Audi's future looking bright

Audi is often referred to as the poor-man's German car, with Bavarian Motor Werks and Mercedes-Benz typically seen as the big boys in town.

But this could all soon change if the speculation about Audi's upcoming super-coupe is to be believed.

While Audi has seen many racing accolades in the past, such as rally championships, and countless wins at the World-famous Le Mans 24 Hour race, it doesn't lay claim to a purpose built sportscar.

One could argue that the TT is a sports model - but its 167kW hardly makes it a giant-beater.

The RS6 models, with their 'bi-turbo' V8s and rubber-melting performance, are supercars. Their specifications certainly point in that direction, but they just don't look exotic, to be frank.

At present, the RS6 is Audi's flagship model and, while they may do the 0-100km/h dash in 4.9 seconds, the company needs to come up with something fresh to get the masses foaming at the mouth.

Audi executives have confirmed that they are working on an all-new sportscar, and this would be the ideal vehicle to shift a few more Audis.

The Germanic car maker hasn't specified what the car will be called, what size engine it will arrive with or even what colours it will available in (we reckon silver's a good bet), but that hasn't plugged the leaks.

Insiders are commenting that the new 2-door sports coupe will make use of the underpinnings from Lamborghini's upcoming 'baby' Lambo, the Gallardo, also codenamed the L140 (pictured).

Audi now owns Lamborghini and the new Gallardo will be the 'entry' level Lambo, with some 750 units planned per annum and a much cheaper asking price than the average Lamborghini sportster.

Anyway, back to the Audi subject, and rumour has it that the new sports coupe will be called the RSR, and though it will be based on the look of the 2000 Audi Rosemeyer concept car (pictured), you can tell from the CGI interpretation that the RSR will be a little less, um, ugly.

In many ways it looks to have borrowed styling cues from the 1000bhp Bugatti Veyron, but the roof-mounted air-intake and high-mount mirrors are truly things of beauty.

Audi was after a more 'corporate' look than what the Rosemeyer offered, and the RSR is definitely that, while still giving the marque a much sexier flagship model to slot in above the RS6.

The front end has a slight resemblance to the Audi TT, while the rear end - we'll have to wait for Geneva for that. We're just praying it's not identical to the Rosemeyer's rather grotesque behind...

Very little is known about the intricacies of the RSR, yet sources are already talking about the use of Audi's impressive next-generation 6.0-litre V10, as opposed to parent company Volkswagen's oft-used 6.0-litre W12.

The all-new V10 mill is expected to produce some 500 horsepower, which to you and me is about 370kW, or the equivalent of the 2003 Dodge Viper SRT-10.

It is as yet unknown whether Audi will implement its all-wheel Quattro drive-train, but power will be transferred to the wheels via a six-speed F1-style tiptronic (paddle shift) transmission. Top speed will be more than 300km/h.

The fancy RSR is expected to hit showrooms in Europe in mid-2004, with the first official showing likely to be at the 2003 Geneva Motor Show in March.

Audi did mention that it only plans on building some 1500 'top-secret' 2-doors sports coupes in the first year, with a price tag of about $US165,000. Or $300,000 in local currency, give or take a few fluctuations.

With the new A4 cabriolet already rolling off the production lines, and with Audi's new A4 coupe - a direct competitor to BMW's M3 due in the 2nd quarter of 2004 - almost ready to fly, Audi seems to be taking its role as the German underdog quite seriously.

Also on the horizon for Audi is the new 4WD crossover wagon, the Magellan, and look out for an update to the Audi TT in early 2005, which could also include new six-cylinder powerplants.

You could call it an inferiority complex, perhaps just a case of being the underdog, but Audi is now looking towards a bigger and better future. The new RSR will be a great way to get the ball rolling and is sure to have Audi aficionados begging for more.