Among many luxury brands, Audi has always been unique in the automotive industry with technological innovation. The reputation of “light factory” and the quattro four-wheel drive system are also familiar terms for car fans. Recently, the 2022 Audi China Science and Technology Innovation Tour was officially held. This event also focused on Audi’s technical characteristics in terms of intelligent design, lighting technology and power suspension. Audi also brought us RS 6 Avant, RS 5 Coupe, S8L, S6, RS e-tron GT and other models in this experience event.
It can also be seen from the list of models present that this experience is all Audi’s performance models, and one of them is slightly different, that is, the RS e-tron GT. In the current post-fuel era, the RS e-tron GT with both pure electricity and performance is undoubtedly a model that Audi embraces the future. At the Guangzhou Auto Show that opened not long ago, the RS e-tron GT was officially launched. Its price is 1.4688 million yuan, and it is limited to 20 sales. The editor also mainly experienced this new car this time.
As a high-performance version of the Audi e-tron GT model, the RS e-tron GT is equipped with front and rear dual motors, and the acceleration time from 0-100km/h is only 3.3 seconds. It is worth mentioning that the RS e-tron GT recently broke the lap record of a mass-produced electric car at Zhejiang International Circuit with a time of 1:41.693, and won the honor of “the fastest mass-produced electric car” in Zhejiang Race.
As a pure electric GT sports car, RS e-tron GT adopts a very low body shape design. On the front face, the hexagonal honeycomb grille inherits the family style, and the closed design reduces wind resistance while also showing the identity of new energy. Both sides of the grille are equipped with diversion grooves and carbon fiber cooling holes, which enhance the aggressiveness of the front face and demonstrate its sports strength.
The smooth body lines, frameless doors, blue brake calipers and carbon fiber exterior mirrors make the new car full of sporty charm. Due to the use of low-drag wheels and other designs to optimize aerodynamic performance, the drag coefficient of the RS e-tron GT is only 0.24Cd. In terms of body size, the length, width and height of RS e-tron GT are 4990/1960/1410mm, and the wheelbase is 2900mm.
As far as design is concerned, Audi believes that excellent design is the perfect fusion of aesthetics, form and function. Through iconic shapes, bold lines and aesthetic innovations, the new design language of “smart aesthetics” has also become an important part of Audi’s smart design.
Produced by the lamp factory, it must be a high-quality product, and making a fuss about lighting has always been Audi’s forte. As the epitome of the deep integration of Audi technology, design, safety and customer experience, lighting not only makes the exterior design of Audi models sharp and smart, but also greatly improves driving safety and driving pleasure. Looking back on Audi’s lighting history, from adaptive headlights to LED daytime running lights, from matrix LED headlights to today’s digital LED headlights and digital OLED taillights, Audi has led the development of lighting technology step by step.
Digital LED headlights with digital micromirror device (DMD) technology are mounted on the Audi e-tron Sportback for the first time. The core of DMD technology is a small chip that integrates 1.3 million micromirrors, and these micromirror components can each complete up to 5,000 angle changes per second. According to different positions, the light emitted by three groups of high-performance LED lamps is concentrated to the DMD chip through specially calculated lenses and irregular reflective devices, and the light reaches the road through the DMD chip through the lens or the absorber that can shield the beam. The RS e-tron GT experienced this time also uses the Audi Matrix Laser laser technology as the high beam. This technology is also featured on the limited edition Audi R8 LMX for the first time, and the range of the headlights is thus doubled.
The quattro projected brake light on the rear spoiler was installed on the SAIC Audi Q6 model for the first time, and it will also be promoted to the global market in the future. The rear of the SAIC Audi Q6 adopts a through-type taillight design, and the internal light group has a unique design. The red light and shadow of the word “quattro” floats on the rear window, forming a more personalized visual effect of high-mounted brake lights.
RS e-tron GT adopts an enveloping cockpit design, and in order to adhere to the concept of sustainable development, the interior of the car also uses a large area of luxurious and textured environmentally friendly materials. At the same time, the use of carbon fiber trim and red stitching also enhances the sporty atmosphere inside the car .
The new car also adopts the Audi virtual cockpit system, which provides a 12.3-inch full LCD instrument panel, a 10.1-inch central control screen and a HUD head-up display system with 3D projection. The vehicle is equipped with the Audi MMI multimedia interactive system, which supports functions such as Apple CarPlay, voice recognition control, and mobile APP remote control.
