new RS4 engine confirmed

[johneroberts]

OK id have a RS4 with a Gallardo engine [img]images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img]
Cheers
jr

[wazza]

here's hoping [img]images/graemlins/cool.gif[/img]
still no turbos though [img]images/graemlins/biggrin3.gif[/img]

[wazza]

here's hoping [img]images/graemlins/cool.gif[/img]
still no turbos though [img]images/graemlins/biggrin3.gif[/img]

[Nordschleife]

Well, you will be able to get an Audi Quattro Le Mans and have the engine modified....... you can get LOTS of power out of that engine!

[Conti]

I think we should stay in topic and talk about the new RS4 and not about cars most of us can't afford anyway in this forum! [img]images/graemlins/acclaim.gif[/img]

[Nordschleife]

I think we should stay in topic and talk about the new RS4 and not about cars most of us can't afford anyway in this forum! [img]images/graemlins/acclaim.gif[/img]

Conti,
Historically, you are absolutely correct.
However, Audi AG has changed. A few years ago the top performance Audis were:
RS4
S8
A8 W12
S4
S6

Now the situation is different. Lamborghini is an Audi daughter company (along with SEAT). Lets look at what Lamborghini has now and planned:

Murcielago - Supercar - just possibly a race car, but not likely
Gallardo - affordable supercar performance, great basis for a racer
4 door luxury car - "Italy's Rolls Royce"
a AWD SUV - the 'best' in class

Now Audi is putting out under its own badge:

Audi Quattro Le Mans - 997 C4 competitor
RS4 - V8
S8 - maybe the V10 engine
A8W12
Pikes Peak

now lets merge these lines together, from a performance perspective:

Murcielago
Gallardo
Audi Quattro Le Mans
RS4 - V8
Lambo 4 door luxury car
S8 - maybe the V10 engine
A8W12
Lambo AWD SUV
Pikes Peak

This makes the Audi range look rather different, in the 'New World Order", Lambo = Performance.

When I spoke with the strategic marketing people about the Le Mans show car, they admitted that they would never release it with as much power as the equivalent Lamborghini, so expect about 450 horsepower from the production car.
I was quite amused to notice on my old car's Fahrzeugbrief that it is signed by Dr Franz-Josef Paefgen and Dr Werner Mischke, the heads of Bentley and Lamborghini respectively, and incidentally the bosses of VAG motorsport (unless there has been yet another reorganisation).

I don't know if there will be another RS6, although the M5 V10 has to be engaged seriously. Based on fairly limited information, the incidence of warranty claims on this car is horrendous.

R+C

[martian]

I don't know if there will be another RS6, although the M5 V10 has to be engaged seriously. Based on fairly limited information, the incidence of warranty claims on this car is horrendous.

That's interesting- any further details?

[PhilT]

Audi Quattro Le Mans
RS4 - V8

Am I the only one that sees a huge gap between these two vehicles. If you can't afford a Le Mans, then you are left with a V8 RS4..... [img]images/graemlins/033102bad_1_prv.gif[/img]

In a way I hope that the new RS4 doesn't have turbos - That will make the the RS2 and current RS4 landmarks in Audi's history.

[Conti]

Gallardo
Audi Quattro Le Mans
RS4 - V8
Lambo 4 door luxury car

I'm not sure, but I think the Le Mans is in front of the Gallardo, after the Gallardo the Lambo 4 door luxury car.
[img]images/graemlins/confused.gif[/img]

[Nordschleife]

I'm not sure, but I think the Le Mans is in front of the Gallardo, after the Gallardo the Lambo 4 door luxury car.
[img]images/graemlins/confused.gif[/img]

this is absolutely NOT the case. The Audi strategic marketing people have confirmed that the Audi will always be less powerful than the Lamborghini. You might think this is odd, given the specifications of the show car.

[TimJMS]

Well unless Audi want both Audi and Lamborghini to be eclipsed by the competition from the latter half of this year onwards, then surely they need a saloon / estate vehicle with AT LEAST the Gallardo V10 in it to take the fight to BMW with its new M5? Then the question arises that by how much does this devalue the Lambo brand if it shares an engine with a cheaper Audi?

If Audi wish to keep Lambo at the forefront in engine power stakes then maybe they should put their proprietary knowledge (second to none) of turbocharging to good use and use it to up the ante with the Gallardo / Murcielago type vehicles.

Seems such a waste to turn their backs (if it happens in reality) on turbocharging with all the knowledge learned since the 917. I thought German engineers never performed U -turns. Porsche wont. Seems Audi will [img]images/graemlins/confused.gif[/img]

[ChrisB]

I thought German engineers never performed U -turns.

They probably do when the people who employ them order them to. It's a fact of life that the big car conglomerates (VW, Ford and GM) are treading on each other's toes more and more often - European cars have steadily been making inroads into the US market for years, now the American companies may want to retaliate.

As a group, VW need to compete with their peers. What if this means moving units in the group away from direct competition with their traditional competitors to give the group a lineup that competes on all fronts? If that's the case, then Audi and Lambo won't have any significant overlap regardless of how much the enthusiasts may want it, instead they will fall into slots that widen the group offering.

If this is to be the new way of things, perhaps it will revive an interest in real performance conversion specialists, not just the proliferation of software tuners that we have in the market now? Perhaps supercharger conversions will be the done thing amongst enthusiasts in another 5 years time?

[DaveP]

i will have some pictures of the car (real ones!!! no testcars) maybe next week

Any pics yet Carl ?? [img]images/graemlins/tongue.gif[/img]

[Carl]

i said maybe... i am working on it.

[img]images/graemlins/audiS4black.gif[/img]

[donrs4]

[img]images/graemlins/cool.gif[/img] Carl rulez!

d.