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Preview: 2011 Audi R4

Preview: 2011 Audi R4

Viknesh Vijayenthiran February 6th, 2008 Viknesh Vijayenthiran By Viknesh Vijayenthiran Author February 6th, 2008
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December 31st, 1969 Many believed talk of Audi’s future mid-engined Cayman rival was pure fantasy but then details about the carmaker’s future lineup were published by Quattro Quarterly (a publication released by the Audi Club of North America) and one of the cars on that list was in fact the long rumored R4. Set to appear in June 2011, the new R4 will get its own unique platform and will likely appear in both coupe and roadster bodystyles. Like the R8, the new R4 will feature aggressive styling and will only be able to seat two. Several engine options will be on offer as this won’t be an exclusive supercar like its bigger brother. Expect to see a range-topping model with a high-output turbocharged mill developing in excess of 300hp. Base models, meanwhile, will make do with an uprated version of the 2.0L TFSI engine. As this rendering suggests, the R4 will pick up some styling cues from the recent A1 Metroproject concept car as well as share many similarities with the bigger R8. Although it doesn’t have the familiar side-blades, the R4 still features a pair of gaping vents positioned in front of the rear wheels. The chassis will feature steel construction but engineers are targeting a final kerb weight of around 1,250kg, and although the mid-engined Boxster and Cayman seem like the most obvious competitors Audi officials insist the new car is designed to rival vehicles from BMW’s M division and AMG.2011 Audi R4
Preview: 2011 Audi R4

Preview: 2011 Audi R4

Enlarge Photo

Many believed talk of Audi’s future mid-engined Cayman rival was pure fantasy but then details about the carmaker’s future lineup were published by Quattro Quarterly (a publication released by the Audi Club of North America) and one of the cars on that list was in fact the long rumored R4. Set to appear in June 2011, the new R4 will get its own unique platform and will likely appear in both coupe and roadster bodystyles.

Like the R8, the new R4 will feature aggressive styling and will only be able to seat two. Several engine options will be on offer as this won’t be an exclusive supercar like its bigger brother. Expect to see a range-topping model with a high-output turbocharged mill developing in excess of 300hp. Base models, meanwhile, will make do with an uprated version of the 2.0L TFSI engine.

As this rendering suggests, the R4 will pick up some styling cues from the recent A1 Metroproject concept car as well as share many similarities with the bigger R8. Although it doesn’t have the familiar side-blades, the R4 still features a pair of gaping vents positioned in front of the rear wheels. The chassis will feature steel construction but engineers are targeting a final kerb weight of around 1,250kg, and although the mid-engined Boxster and Cayman seem like the most obvious competitors Audi officials insist the new car is designed to rival vehicles from BMW’s M division and AMG.
2011 Audi R4
Gallery
  • audi r4 preview01

Tags: Spy Shots

Posted in: Audi, Spy Shots, Coupes


Comments (24 total)

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  1. By chris #1, Posted: 2/6/2008

    so..... its a rear-mid engined TT?

    so long as it is more badass looking than the TT... and mid engined,... then I'm sure people would be willing to spend 40 or 50k on this baby.

    ...now if only ford would make an AWD rear-mid engined car, maybe with a turbo 2L or something... call it like... RS200... or something... like that..... i'd buy it. oh dont make it a chick car like the miata.

  2. By CK #2, Posted: 2/6/2008

    Looks a bit like a mid engined Audi variant of the Scirocco^^

  3. By elclair #3, Posted: 2/6/2008

    Why is Audi always building cars to compete with another manufacturer. (Instead of the other way around) Audi seems to not be able to set the standard....they can only aim for it.

  4. By CK #4, Posted: 2/6/2008

    But what should they sell or invent new? An Audi pickup, a coupé saloon cabrio with a folding metal roof? In my opinion there are more than enough useless cars out there. Best example in my opinion are all these SUV, SAV and what the hell they are called vehicles.

  5. By chris #5, Posted: 2/6/2008

    ck, its a PAS... Piece o.. no wait.. progressive activity sedan.

    yeah I agree, audi shouldn't be following, but you must admit, at least they arent trying to find new corners of an already cornered market. no... wait.. they have the cross quattro concept, thats a 5 passenger coupe/cabrio/offroader.

