8, series D2. The engine was already on the job in the S6, giving it 340 PS without charging. Nonetheless, it needed a lot of detail work: a powerful engine that from then on was double-turbocharged and had 4.2 litres of displacement did not fit in the body of the A6 at first. As a result, quattro GmbH extended the front end and gave the V8 four centimetres (1.6 in) more installation space. The engine that drove the first RS 6 was not fine-tuned in Ingolstadt or Neckarsulm, but in England. Together with quattro GmbH, British engine manufacturer Cosworth, which was a subsidiary of AUDI AG until 2004, was also responsible for the impressive 450 PS output and 560 Nm of torque. That put it at the top of the segment. The V8 in the RS 6 sent a real message to the competition. As a comparison, at the time, the DTM Audi from the ABT team, which Laurent Aïello used to bring home the 2002 title, also had 450 PS. A lot of power requires good control. The era of the manual transmission was over. For the first time, a torque-converter transmission gave an RS model shorter shifting times for gear shifts. Five driving modes enabled acceleration to 100 km/h (62 mph) in 4.7 seconds. To make sure that the RS 6 Avant and Sedan impressed with their ideal spread between comfort and sportiness even in everyday driving, Audi now turned to the newly developed Dynamic Ride Control (DRC) suspension. Stephan Reil, who has been in charge of developing all the RS 6 series and is now Head of Technical Development at the Neckarsulm site, summarizes by saying that “the DRC reduces roll and pitch movements in sporty driving, both on straightaways and in curves.” In concrete terms, it binds the car more closely to the road and constantly ensures agile handling, particularly in dynamic cornering. Dynamic Ride Control consists of steel springs that have two diagonally opposite hydraulic shock absorbers. These counteract the motion in the body of the vehicle without any time lag and they do it without electronics. When the car is turning into or travelling around a bend, the damper response is altered so that the vehicle’s movements are significantly reduced along the longitudinal axis (roll) and the transverse axis (pitch). All first-generation RS 6 vehicles (C5) were made both on the production line and by hand. Driveable, but far from complete. For instance, they lacked the filled suspension, RS-specific components, and individual decor elements in the interior. That is why they went from the plant in Neckarsulm to an adjacent hall. There quattro GmbH workers finalized each car individually over about 15 hours on the hydraulic lift. To date, the C5 is the only RS 6 that is also a racing car from the start. The RS 6 Competition, which Champion Racing uses, outperformed its competitors with equal displacement in the 2003 SPEED GT World Challenge with Randy Pobst at the wheel. The V8 biturbo offered 475 PS, had a manual shift, and won on its first attempt. At the end of the series, quattro GmbH added a shot of additional power and augmented the name with a “plus” as it went from 450 to 480 PS while the torque remained at 560 Nm. Now, a top speed of 280 km/h (174 mph) was possible, rather than 250 km/h (155 mph). Previously optional equipment became standard. The C6: the history of the crowning achievement in engine construction continues In 2008, six years after the first RS 6, the second generation followed. Audi increased not only power and displacement, but also the number of cylinders for a total of ten. There were still two turboloaders, and now five litres of displacement. Altogether, that meant 580 PS and 650 Nm of torque, available starting at 1,500 rpm. At the time, those numbers even exceeded the R8, which had a maximum of 560 PS in the R8 GT. For three years, Audi produced the largest RS engine ever. The V10 is a force of nature. It weighed 278 kg (613 lbs). To ensure the oil supply when driving through curves at high speeds, Audi turned to dry sump lubrication – a principle borrowed from motorsports: the separate oil tank allowed the V10 engine to sit in a low position, giving the whole car a low centre of gravity. The system was designed for racing; it supplied up to 1.2 g of oil for longitudinal and lateral acceleration. Stephan Reil remembers well how systematic the Audi developers were in their use of every centimetre of installation space: “With its two turbochargers and manifolds, the V10 already looks like a work of art. And it's powerful. I don’t know of any engine compartment that is filled better than the one in the RS 6 C6.” As was already the case with the C5, the ten-cylinder also needed a transmission that could handle power. The six-gear automatic that it used was substantially reworked to meet that need. Cooling, shifting speed, power distribution – all of it was improved. With this combination of engine and transmission, Audi achieved a top speed of over 300 km/h (186 mph) – 303 km/h (188 mph), to be precise – for the first