A low-volume exotic halo car from Audi Sport has some waiting to do, according to the brand’s boss Stephan Winkelmann.
It’s not that the former Lamborghini boss doesn’t see the need of an Audi Sport halo car, it’s just that there are a host of new models waiting to be launched first before playing that card.
After all, Winkelmann knows more than almost anyone about low-volume exotics and the benefits they bring to the brand.
“I’m very keen on working on this in the future,” Winkelmann told AutoNews. “I think not only the brand deserves it, but there is a demand outside, and the [customers] are looking into it.”
However and despite the demand, Winkelmann and his division will be busy preparing the expansion of the RS sub-brand, including at least two new crossovers. While Wilkenmann declined to name specifics, an RS Q5 is expected to hit the market this year while a range-topping RS version of the upcoming Q8 is also reportedly coming.
At the same time Audi Sport has to launch the new generations of the RS4 and RS6, as well as add a few new versions to the R8 range. The performance division is also working on its own version of an all-electric E-tron model. Audi will launch the E-Tron Quattro SUV in 2018, followed by the E-Tron Sportback in 2019.
Audi Sport will then show the world with its own take on E-Tron as early as 2020, with “coupe-ish sedan” and/or a “coupe-ish SUV,” according to Wilkenmann. These new electric models will offer a good balance between performance and range because Audi Sport customers would use them as daily drivers. “You need the range, but you also need the excitement factor,” Wilkenmann said.
Only then can Audi Sport focus on creating a proper halo car, which will sit above the R8 and act as the absolute pinnacle of Audi’s range. “If you want to build up,” Winkelmann said, “you have to have always something on top.”
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