  6. By elclair #6, Posted: 2/6/2008

    WhatI actually meant was.. No one is building a car to compete with an Audi... What makes manufacutrer great is that it is able to step outside the box and not follow everyone else around like a lost puppy. I hear too many times that Audi is building ...whatever car to compete with whoever....That's why I don't really take Audi seriously in the world of Sportcars, they follow, they don't lead...(And yes, I mentioned world of sportscars because it's the market they are trying so hard to prove themselves in)

  7. By Bob #7, Posted: 2/6/2008

    I disagree with some of these comments. I dont think Audi always follows. Could you imagine BMW or Mercedes launching a midengined sports car, or pursueing diesels. Merc joined McLaren for its supercar and the bloody thing has a front mounted supercharged V8 engine and auto gearbox - yeh right that's cutting edge. Audi was also using turbos for a lot of its models well before BMW started using them.

  8. By mlevere1992 #8, Posted: 2/6/2008

    Bob, about 60 to 70% of the cars the BMW sells in Europe are diesels and the TT diesel that is in the 330d has won awards. I wish these companies would bring their diesels over to the US. We just need to be more educated about these cars and maybe we would latch onto them like the hybreds that everyone wants.

    Enough of that, if Audi would make this a 2+2 then I would buy it in a hearbeat. I love the styling of this car better than the R8. It just looks mean. I love it in red but change it to black and it would be bad ass.

  9. By chris #9, Posted: 2/6/2008

    guys,.. about the audi/merc/bmw comments.. i look at it like mazda/toyota/honda.... i mean... audi doesnt carry the same prestige as the other two but people who really know theyre cars know that audi is a sound investment.. its more or less which car you like the most. mazda has always been the runt of the japanese makers (nissan too.. yes)... but if you ask me mazda is a better buy than toyota or honda. you're getting honda quality and engineering for toyota costs. i mean, i've said it before but if my blood didnt flow blue then i'd buy mazda in a heart beat. same thing with audi. i'd love to buy a bmw... and i hate merc.. but even though i like bmw's image and styling... if i were the buy a german car, it would be an audi. hands down.

  10. By Gus #10, Posted: 2/6/2008

    It does sort of look like the Scirocco.
    I like Audi, I like BMW, I like Mercedes.
    I like saving money even more... :)

  11. By James #11, Posted: 2/6/2008

    Nice rendering... Audi should consider this for a final design. :)

  12. By Raptor #12, Posted: 2/6/2008

    It would be great with RWD

  13. By CK #13, Posted: 2/6/2008

    Well guys if you look on everything the other way round you will see that there are actually things Audi does that nobody else did before. For example using all wheel drive in all models of the their range, introducing one of the first performance sedans with the Porsche build RS2, being one of the leader in diesel development, building the first diesel car that has won the 24 hours of le mans and buying a traditional italien supercar manufacturer. Also today the design of Audi cars is regarded like the bauhaus style of the automobile branch compared to other manufacturers.

    And I must say BMW used turbos before Audi in their road cars. The BMW 2002 turbo was the first mass production car with a turbocharged engine at the beginning of the 70s.

  14. By Roy #14, Posted: 2/6/2008

    Audi was also the first manufacturer to use zinc to galvanize their cars against rust... However, I think what is being highlighted here is that Audi has had a tendency to rest on its laurels for long periods of time. After the Quattro, they stagnated for a decade. After the A4, they stagnated some more. Now they appear to be picking up again. Maybe Audi will be the car to beat in the future again, but for now they are doing a pretty reasonable job of playing catch-up, again.

  15. By CK #15, Posted: 2/6/2008

    I forgot that one Roy. Got to used to rusting Merc E classes :D

  16. By Sir Yappie #16, Posted: 2/6/2008

    i like it...and i would honestly want one....but this car will kill the TT....unless it is as a TT replacement. Audi might be trying to get a class system for their cars so it makes sense to release the next incantation of the TT as the R4.
    A = Sedans
    R = Sports Cars
    S = Sports sedans
    RS = Super Sports sedans
    Q = 4x4 / SUV's

  17. By mlevere1992 #17, Posted: 2/7/2008

    This won't kill the TT. This is going to be probably placed above the TT with a $8,000 to $10,000 price gap. It will have a bigger engine and different driving dynamincs.

