encounter - technology magazine, august 2015

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The Audi Technology Magazine2/2015

HIGHVOLTAGE

Matrix MANagement → Page 20 Greater than the Sum of its Parts → Page 30

Part of the Wind → Page 40 Auto-Biography → Page 46 Upside Down → Page 58

Bends Discussion → Page 74 In G[R8] Shape → Page 84 Racing Wheels → Page 92 Magazine → Page 98

Audi Pilot → 02 Operation Carbon → Page 108 Hot or Not → Page 114

Tomorrow’s Autonomous Thinkers → Page 120 Double Quick TTime → Page 128

Highly Charged → Page 132 Easy Glider → Page 136 Mission to the Moon → Page 144

Audi e-tron quattro conceptAudi will electrify the Frankfurt Motor Show with a dynamic concept study. The sport SUV delivers 370 kW

of power and a range of more than 500 kilometers. Its aerodynamics are revolutionary. → Page 12

The Audi Technology Magazine2/2015

Encounter online – The magazine on the web

Experience the topics and videos from this edition of Encounter online, the Audi Communications website. There are also plenty of other stories from the fields of technology, brand and environment. Thanks to responsive web design, Encounter online runs on all devices, regardless of the technology platform.

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Encounter – The magazine subscription

Serveral times a year, Encounter presents fascinating stories from Audi’s world of technology. You can subscribe to Encounter Magazine – completely free-of-charge and with no obligation.

Simply send an e-mail with your address to: [email protected]

Three central innovations define the new R8: height- ened performance with more power than ever before, consistent driver focus in the interior and aesthetic lightweight design with a high proportion of carbon fiber.

From the very first minute in the new R8 and the new A4, you can feel the force of our innovations. And that is what we demonstrate to you in the pages that follow.

These two automobiles and their family members are perfect examples of how we are shaping the automotive future – with sporty and emotional products presented in an unmistakable design; products that are pioneering in their efficiency and sustain-ability, digitalization and connectivity.

As engineers, we live and breathe the Audi spirit – the decisive Audi values that we are continuously creating anew for our customers. For us, “Vorsprung durch Technik” is far more than the sum of all our individual developments. For us, it is about sustain-able innovation in all strategically important areas of future tech-nology. On reading this magazine, you will see that we are already right in the middle of that future.

Yours,

2015 is the year of our big product offensive. We are launching no less than twelve new Audi models – two of which are the focus of this Encounter Technology magazine. The new Audi R8, the sporting spearhead of our brand, and the new Audi A4, our bestselling car and thus the backbone of the four rings.

We are transferring the characteristics of our successful full-size SUV, the Audi Q7, into the car market’s biggest segment, the mid-size class – and in so doing, making the A4 a pioneer. Compared with its predecessor, 90 percent of its parts are new – bringing our customers a considerable and clearly notice able plus in terms of performance, efficiency, connectivity and comfort.

The new R8 super sports car carries the motorsports

genes of our brand and stands for the direct transfer of the very latest technology from the race track to the road.

Editorial2/2015

For us, “Vorsprung durch Technik” is far more than the sum of all our individual developments. For us, it is about sustainable

innovation in all strategically important areas of future technology. Prof. Dr.-Ing. Ulrich Hackenberg

Prof. Dr.-Ing. Ulrich Hackenberg Member of the Board of Management of AUDI AG

Technical Development

2 Encounter Technology

MindsEt. skills.

58

CONTENTS

30

102

144

108

74

Passion.

40

58Upside DownWhat do Audi cars look like from underneath? There’s plenty to discover.

74Bends DiscussionThree R8 variants, three development engineers, one hot day in Neuburg an der Donau.

84In G[R8] ShapeEngine, ASF, quattro – three strengths of the new R8, explained by its engineers.

92Racing WheelsFocused on the driver – the cockpit of the new R8 and the R18 e-tron quattro.

98MagazineA glimpse beyond the Audi fence – technology news from around the world.

102Audi PilotDriving through Shanghai traffic with the Audi A7 piloted driving concept.

108Operation CarbonTry-out – how does Lamborghini repair damaged CFRP components?

114Hot or Not3 kW are generated from 1 kW – the heat pump in the new Audi Q7 e-tron 3.0 TDI quattro.

120Tomorrow’s Autonomous ThinkersLearning in competition – students develop software for piloted driving.

128Double Quick TTimeHeart racer – the Audi TT clubsport turbo concept with e-turbo.

132Highly ChargedRecord breaker at the Sachsenring – the Audi RS 5 TDI competition concept.

136Easy GliderRelaxed cruiser for a stress-free feeling – the new Ducati Scrambler.

144Mission to the MoonAudi heads for space, together with a research team from Berlin.

148Imprint

12High VoltageSport SUV with electric drive. The Audi e-tron quattro concept study.

20Matrix MANagementProf. Dr. Hackenberg in dialogue on the new Audi A4 and its matrix.

30Greater than the Sum of its PartsSeven engineers and one designer report on the A4 development.

40Part of the WindTension leads to new ideas – design and aerodynamics in the new A4.

46Auto-BiographyThe predecessors of the new Audi A4 – a success story spanning 50 years.

46

84

The new Audi R8No other Audi production car is more powerful, no other is faster,

no other is closer to the race track – the new R8 stands for technology at the limit.

40bar is the maximum oil pressure in the electro-hydraulically controlled multi-plate clutch. It distributes the forces between the axles of the new Audi R8 in line with requirements.

→ Page 84

The “Flying Doctors” of LamborghiniIn Sant’Agata Bolognese there is a small group of specialists who repair

damaged CFRP parts on-location for customers all over the world. This kind of work calls for highly specialized expertise.

120degrees Celsius is the curing temperature for the carbon patches used by Lamborghini to repair damaged

parts. A try-out as an assistant doctor.

→ Page 108

The Audi lunar quattroAudi and the PTS team from Berlin want to land the piloted research

vehicle on the moon by the end of 2017 – as part of the Google Lunar XPRIZE. Its top speed is 3.6 km/h.

380,000kilometers is the distance of the moon from the earth. Audi intends to make the journey to

the earth’s satellite, together with Berlin research group, Part-Time Scientists.

→ Page 144

Audi e-tron quattro conceptUp to 370 kW of power, more than 800 Nm of torque, 0 to 100 km/h

in 4.6 seconds – the Audi concept study makes a powerful statement for the mobility of the future. Its large lithium-ion battery delivers

a range of more than 500 kilometers.

0.25is the cd figure for the Audi e-tron quattro concept. The sporty SUV, the concept study for the

Frankfurt Motor Show, is close to series production – as is its battery-electric drive.

→ Page 12

Part oF tHE WindHarmony from tension – design and

aerodynamics in the new A4.

40

aUto-BioGraPHY50 years of success – the predecessors to

the new Audi A4.

46

MindsEtIt is the courage to innovate that put Audi

at the top. The company wants to expand that lead even further with a continual

flow of new ideas and a clear approach.

——

HiGH VoltaGESport SUV with electric drive – the

Audi e-tron quattro concept concept study.

12

MatriX [Man]aGEMEnt

Prof. Dr. Hackenberg talks about the MLB evo and the new Audi A4.

20

GrEatEr tHan tHE sUM oF its Parts

Eight A4 makers report on the development of the new model.

30

10 Encounter Technology 11 Encounter Technology

HIGHVOLTAGE

Audi e-tron quattro conceptSporting character, refined performance and a range of more than 500 kilometers –

the Audi concept study will make its debut at the Frankfurt Motor Show. The large SUV provides a clear indication of Audi’s first high-volume electric car.

New look – The Audi e-tron quattro concept sports OLED light units front and rear.

At 4.88 meters long, it lies between the Q5 and the Q7, but at just 1.54 meters high, it is considerably lower than both

production models.


The technical basis – the MLB evoThe Audi e-tron quattro concept is based on the second generation of the

modular longitudinal matrix. It offers all the prerequisites for a diverse range of drive concepts, including battery-electric drive.

Sailing into the wind – The “aerosthetics” concept displayed by the study unites highly emotional

design with revolutionary aerodynamics that makes use of movable parts. The cd figure is just 0.25.

0.25


0 – 100 km/h: 4.6 secondsThe three electric motors in the Audi e-tron quattro concept deliver a combined output

of 320 kW and a true quattro feel. When the driver pushes the right pedal to the floor, this soars to as much as 370 kW and more than 800 Nm of torque.

e-tron quattro – Ready for everyday use. The large battery beneath the

occupant cell enables a range of more than 500 kilometers. The electric motors work together as

required, also facilitating quattro drive.

4.6


Revolution on the insideTaut lines and clear forms – the interior of the

concept study looks light and airy. The console on the center tunnel appears to float in mid-air.

Innovative technology – Large displays in OLED technology characterize the cockpit

of the concept study. The display in front of the driver is slightly curved for better legibility. The exterior mirrors are replaced

by cameras and screens in the doors.

OLED


Workshop discussion – Audi A4Prof. Dr. Ulrich Hackenberg, Audi’s board member for technical development,

talks about the importance of the modular matrix systems he conceived, about technology transfer and about aerodynamics. The location is Audi’s aeroacoustics wind tunnel.

The object of discussion is the new Audi A4 Avant.

TextJohannes Köbler

PhotosUlrike Myrzik, Manfred Jarisch

Expert eye – Dr. Hackenberg

at the open tailgate of the new

Audi A4 Avant.