time with the RS 6 plus. Acceleration in the regular RS 6 topped out at 250 km/h (155 mph) with 280 km/h (174 mph) available as an option for an additional charge. Hardly any other car in the series could touch the C6 on a straightaway. The Sedan needed 4.5 seconds to reach 100 km/h (62 mph); the Avant took 4.6 seconds. That kind of propulsion needed braking power to match. The first ceramic brakes (420 mm (16.5 in) discs front, 356 mm (14 in) rear) were optional in the RS 6 and stopped this dynamic car extremely reliably. In order to give passengers a sporty and comfortable ride to their destinations, Audi relied on the DRC suspension for the second time, something that customers now get as standard equipment in the Avant and the Sedan. For more everyday comfort across the whole spectrum of driving situations, the DRC suspension could be equipped for the first time with an additional adjustment unit on the shock absorbers that offered three-stage settings, for an additional price. As with its predecessor, Audi kept this model visually subdued. Protruding fenders that set it apart from the base model and large wheels and tires (19” and 255/40; 20” and 275/35 optional) offered plenty of room, widening the car by only 3.5 centimetres (1.38 in) total to 1.89 meters (6.2 ft). The C6 also went from the production line directly to the adjacent quattro GmbH hall for extensive refinement. There, workers finalized the car like they did its predecessor model. For its finale, the C6 ended as an RS 6 plus Sport or an RS 6 plus Audi Exclusive. In all, 500 limited vehicles rolled out of the plant in Neckarsulm. It came with a numbered badge on the interior, special alloy wheels with a five-spoke design, leather on the instrument panel, and floor mats with the RS 6 logo. The C7: making more from less Fewer cylinders? That can’t be right! That is one critique that not only customers raised when Audi moved away from the ten-cylinder biturbo in 2013 and returned to a double-turbocharged eight-cylinder with four litres of displacement – the smallest engine in the history of the RS 6. Additionally, the classic Sedan was discontinued without a replacement; the Audi RS 7 Sportback took over in the US. Yet the critics were soon silenced. Audi had put together a package that left the previous RS 6 models far behind it in terms of driving dynamics and efficiency. Above all, this made it possible to systematically reduce weight. Among other things, a significantly higher portion of aluminium, including all of the attached parts, reduced the weight of the C7 generation by a good 120 kg (265 lbs). At the same time, the Avant was six centimetres (2.4 in) wider on the street than a conventional A6. While about 60 percent of the total mass still lay on the front axle in the C6, Audi now reduced that to 55 percent, which amounts to saving about 100 kg (220 lbs). One other reason: the engine sat about 15 centimetres (5.9 in) further back. The RS 6 made it clear on the road that dropping two cylinders and 20 PS did not harm performance at all. With 700 Nm of torque and the new 8-speed tiptronic, the C7 only needed 3.9 seconds to reach 100 km/h (62 mph), half a second less than its predecessor. Its instrument panel showed a top speed of 305 km/h (190 mph). At the same time, the fact that it had fully 30 percent lower fuel consumption than its predecessor was a result not only of the reduced weight, but also the cylinder deactivation that makes the RS 6 into a four-cylinder when it has a light load. Once more, ceramic brakes with discs (420 mm (16.5 in) diameter, 365 mm (14.3 in) rear), which ensure maximum negative acceleration and are particularly beneficial in moments of high endurance stress, were available. One novelty for the third generation of the RS 6: customers wanted a little bit more comfort, so air suspension became a standard feature for the first time. Now 20 millimetres (0.79 in) lower and with sportier tuning, adaptive air suspension increased day-to-day driving enjoyment. Another convenience for quickly transporting belongings was, for the first time, a trailer hitch as an option. On the other hand, the DRC suspension was well established. Opinions were unambiguous: the RS 6 C7 stood apart from its predecessors in every area, be it the drive system, suspension, comfort, or efficiency. What it had in common with other generations is that, like its predecessors, the C7 also switched halls during assembly in Neckarsulm. Audi coaxed more and more power from its four-litre, eight-cylinder engine over the years. The RS 6 performance reached over 600 PS (605, to be specific) for the first time. With the overboost function, 750 Nm briefly processed the powertrain. Despite the initial criticism about the reduced power and fewer cylinders in the C7, it was precisely this generation of the RS 6 that became a bestseller and market leader in the high-performance station wagon segment. It was a top position that its successor still holds today. The