  18. By Sir Yappie #18, Posted: 2/7/2008

    This model to come in above the TT. Are you implying a Boxster to Caymen type scenario ??
    If you ask any purist which car of those they would choose they would always go for the Boxster, but the Caymen is the better looking model without a doubt.

    I still think all the R4 will do is create a competetitor for a car it already has, the TT. There is no need to create such a car as the S5 is already enough to compete with the M3 and AMG stable of coupes And the next incantationsof said coupe willl be styled better than the current understated car.

    A needless excercise imho.

  19. By lexlife #19, Posted: 2/8/2008

    I agree with Yappie. This is a needless vehicle that will steal sales away from the TT-RS edition. Audi does not need an additional vehicle to compete against the Cayman as its ALL the SAME company. Their may be a niche market for the RS3 here however.
    Audi need to make affordable sports cars near A3's price range that offer an advantage in performance and luxury versus VW models with a choice of diesel and awd/fwd/dsg/manual configuarations.

  20. By steel5150 #20, Posted: 2/13/2008

    People say what you want about Audi, BMW and Mercedes. The bottom line is that these automakers contine to make some of the finest cars in the world and as for Audi which is my fav and looks nothing like the other two each is different from the other but of the three there is no one, outside of uber expensive luxury cars that makes a better interior than Audi and if you get a chance to drive any of the three auto makers cars and still feel the same way then you've undoubtedly miss the whole point of driving. (In America we commute in Europe they drive.

  21. By vagabond #21, Posted: 2/13/2008

    I think it looks very boring.

  22. By Sir Yappie #22, Posted: 2/14/2008

    its a rendering from Motor Authority and not an official pic from Audi.

    Still think the model will be the death nell of the TT

  23. By Car Fan #23, Posted: 2/17/2008

    The reason why some think that Audi builds models to compete against others has nothing to do with Audi, it has all to do with the dumb journalists who have to sensationalize every bit of news to get people's attention. "Oh, Audi is building a BMW M3 beater...", or "Audi to build an SLK competitor".

    Personally, I rationalize and make up my own mind as to what Audi is building and do not need any dumb journalist to make my mind up for me, and even more so do not depend on mass acceptance to make my own judgements. Frankly, I think that is weak-minded or as others prefer calling it "mob mentality".

    The Sporty 7-seater Q7 was introduced without competitors, so was the Audi A3, the only competitor for the R8 is the 911 Carrera 4S, I do not see any competitor for the future R4 either, the older allroad was above (in performance) than the V70R. The remaining models have to compete in the main categories since they are all the main money makers for any brand.

    Finally, its not who enters a segment first, its who is the most succesfull at it (pleasing customers) while increasing sales (pleasing stockholders).

  24. By  John Cookson #24, Posted: 9/24/2009

    Got my first Audi 4 years ago. An A3. It was great and the DSG transmission (Which Audi invented) was the key ingredient that put me over the edge. I always want MT, however the DSG is a "mind reading miracle" better than any MT I have ever used - kudos to Audi on that one. I was unimpressed with many electronic faults on the A3 (particularly coming from decades of reliable Nissan and Toyota ownership). I replaced the Audi A3 a couple of months ago and would have purchased the FWD Audi TT 2.0T (with DSG of course) except no dealers in Canada had one that I could buy and the FWD models were being dropped for 2010. Ditto for the BMW 335ix coupe with MT as I couldn't get a test drive anywhere. I ended up buying an Infiniti G37x coupe as it was easy to get test drives and there were plenty of 2009 cars to buy. Have to admit though that I would have been happier with a TT. There is nothing wrong with the G37, it is just more boring and comes with a "non-mind reading" 7 speed automatic transmission.
    The 2011 R4 looks very interesting and availability of DSG on this model is a plus compared to the TT-RS which offers no DSG. However the cramped rear seats on the TT can be useful and it is disappointing the RS4 has only 2 seats. Audi make beautiful looking cars although I do not like the way they are going with their new dashboard styling (like on the new A4) The new dashboard styling puts me off the cars altogether and makes them look like every other boring car out there.

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