Audi’s RS label for high-performance sports cars is not going under – there will be an RS version of the new E-Tron GT.
BMW has already announced it: From the purely electrically powered i4 there will also be an M-Performance version. Audi does not want to lag behind its local competitor: In a recent interview with auto motor und sport, Audi boss Markus Duesmann held out the prospect of electric cars with RS identification. The first model of this kind is likely to be the E-Tron GT RS.
From zero to 100 km/h in 3.5 seconds: The Audi E-Tron GT RS (the normal GT version in the picture) should come close to the performance of a Porsche Taycan Turbo S.
Sister model Porsche Taycan Turbo S
Since the E-Tron GT is extremely closely related to the Porsche Taycan, Audi has it easy: Porsche currently offers the Taycan in the 4S (530 hp), Turbo (680 hp) and Turbo S (761 hp) versions. For Audi, there is hardly anything more obvious than to offer the potent Turbos S as an RS version. The Top-Taycan spurs in 2.8 seconds on speed 100 and is maximally 260 km/h fast – values, to which also the E-Tron GT RS might come near. In addition, an Audi engineer has emphasized to the British car magazine EVO that the current focus of development is on reproducing top performance. This is a problem with some electric cars: if drive components overheat, the only way to make slow progress is to use the emergency program.
There should be more than one RS logo
It remains to be seen whether Audi will come up with more than just an additional RS logo at the front and rear for the design of the RS model. However, Ingolstadt has expanded its design department in recent years to such an extent that there are certainly enough designers with fresh ideas for at least a few visual distinguishing features. The movable rear spoiler and the large rear diffuser are already known from the Taycan – these aerodynamic components are also considered to be set for all variants of the E-Tron GT.
Audi sound engineers develop a unique sound for each model variant.
Independent sound for the RS model
When it comes to sound, the E-Tron GT RS also gets its own design – with the recently introduced sound of the “normal” E-Tron GT, the sound engineers have emphasized that each drive level and model gets its own sound characteristics. The particularly powerful sound design for the RS variant is probably already developed.
Survey
Yes, these are terms I got used to long ago.
No, this shows how little courage the marketing departments of the manufacturers have when it comes to the future.
Conclusion
The number of electric cars, which are available in various performance levels, is constantly increasing. The established manufacturers are only too happy to jump on this bandwagon: after all, high-performance variants mean considerable additional revenue with often minimal additional investment.
In the case of the Audi E-Tron GT RS, Porsche already offers the sister model Taycan Turbo S – the technical conversion to an RS model should be possible without much effort. In some aspects, the old world of combustion engines hardly differs from the future of electronics.