RS 6 C7 Avant resonated around the world. One market that traditionally favoured sedans, namely the United States, pressed for it on its domestic market, but it would have to wait a little longer. The C8: the best to date, but the work is never done In 2019, three years before its 20th birthday, the fourth generation of the RS 6 (C8) rolled out to dealerships and stayed faithful to its heritage. Four-litres displacement, biturbo, 600 PS, and now 800 Nm of torque. For the first time in its history, this car is supported by a 48 volt mild hybrid system, improving efficiency even further. Although it is a bit heavier, the RS 6 Avant* races to 100 km/h (62 mph) in a brisk 3.6 seconds; it only needs twelve seconds to reach 200 km/h (124 mph). On straightaways, the C8 leaves little doubt. It also sets a new standard for itself in terms of lateral acceleration and cornering. New all-wheel steering improves stability at high speeds, given that the rear wheels now turn in the same direction as the front wheels in those situations. When manoeuvring at low speeds, they turn in the opposite direction as the front wheels in order to reduce the turning radius and make parking easier. But hassle-free parking isn’t the only thing that’s important to customers. As in the earlier models, they also want to be able to take a trailer with them. “By now, more than half of our European customers order a trailer hitch,” says Stephan Reil. “That shows that customers don’t only want a sporty drive, they also want to meet everyday challenges,” Audi responded to customer demand and continued to offer those options, now with air as well as DRC suspension. And the design? Where the C5, C6, and C7 generations of the RS 6 only stood out as power station wagons on the second look, the C8 creates a different impression: even lay people will recognize right away that this is no normal A6. The roof, front doors, and tailgate are the only things that the RS 6 Avant shares with the A6 Avant base model. The other components were altered specifically for the RS and the body was widened by a noticeable eight centimetres (3.15 in). Very few people know that the fastest of all A6 models also has an independent hood for the first time and that all these alterations mean that it can have the Matrix LED Headlights with laser lights from the RS 7. The wheels and tires also stand out as wider and taller. The 21” diameters (275/35) are standard equipment for the series; 22” (285/30) are available as an option for the first time. Unlike its predecessors, the C8 is not manufactured in separate halls – which have since been renamed Audi Sport GmbH – but rather roll off the assembly line in Neckarsulm ready for the showroom. That’s an indication of how flexible these production sites are. And, in response to high demand, the C8 is available in the US for the first time as the RS 6 Avant. The RS 6* C8 is definitively evolving from a niche car into a success story that is in demand around the world.

A second life for electric car batteries: The German–Indian start-up Nunam is bringing three electric rickshaws to the roads of India. They are powered by used batteries taken from test vehicles in the Audi e-tron test fleet. The aim of the project is to explore how modules made with high-voltage batteries can be reused after their car life cycle and become a viable second-life use case. The project also aims to strengthen job opportunities for women in India in particular: They will be provided with the e-rickshaws to transport their goods. The non-profit start-up based in Berlin and Bangalore is funded by the Audi Environmental Foundation. Nunam developed the three prototypes in collaboration with the training team at Audi’s Neckarsulm site, which in turn benefits from the intensive intercultural exchange. This is the first joint project between both Audi AG and the Audi Environmental Foundation in addition to Nunam The e-rickshaws powered by second-life batteries are scheduled to hit the roads in India for the first time in a pilot project in early 2023. There they will be made available to a non-profit organization. Women in particular will be able to use the all-electric rickshaws to transport their goods to market for sale, all without the need for intermediaries. The e-rickshaws are powered by used battery modules that spent their first life in an Audi e-tron. “The old batteries are still extremely powerful,” says Nunam cofounder Prodip Chatterjee. “When used appropriately, second-life batteries can have a huge impact, helping people in challenging life situations earn an income and gain economic independence – everything in a sustainable way.” The start-up’s primary goal is to develop ways to use old batteries as second-life power storage systems, thus both extending their lives and using resources more efficiently. “Car batteries are designed to last the life of the car. But even after their initial use in a vehicle, they still have a lot of their power,” Chatterjee