Outgoing Audi Sport chief Stephan Winkelmann may have only been with the brand for a short time, but he'll be leaving it in a better place when he takes over the leadership reigns of Bugatti early next year. Also a former Lamborghini president, Winkelmann has always demonstrated a keen eye for future product and branding, hence Audi Sport’s rebrand from Quattro last year. That said, Winkelmann confirmed to Autocar that the first Audi Sport EVs will begin to arrive sometime in 2020 and will launch at a rapid pace from there.
However, Winkelmann is fully aware of Audi Sport’s iconic past, when it was called Quattro, and has promised that legacy won’t die. In fact, internal combustion isn’t going anywhere either. “In 2018, 19, 20, we will have a lot of turbo engines with new models,” Winkelmann said. “We are not forgetting our icons, so we will continue to build them. Even if we keep in mind that electrification is important for us, legislators permitting, our turbo engines will stay because we are very proud of these.” Given all that, what will be some of those turbo engined vehicles?
For starters, an all-new A6 lineup is due, along with updated versions of existing models. A turbocharged R8 has also been mentioned. As for those future EVs, look no further than the e-tron Sportback Concept from earlier this year. That right there could be the best preview we've had so far regarding Audi Sport's first-ever pure EV.
