Lightness, Not Energy, Makes Audi’s Electrical Sports activities Automobile Particular

• Journalist drives the Audi Idea C, which is extra of a close-to-production prototype than a design research.
• The prototype has an virtually absolutely useful inside and sufficient energy to launch spiritedly.
• Audi will launch the manufacturing mannequin based mostly on this idea in 2027 as a pure EV with no combustion choice.

Audi shocked everyone when it introduced that the novel Idea C would spawn a manufacturing mannequin that wouldn’t look too completely different. Nevertheless it was banking on extra than simply the shock issue of the design and it guarantees that its collection electrical sports activities automobile would even be a blast to drive.

Simply over a month after unveiling the design research, Audi invited members of the press to check drive an evolution of the preliminary static idea. Thomas from Autogefuhl acquired behind the wheel of the idea, which is extra of a prototype, actually, and praised it for the best way it feels happening the street.

Thomas notes that the automobile he drives within the video is a special one from the one he beforehand walked round in a studio. There are delicate variations and completely different performance within the inside, which, similar to the outside, could be very near what it is possible for you to to purchase come 2027.

This automobile gained’t change into an electrical TT in manufacturing kind and it gained’t revive that title. It’s an even bigger automobile that might sit between the TT and R8. The manufacturing Idea C may even provide superior efficiency with single-motor rear-wheel drive variants or dual-motor all-wheel drive energy accessible.

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Supply: Audi

The automobile Thomas drives within the video has a single motor driving the rear wheels. He performs a launch from a standstill as much as round 56 mph (90 km/h), and I really tried timing it based mostly on the acceleration run within the video. It appears to be like prefer it’s a few five-second automobile to sixty, so it most likely doesn’t have rather more than 300 horsepower.

Not like most EVs you should buy as of late, even ones designed to carry out properly round a observe, the manufacturing C will preserve its weight down. It’s not unusual as of late to have efficiency EVs weighing 4,850 kilos (2.2 tonnes) or extra, like the Porsche Taycan or the brand new child on the block from China, the Xiaomi SU7 Extremely. However Audi desires to maintain the manufacturing sports activities automobile’s whole mass beneath 4,000 kilos (1.8 tonnes), which is not going to solely require much less energy to speed up shortly, but additionally enhance its cornering and braking capability. The idea weighs a claimed 3,725 lbs (1,690 kg).

Audi Idea C (2025) new stay photographs

Picture by: Audi

Thomas says the automobile feels nice to drive, a bit such as you would count on an electrical Porsche sports activities automobile to really feel. The decrease weight positively helps with agility and he additionally praises the steering as being very well-judged and confidence-inspiring. The rationale for the decrease weight is using a smaller-capacity battery, which sacrifices some vary within the title of feeling like a sports activities automobile. Porsche is probably going doing the identical with the upcoming electrical 718.

So not solely does it look good, a minimum of in accordance with our editor-in-chief, who noticed it in Munich final monthbut it surely’s additionally shaping as much as be probably the most fun-to-drive EVs in the marketplace. It might be so good that it’d even steal a number of the 718 EV’s thunder (or lightning, on this case), particularly if it appears to be like like that and undercuts it on value.

Our colleagues at Engine1 reached out to Audi to be taught extra in regards to the upcoming manufacturing sports activities automobile. The producer confirmed that it will be purely electrical, with no combustion variant deliberate. Audi didn’t affirm whether or not the brand new EV sports activities automobile would share its underpinnings with the 718solely saying that will probably be constructed on a brand new platform “that will likely be shared inside the (Volkswagen) Group.” However at this level, it is largely assumed the 2 will likely be associated.

Between all the knowledge now we have about it and this new driving video, I can’t assist however be excited for 2027 when the automobile comes out. Audi already affords a rear-wheel-drive EV that’s nice to drive, the A6 e-tron—I attempted it round a few of Europe’s greatest mountain passes and was very impressed— however that’s significantly heavier and extra comfort-oriented than the sports activities automobile and never essentially targeted on offering an exciting EV driving expertise.