Q: Does it mean that an RS car in the future is to make more of a design statement, has to be more differentiated compared to the platform models they are derived from ?

If you look at the cars over generations, they are getting sharper and sharper in terms of design. It is also clear that the RS6 Avant which is one of the stars, it is already a car difficult to improve upon. This is one of the challenges, but design is only one aspect. To reduce it in one sentence, it is about having an athlete into a suit. I am not looking for the maximum in performance, but the balance of sportiness and elegance.

Q: So you are not going for proliferation like your competitors.

A: Who ?

Q: AMG, for instance, is proliferating the brand ..

A: (laughs) yes, I know what they are doing. I am looking for prestige and this means more SUVs, because size matters. Size in the car business is still one of the clear signs (of prestige and exclusivity). I really think that this is one of the directions we have to pursue. But not only. We have to pick those models where there is the most benefit to the brand and the company. For example, the RS3 Limousine which I presented in Paris last week. On one hand, it is the entry level, but it is also very exclusive with the 5 cylinder engine. It is a car that is making a difference, picking from our roots in motorsport. Exclusivity is not only size, however. When you think of the first generation R8, when it came out, it was something that really jump started the Audi brand. It was another level, it was a flagship. The idea that has to be behind every model is that it moves the brand, and not by just putting as many cars as possible on the streets.

Q: Are you satisfied of products like the RS Q3 ? Do you consider that a success ?

A: Good point. The RS Q3 is a great success, but it is also a car which at the entry level has a differentiation which is not that big a difference to other cars. It was the right direction to make a statement in the Q familly, but the next step must be even better.

Q: So growth is not your main objective ?

A: We doubled our sales in the last five years, and we will grow this year, but it is not our main focus. Volume is important, but it is even more important to have a good geographical distribution. Today we are very Europe-centric. The cars that we are going to launch have to be as much world cars as possible. We have to become a real global player. If you have a huge part of the world where you can grow just by going there, it is clear that your volumes will rise automatically.

Q: Does it mean less Avant cars in the RS line up ?

A: As I said, this is my vision. There are things which are in the pipeline which I don’t want to change even I maybe could.

Q: What about customer racing products like Porsche is doing ? A one make racing series ?

A: Customer racing is one of the things we are still working on as part of our strategy, but it is one of the things i really want to enter more and more. We have the R8 GT3 car which is very successful, we are entering a new series with the RS3 LMS car. We want to get into different categories, the prerequisite being that they are racing worldwide, and that these categories slice the pyramid from GT3, the top of customer racing, so that we can have different customers racing with us. This is important for the awareness and image of the brand, and the main driver here is not the public attending races, but social media. We are also thinking about a one make series. It is not something that can happen overnight, but we want to cultivate the family atmosphere that surrounds customer racing. A very important thing is that these cars are recognizable.

Q: Sustainability: are you looking at hybrid RS cars, is that compatible with the brand ? is it too soon ?

A: It is a bit premature, but I look further down the road, and for me, their might be a hybrid idea behind one car or another. The question is how we are going to define these cars together with the Audi Sport brand. How many meters are you going to over in the first 2.5 seconds ? How many times are you able to go from 0 to 100 km/h without recharging ? How long are you able to hold top speed ? Etc … What is the range, what is the weight, what type of brakes do you need ? You have to find a new positionning otherwise they won’t be successful. It will be more and more a matter of legislation, and a shift in the mindset of the people. Yes, i want to have a sporty car, but it has to be sustainable. What your neighbour has to say about your car is becoming increasingly important. It is very difficult to imagine the things happening, but if you don’t start thinking and doing, you will get it wrong. The maximum you can do is always the minimum, this is what i learned in this business.

It is not enough to make a car that has very low emissions. Which bodystyle is credible ? If you take a supersports car and you put a battery in it, maybe the credibility is not at the highest, because the public has a different expectation as to how this car should behave.

Q: Your assessment of the Audi R8 e-tron ?

A: This was a good test lab for all that is happening within Audi in terms of electrification. It was not about the model itself, but about what electrification means in terms of development, what you need to learn in terms of testing. It was a very good exercize.

Q: RS5 TDI: there was a concept, is that still a viable direction given all of the events surrounding diesel ?

A: RS cars only have one model, and if you want to go worldwide with one model, with diesel, you are falling short, I never say never, but for the time being, there is no plan for a diesel engine in an RS car.

Links

Forum topic – Audi articles – the list of road tests – on the same themes: