What the world needs now: A 700 HP Audi Quattro getting 94 mpg

That’s because the Quattro drive system has come a long way since it was first introduced in 1980 as the “Ur-quattro.” Since then Audi has sold more than 5,000,000 vehicles sporting the all-wheel-drive setup – far more than any other premium line.

With 33 years of experience under its seatbelts, the Audi Quattro Sport Concept car has come of age, boasting capabilities unprecedented in its lineage. As a plug-in hybrid vehicle, the AQSC combines the best of three different technologies into a car maximizing the power and operational performance of all three.

As an electric car, the AQSC can travel up to 37.1 miles quietly with absolutely no emissions whatsoever. The electric components consist of a disc-shaped electric motor between engine and the eight-speed tiptronic transmission that produces 110 kW of power and 295.02 lb-ft of torque.

The motor is powered by a liquid-cooled 14.1 kWh lithium-ion battery, charged via an Audi wall box that intelligently manages charging to ensure an optimal energy flow to the battery.

A four-liter, twin-turbo V8 provides the internal combustion component to the hybrid drive, adding 560 hp and 516.29 lb-ft of torque to the electric motor’s output. A cylinder on demand system, allowing the vehicle to use only four cylinders when demand permits, adds to a start-stop system to create impressive efficiency.

However, it’s the way the plug-in hybrid drive brings the best out of the engine, motor and battery that makes the ASQC a breathtakingly dynamic coupe.

The overall combined system output is 700 hp with total torque of 590.05 lb-ft. The modified tiptronic transmission directs power through a rear axle mounted sport differential. Estimates place the efficiency of the combined drive system at 94.09 mpg, while reducing CO2 emissions to 94.95 grams per mile – brilliant!

These three components can be spurred into three different driving modes – EV for purely electric driving, Hybrid mode for maximum efficiency and Sport mode for maximum performance.

Only the electric motor is active when in EV mode, allowing clean, quiet electric travel whenever desired. The active accelerator conveys transition to hybrid drive to the operator so the choice between electric and hybrid drive can be mindfully controlled.

In the earth friendly Hybrid mode, relevant data is utilized assure optimal use of both the electric and combustion components for fuel efficiency, implemented via an operating strategy. When navigation is engaged, even the route is selected to optimize efficiency, customizable to the driver’s whim.

If one wishes to retain a certain amount of electric range or to drive selected parts of the route on electric power, a Hold or Charge function permits maintenance of the battery charge levels without plugging in.

However, in Sport mode, the fangs come out as the operating strategy resets for maximum power and performance. The full boost of the electric motor supports the combustion engine at all times, while the energy management system makes certain the battery always has power.

This concludes what we consider the vital statistics of the Audi Quattro Sports Concept, but we have yet to touch upon the exterior and interior features of this amazing new PHEV supercar-to-come.

That will probably come next.