explains. “For vehicles with lower range and power requirements, as well as lower overall weight, they are extremely promising. In our second-life project, we reuse batteries from electric cars in electric vehicles; you might call it electric mobility ‘lite’. In this way, we’re trying to find out how much power the batteries can still provide in this demanding use case.” “Reusing e-waste” “E-rickshaws have an ideal eco-efficiency,” says 31-year-old Chatterjee. With a high-energy-density battery and comparatively low vehicle weight, the electric motor doesn’t have to be particularly powerful, since rickshaw drivers in India travel neither fast nor far. While electrically powered rickshaws are not an uncommon sight on the roads of the subcontinent today, they often run on lead-acid batteries, which have a relatively short service life and are often not disposed of properly. At the same time, rickshaw drivers charge their vehicles primarily with public grid electricity, which has a high proportion of coal-fired power in India. Nunam has a solution for this as well: The e-rickshaws charge using power from solar charging stations. The solar panels are located on the roofs of the local partner’s premises. During the day, sunlight charges an e-tron battery, which acts a buffer storage unit. And in the evening, the power is passed on to the rickshaws. This approach makes local driving largely carbon-free. The upshot: The electric rickshaws can be used throughout the day – and still be charged with green power during the evening and night. In India, where the sun shines all year round, placing solar panels on the roof is a no-brainer. The charging station was also developed internally. Nunam continuously monitors the e-rickshaws’ performance and range. The social entrepreneurs make all the e-rickshaw data they collect available to potential imitators on the open-source platform https://circularbattery.org/. In fact, imitation is expressly encouraged. “Initiatives like the one pioneered by Nunam are needed to find new use cases for e-waste. Not only in India, but worldwide. So Nunam shares its knowledge to motivate more initiatives to develop products with second-life components that can drive the eco-social revolution forward,” says Audi Environmental Foundation Director Rüdiger Recknagel. The Foundation has been funding Nunam since 2019. Moreover, after the battery has spent its first life in an Audi e-tron and its second in an e-rickshaw, it has not necessarily reached the end of the road. In a third step, the batteries’ remaining power might be used for stationary applications such as LED lighting. “We want to get everything possible out of each battery before recycling,” says cofounder Prodip Chatterjee. In the long term, electric mobility and solar energy can help reduce India’s dependence on fossil fuels such as coal, reduce the huge volume of exhaust emissions on India’s roads, and provide people with a reliable power supply. Rüdiger Recknagel comments: “In many ways, this project is pointing the way forward.” “Anchoring sustainability in training early on” In addition to the rickshaws intended for road use in India, the trainees at the Neckarsulm site are developing an additional show rickshaw in cooperation with Nunam. Visitors to the GREENTECH FESTIVAL in Berlin can check it out – and even give it a test drive – from June 22. Under the guidance of Timo Engler, head of automotive engineering / logistics training in Neckarsulm, a twelve-strong team of trainees is playing a key role in development. “The trainees and Nunam are in constant communication with each other – we have a dedicated line between Neckarsulm and Bangalore. In building the show rickshaw, our trainees are focusing on range, charging time, and design – the result is a rickshaw with Audi’s DNA,” says Engler. “To us, it’s important that the trainees are involved in the project from start to finish and are given the freedom to contribute and try out their own ideas. ‘Learning by doing’ is our recipe for success. At the same time, we impart fundamental knowledge in the development of electromobility, resource efficiency, and charging technologies in an almost playful, incidental way. It’s a groundbreaking project because it combines the megatrends of sustainability, electromobility, internationalization, and social responsibility. The trainees replaced the combustion engine with an electric one and designed the underfloor to both accommodate the second-life batteries and be splashproof, using as many recyclable materials as possible all the while. Mechatronics technicians, coachbuilders, painters, tool mechanics, IT specialists and automation technicians were all involved in the project. “We are thrilled to be able to offer our trainees the opportunity to participate in an international project through the Foundation’s network. It promotes the intercultural exchange of know-how and technology, from which both sides benefit greatly,” says Rüdiger Recknagel.