Against the Grain
One can describe Audi as being stubborn at times. It refuses to let go of front-wheel drive even if its engines can be arranged for rear-wheel drive, and speaking of which, it still absolutely refuses to send power to the back wheels for its mainstream models. Ladder frame models are also a no-no for the folks from Ingolstadt. In some ways, the brand is a bit like Honda with its tight grip on its engineering principles.
But when it goes against the grain, we actually see great results from the German automaker. The Audi Quattro changed the face of rallying overnight; the RS2 further popularized the idea of a hot wagon, and the TT was something completely unexpected from a company that was best known for making boxy (but wind-cheating) sedans and wagons at the time. Then, there was the R8, and it was a car that made people say, “This is an Audi?”
The Nuvolari is a modern interpretation of that. It’s also proof that Audi still has the power to surprise people when they least expect it.
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Ingolstadt’s North Star
Speaking to The Drive, Audi’s development chief Rouven Mohr told the publication that the Nuvolari is the brand’s ‘North Star.’ That said, it won’t be around for a long time, as only 499 will be made. It’s not that it’ll be priced like a Q5, either, as you’ll need about 10 SQ5s to afford a single Nuvolari.
Still, it should serve as an inspiration for the company engineers that they, too, play a role in building such a vehicle. It’s another ‘against the grain’ model, but with Audi, who’s managed to have a knack for building things it usually doesn’t do well, we expect great things from it.
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But First, Taking Care of Business
But while the Nuvolari is cool and all, it’s not the kind of car that will pay Audi’s bills. And with the way things have been going at the moment, there is quite a lot that needs to be paid. With that, Audi is busy overhauling its entire lineup, and it needs its redesigned models to be hits so it can build yet another ‘passion project’ model of sorts.
“You’ll see other emotional products. This does not mean R8—yes or no. This is not decided. We have different priorities at the moment,” said Mohr. That said, the Nuvolari won’t be the last of what he calls emotional models. But while Audi is currently focusing on the mainstream models, the development chief did say that some of the goodies found in its limited-run halo supercar will eventually trickle down to what much more people can actually afford.
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The Future of Quattro
For the non-S and RS models, Audi currently uses a different kind of Quattro system. It’s called Quattro Ultra, and it no longer uses a torque-sensing differential. Instead, it’s an on-demand system that one will find in, say, a Honda CR-V or Mazda CX-50. Models like the A5 and Q5 may stick to that arrangement to achieve efficiency and emission targets, as that setup does save on fuel.
But for the more exciting stuff, some differential trickery from the Nuvolari may be applied to future models. Mohr isn’t saying which ones just yet, but it’s an exciting update nonetheless. “You will find a different interpretation in the standard cars of the intelligent drivetrain, meaning that the torque distribution in the car is done on a very intelligent and self-learning base. You will see it in the future of Quattro, even on the standard cars, in two kinds of interpretations,” said the engineer.
In other words, Mohr wants the brand to be considered as a fun-to-drive brand again. He has the strong backing of CEO Gernot Döllner, who himself is a self-professed car guy. While driving excitement isn’t high on the priority list of most Audi buyers, he reckons giving the cars more spark behind the wheel will help. “We want to strengthen the American market, because Audi in the past unfortunately was losing a little bit of the awareness in the US,” added Mohr. The challenge now is convincing more people to head into Audi showrooms and choose one over a BMW, Mercedes-Benz, or Lexus.
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