Audi Hypercar Now Just A Matter Of Time

Ever since Audi Sport boss Stephan Winkelmann became CEO of the performance subrand, the man that left Lamborghini after more than 10 years at the helm has been asked whether a low-volume hypercar to sit above the R8 was part of his plans. The same week that Lamborghini has announced that the Aventador's successor will arrive with over 1,000 horsepower, Winkelmann has reaffirmed his intention to build the car we all want to see.

Early this year, he said that, while speaking hypothetically, "a very limited car with a high price to test the value of the brand…might be a good idea." Last weekend in California, he told Automotive News that [in regards to a low-volume exotic hypercar] "I'm very keen on working on this in the future. I think not only the brand deserves it, but there is a demand outside, and the [customers] are looking into it." There's a lot of work to be done before that happens, however. Electric cars, new nameplates, and a strong of high-performance crossovers to join the solitary RS Q3 are all priorities. "This is important because this is one of the things which is allowing you to have a worldwide presence," Winkelmann said.

The segment is growing, and we have good synergies there, and we also have fantastic cars in terms of design and performance." So, after delivering the likes of the anticipated RS Q5, and RS Q8, building its own version of the e-tron following Audi's imminent introduction of the e-tron crossover and e-tron Sportback, Winkelman will then turn his attention to building a hypercar. "If you want to build up," Winkelmann said, "you have to have always something on top." There's a clear plan in place to really put Audi Sport on the map with a series of well-defined performance-oriented machines. Only then can a hypercar be justified.