Audi 2010 Annual Report Download - page 86

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of what Audi will be striving for over
the next decade, namely the lowest
possible emissions. And that’s fi ne,
Blomqvist observes dryly: “Because of
global warming, you just have to off er
something new.”
The e-tron Silvretta in which the
Scandinavian is sitting is a prototype:
its front and air intakes stem from
racing, as do the air intake gills on
the side panels. The back is also
borrowed from the racing series. But
the 1.90-meter width, the 4.43-meter
length and mere 1.25-meter height of
the supercar is the embodiment of the
slogan Audi has used for the past four
decades: Vorsprung durch Technik.
Vorsprung – leadership – is also
highly appropriate here since the age of
electric mobility is just beginning and
has yet to be defi ned, but the electric
quattro has already taken the stage.
In simple terms, this means four
liquid-cooled, asynchronous motors
that deliver power to the front and rear
axles at a ratio of 30:70. Since each
wheel has its own motor, the power
can be distributed at lightning speed,
as demanded by a typical drive with
Blomqvist at the wheel.
“More than thirty years ago, quattro
and its all-wheel drive were very
diff erent from the usual drive concepts,”
reminisces the Swede. “It was like night
and day, like comparing a bicycle to a
car. You can’t describe it … you have to
experience it.”
Experiencing the diff erence is a
“It’s incredible how the technology has developed, so that
you can have a driving experience that comes extremely close
to that of driving the original quattro.”
After this start, acceleration will
have to be redefi ned: Blomqvist enjoys
the benefi ts of electric quattro drive
in the Audi e-tron Silvretta.
years of quattro
For over 30 years now, seven
letters have represented a
milestone in automotive
engineering: quattro.
Whether it’s a permanent
all-wheel drive system that
is driven by a diff erential, or
all-wheel drive with a Haldex
or viscous clutch, the name
quattro is an unmistakable
trademark from Audi. It
stands for propulsion on city
streets as well as off -road,
even in strong winds, on ice
or in snow. One out of every
three Audi cars now leaves
the assembly line with the
quattro badge.
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