In terms of power, the RS e-tron GT is equipped with an 800V ultra-high voltage pure electric platform. The front and rear axles are equipped with permanent magnet synchronous motors + high-performance gearboxes. The combined power can reach 440kW and the maximum torque is 830 Nm. In the super boost mode, the maximum power of the new car can be increased to 475kW, the 0-100km/h acceleration time is only 3.3 seconds, and the top speed is 250km/h. The power battery will be equipped with a 93kWh lithium-ion battery, and the cruising range under WLTP conditions can reach 488km.
The RS e-tron GT is equipped with an e-quattro intelligent electric four-wheel drive system with torque vectoring distribution function. The power distribution ratio of the front and rear axles can be continuously and variablely adjusted to achieve ideal power distribution in an instant. In most cases, the system mainly uses the rear motor to achieve the best driving performance. For example, when driving in ice and snow, making a sharp turn, or understeering or oversteering the vehicle, the system will automatically distribute the torque within 30 milliseconds.
The three-chamber air suspension equipped on the Audi RS e-tron GT can precisely control the vertical movement, provide stable support for the body, and at the same time filter out most of the fine vibrations from the road. At the same time, the three-chamber air suspension can adjust the body to different heights, with a maximum increase of 0.22 cm and a maximum decrease of 0.2 cm. Depending on the driving scenario, the chambers of each spring can be activated or deactivated individually, and the chambers work closely with the control dampers.
The new car is also equipped with an electro-hydraulic integrated brake-by-wire system. The control unit detects the force applied by the driver on the brake pedal and can calculate the required braking torque within a few milliseconds. When the braking force of the brake pedal is less than 0.3g, the two driving motors will perform anti-drag deceleration to realize braking energy recovery. When the driver depresses the brake pedal hard and the braking force exceeds 0.3 g, the electro-hydraulic brake will be activated, which can achieve twice the response speed of traditional brakes. During emergency braking, it takes only 150 milliseconds to achieve maximum braking force.
Since the test drive route is relatively short, here is a brief description of the driving experience. The acceleration performance of the RS e-tron GT is absolutely beyond doubt. What is commendable is that it still has the driving experience of a fuel car. Fast, but not stupidly fast, the sense of acceleration is more linear than other electric vehicles. And since the RS e-tron GT is equipped with the simulated sound of the e-tron sports sound, the driving atmosphere is also created quite well. In addition, RS e-tron GT also provides four adjustable driving modes: energy saving, comfort, dynamic and personalized.
Let’s take a look at the technical highlights of other models in terms of power and suspension. The Audi RS 6 Avant is equipped with a 4.0 TFSI V8 twin-turbocharged engine with a maximum power of 441kW (600 horsepower) and a peak torque of 800 Nm. The equipped COD cylinder deactivation system can close the four cylinders when the output power is low, so as to realize the effective switching between performance and energy saving. At present, some Audi models are also equipped with a 48V light-hybrid system, which can effectively improve fuel economy at low speeds and idling stages.
The predictive active suspension of the new A8L family is a fully active electromechanical suspension system with an electric motor at each wheel and powered by the 48V main electrical system. The system can individually increase or decrease the load on the chassis above each wheel, adjusting to road conditions.
The electromechanical active roll stabilization system equipped on the Audi RS Q8 can provide a richer choice between smooth and smooth driving and dynamic driving control. When driving in a straight line, the suspension control ensures that the two parts of the stabilizer act largely independently of each other, greatly improving the vehicle’s driving comfort on relatively uneven road surfaces. At high speeds, however, the system focuses on optimum roll compensation.
RS sports suspension with DRC Dynamic Ride Control is optional on high-performance RS models. The suspension system’s monotube dampers have variable characteristics, which reduce pitch and side effects while adding support to the vehicle when cornering at high speeds. Tilt to improve handling performance and power.
The adaptive air suspension equipped on Audi e-tron and other models can automatically adjust the suspension height and elasticity according to different driving modes, vehicle speed and driver preferences to adapt to different road conditions. As the central control unit, Audi’s electronically controlled chassis platform is the brain of all key chassis systems. With the support of the electronically controlled chassis system, innovative chassis systems such as the electric active anti-stabilizer compensation system, predictive active suspension and dynamic all-wheel steering can realize intelligent interconnection.
Write at the end:
As a century-old car company, Audi has always insisted on creating luxury models with the spirit of craftsmanship and the concept of technological innovation. And this Audi Technology Innovation Tour also allowed us to witness Audi’s technical advantages in intelligent design, lighting technology and dynamic suspension. Especially with the solid foundation in power and suspension, whether driving a fuel vehicle or an electric vehicle, we can enjoy full driving fun and passionate performance.
(Editor in charge: Wang Jia)