Speed date – The future of the high-performance segment

Whenever Maurizio Reggiani’s timetable allows, the technology boss at Automobili Lamborghini gives himself a short break. He then walks a few steps from his office to the MUDETEC, the in-house museum of the brand with the bull logo. This museum is not simply about the legacy of previous development directors.

Reggiani can also sense the future here. Alongside legends of the past – such as the Miura, the first Lamborghini powered by a rear-mounted, transverse V12 engine – there are concept cars such as the Terzo Millennio. The study provides a glimpse of what a future Lamborghini might look like: fully electric, with wheel hub motors and nano energy stores incorporated into the bodywork.

A short half-hour drive north of the company headquarters and the development chief has reached his destination: the Autodromo di Modena, a nearby test track. This is where the Sián ¹ shows what it is made of. One moment the Lamborghini is poised and waiting at the starting line, the next it has shot forward like a projectile out of a catapult. After 2.8 seconds it touches 100 km/h. Its acceleration: quite surreal. The gearshifts? Imperceptible.

The transmission houses a 34 PS, 48-volt electric motor that keeps the acceleration smooth and enhances traction. The energy for the electric motor is supplied by supercapacitors – a special form of storage battery. They achieve around three times the per-formance of lithium-ion batteries with the same weight and are more durable, even under high load.

If they are to find use in supercars in the future, lithium-ion batteries will need to deliver more energy per kilogram. Only light batteries will avoid having a significant adverse impact on performance. “As part of Audi and Volkswagen, this is where we benefit from Group-wide research. We’re able to evaluate various battery technologies centrally for all brands.”

The area of supercapacitors is being pioneered by the manufacturer in collaboration with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). In 2019, they jointly filed a patent application for innovative synthetic materials as the basis for a new generation of supercapacitors. In another partnership they are conducting research into new design principles. These are all about integrating the materials for high-performance batteries into the vehicle structure, as on the Terzo Millennio concept car.

Its plans for electrification will help Lamborghini lead the super-car segment into the future. Maurizio Reggiani promises: “We have our sights firmly set on the Terzo Millennio as our long-term goal.”

Automobili Lamborghini delivered 7,430 cars worldwide in 2020, a decrease of only nine percent compared with the previous year. The slight drop is attributable to the 70-day production shut-down in the spring as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. In contrast, the second six months saw record sales figures, resulting in the best second half-year for deliveries to customers in the company’s history. For 2021, over half of its production capacity is already spoken for.

At the same time, about 600 kilometers further north, Julius Seebach is on his way to his next meeting. As the managing director of Audi Sport GmbH since 2019, he has to shuttle between the company’s head office in Neckarsulm and the head-quarters of Group parent Audi in Ingolstadt. His favorite travel-ing companion at the moment? A low Gran Turismo with four fiery red rings. The four-door model unfurls 646 PS (475 kW) in boost mode. It sprints from 0 to 100 km/h in 3.3 seconds. Never before has Audi Sport put a more powerful series-production model onto the market.

But that is not the only thing that makes this car revolutionary. It is also the first fully electric RS model. Seebach visibly swells with pride: “Audi Sport is all about high performance. With the RS e-tron GT, we are taking the RS DNA into the electric age. So in our competitive field, we are the first German premium manufacturer to go into series production with an all-electric high-performance model.”

Seebach still remembers his first test drive with the new model well: “I was skeptical, excited and expectant all at the same time.” The electric RS won him over after just one lap. “I climbed out and thought: Something momentous is happening. And it’s going to be great!” Performance and electrification? Not a contradiction for Seebach. Quite the opposite, in fact: “They complement each other perfectly. Electrification makes our portfolio future-proof. And it will delight our customers because it creates an entirely new dimension of a sporty driving experience.”

He has been driving the RS e-tron GT for several weeks and has now really got to know the qualities of an electric car: “I love the rich sound of the V8 biturbo in the RS 6.4 But now – with the electric GT – I notice even more intensely how it drives.” He is also impressed with its everyday usability. Whether for business meetings, weekend shopping trips or a family excursion, the RS e-tron GT is always the right choice. This electric model is a unique blend of elegance, dynamics and driving pleasure.

Already available in the series-production Audi RS e-tron GT: intelligent thermal management for the electric motors. This makes the output highly reproducible so that sporty acceleration without power losses is available at any time and for repeated bursts. Air suspension, controlled damping and all-wheel steering provide the requisite quality of ride comfort. A range of more than 450 kilometers and high-performing charging at 270 kW that keeps stops for charging brief make the Gran Turismo suit-able for long-distance driving. “This is understatement coupled with superb performance,” declares Seebach. “The RS e-tron GT is always ready to perform and is utterly electrifying.” This electric Audi has nothing to prove. But they can if needed.

The proof comes on the first straight after leaving Ingolstadt city limits. The sports car accelerates continuously up to the 100 km/h speed limit. Time to make the most of its electric boost – for a short time at least, with the next bend right ahead. Even then, the GT makes an impressive display of its on-road power. Because the battery under the vehicle floor gives it a low center of gravity. Thanks to optimum roadholding, the coupé takes the bend dynamically. Julius Seebach: “The dynamics of the RS e-tron GT, its precision and high efficiency make it an image carrier and characterful pioneer that will shape the future of the Audi brand.”

How will this future look? Electrified! Seebach is convinced of that. But it will come in different stages: “We already offer the Audi RS 6 Avant,4 RS 7 Sportback and RS Q8 with mild-hybrid technology based on a 48-volt electrical system.” The result is increased com-fort and efficiency. In the RS models, the electric belt-driven starter alternator lends this technology extra starting performance. Audi is the first manufacturer to have taken this technology into series production in the high-performance segment.

Plug-in hybrids represent another step. They offer scope for all-electric driving combined with an internal combustion engine. All-electric models will complete the portfolio.

This electrification strategy is the basis for the sustainability of the Audi Sport models. So will every RS soon come with a charging cable? “We’d like to offer our customers a suitable model in every segment,” says Seebach, who promises: “We will continue to put models with combustion engine onto the market in the future. Step by step we’ll enrich them with the emotional appeal and performance that electric drive makes possible. The RS e-tron GT shows how passionate the mobility of the future can be.”

With over 29,300 R and RS models delivered, 2020 was a record year for Audi Sport GmbH despite the coronavirus pandemic. That is a clear gain of more than 16 percent on the previous year. Audi Sport GmbH recently completed the biggest model initiative in its history. With 13 R and RS models on offer, it now has its youngest and largest portfolio ever. With effect from March 1, 2021, Sebastian Grams is taking over in charge of the series-production range of Audi Sport GmbH. Julius Seebach is increasingly advancing the strategic realignment of motorsport activities.