Quattro Quarterly lays out Audi's five-year plan for world domination

Posted Dec 4th 2007

The Audi Club of North America puts out a publication aptly titled the Quattro Quarterly that gives Audi owners the inside skinny on everything from future products to how to swap bigger brakes into their B5 S4. One of our intrepid readers, Kevin, sent us a few scans of the QQ's latest issue, where it outlines Audi's product plans for the next five years. While some of it has already been confirmed, other interesting factoids, including the future of the R8, RS-TT and the development of an R4, have long been rumored on these very pages. Follow the jump for the full breakdown on what Audi has in store, but be aware that we're handing out grains of salt below the fold.

A1: A volume seller that will simultaneously bring new buyers into the fold and drop the corporate average CO2 numbers. The A1 will be coming in three flavors: three-door hatch (ala A1 Metroproject Quattro concept), convertible and "Clubman"-sized wagon, along with a Bluetec diesel hybrid. The A1 is expected to be built in Brussels as well as China, and coming to market in late 2009.

A3: The cabriolet is already on its way, while a facelifted version is due in the fall of '08. An S3 model may finally make its way Stateside, with the entire range getting upgraded by the end of 2010.

A4: The B8-based Avant will be released at the Geneva Motor Show in March of next year, and Audi plans to bring the 240 hp, 367 lb.-ft. of torque V6 TDI later in 2008. As we've heard before, Audi refuses to stand by and watch BMW get all the benefits of boosting, so a twin-turbo V6 equipped with FSI and Valvelift, producing upwards of 350 hp, is in the works.

A5: The obvious cabrio version is under development and should be coming in the first half of '09, with a sportback version to follow, plus a number of S- and RS-versions due later.

A6: A facelift is coming for the 2009 model year, with the C7 chassis due for an upgrade by 2011. Expect a variety of drivetrains ranging from the miserly (hybrids and diesel) to the mammoth (insane amounts of turbo'd goodness).

A7: The A7 four-door "coupe" will be built atop a new platform that will underpin future A6s. Rampant speculation also includes a four-door convertible version that, if it comes to fruition, would be out two years after the A7's initial launch.

A8: The current D3 chassis will continue through 2011 with some subtle exterior tweaks between now and then.

Q3: A three-door based on the A3's transverse-mounted drivetrain and equipped with a number of small-displacement engines, topping out with the 2.0-liter TFSI.

Q5: Will take cues from the Cross Coupe Quattro concept from Shanghai and is set to do battle with the X3s of the world.

Q7: The hybrid model is a given, as is a Bluetec 3.0-liter TDI version. Expect a facelift in the next few years.

Now, onto the good stuff...

R4: It's all rumor and conjecture, but we've heard it before. This mid-sized, mid-engine masterpiece may be a joint effort between Porsche and Audi, and the platform may underpin the next generation Boxster. Educated guesstimate of arrival: June 2011.

R8: The R8-V10 will be unveiled at the Paris Auto Show in September of 2008, with targa versions of both V8 and V10 models keeping it alive through the end of the decade.

TT: We already know that the TT-S, sporting the S3's 265 hp V6, is coming to Detroit next month, but the RS-TT (or TT-RS?) still remains shrouded in mystery. Quattro Quarterly thinks it will be available in the summer of 2009, sporting what's essentially a Lamborghini V10 cut in half, with a turbo huffing enough air into the remaining inline five to produce over 350 hp. The only rub: it won't make the trek to North America.