MATRIX

[MAN]AGEMENT


4Control center –

A view across the console. In the

foreground, Beat Heinzelmann, the aerodynamicist

responsible for the new Audi A4 Avant.

1Attention to detail – The tailgate of the new A4 Avant can be opened and closed electrically and by gesture control.

Dr. Hackenberg, you’re the father of the Volkswagen Group’s modular matrix strategy. What’s the thinking behind Audi’s modular longitudinal matrix?

Dr. Hackenberg: I developed the original idea for the MLB at the start of the 1990s. I was responsible for concept development when we conceived the Audi B5 – the first A4 – on the PL 45 platform. Our chairman Dr. Piëch thought that the design of the car had gotten too big and we were set the task of shortening it by 75 mil-limeters. The A4 was a great success after that because everything still worked really well together.

When we developed the C5 – the first A6 – a short time later, it occurred to me to undo the shorten-ing of the A4 and bring the car up to C standard in terms of length and width. We defined the parts that deter-mine the width as variable so that we could, for in-stance, increase the track. We kept the vast majority of the remainder the same – which was also where most of the cost lay. I’m talking here about the longitudinal beams, the engine mounts, the safety structure. This was how we were able to realize the new C class vehicle for the same cost as the B class model plus changes.

What happened after that?

Dr. Hackenberg: From 1998 until 2002, I worked for Volkswagen and continued to develop the matrix idea with the PQ 35 and its derivatives. When I later re-turned to Audi, the subsequent A4 and A6 models had been further developed independently from one an-other again. And to correct that for the future, we con-ceived the modular longitudinal matrix under my leader ship. First we defined a driveline and then built the bodyshell structure around it in a way that enabled platform dimensions to be derived here, too. We incor-porated the wheels into the flexible matrix and made the platform scalable in height so that we could also realize a Q model.

However, we didn’t just establish the archi-tecture and the technology modules of our vehicles within the MLB, but also the architecture of the facto-ries we build them in. This addresses things like joint sequencing, jointing technology and materials parameters in bodyshell manufacturing as well as assembly sequencing. Our aim was to establish a production hub between the A4 and the A6 and between Ingolstadt and Neckarsulm. Well-utilized factories obviously help se-cure long-term employment.

After that, you conceived the modular transverse matrix …

Dr. Hackenberg: The first MLB was the mother of all the modern matrices. We transferred its idea into the transverse world with the MQB – in a highly systematic manner and with a very high degree of flexibility in the drive concepts. In Group factories, an electric car can follow a gas model, which, in turn, can follow a diesel vehicle – similar to what we’re now also doing with the MLB evo, the second-generation modular longitudinal matrix.

MLB

The MLB doesn’t just establish the architecture and

the technology modules of our vehicles, but also

the architecture of the factories we build them in.

Prof. Dr. Ulrich Hackenberg

2cd 0.26 –

The long roof edge spoiler on the

new A4 Avant makes a major

contribution to the low drag

coefficient.

3Highly refined – The fins on the outer mirror casings guide the air and thus lower wind noise.

1

2

3

4


6New solution – Additional openings in the air intakes ensure that air flows past the wheels while driving.

5“The MLB evo offers us a high degree of flexibility when it comes to drive technologies.” Prof. Dr. Ulrich Hackenberg, Audi board member for technical development.

7Uneven split line? Inaccurate fit?The technical director finds no flaws on the new A4 Avant.

8Elegant and effective –The black “aero baffles” play a major role in the defined airflow separation at the rear.

How flexible is the MLB evo in terms of drive?

Dr. Hackenberg: We are now adding electrified drives to the classic internal combustion engines, the TDI and the TFSI. We have developed a wide spread here – from the new technologies based on the 48-volt vehicle elec-tric system, through plug-in hybrids like the Q7 e-tron quattro to battery-electric vehicles (BEVs).

In general, we make all technologies suit-able for the various different segments, even if we don’t necessarily have to use them everywhere – it can very well be that one BEV in the C segment is enough. Depending on how the market accepts the car, we are free to adapt its factory volumes. In this respect, we have far more flexibility than one of our competitors, which builds its electric models within a completely new structure.

What lightweight design technologies does the MLB evo facilitate?

Dr. Hackenberg: In contrast to the MLB, the MLB evo is extensively set up for material-mix technology. We can make the bodyshell from steel or aluminum or a com-bination of both materials. As a mid-range model, the new A4 is made largely of steel, while the C and D ranges feature increasing amounts of aluminum – in line with our motto: the right material in the right amounts in the right place. I can also well imagine CFRP being used in the future A8.

What technologies in the MLB evo have a particularly strong impact on the Audi brand?

Dr. Hackenberg: Further weight reduction is a major issue, as is engines. Emissions legislation has dramati-cally tightened the CO₂ targets and we have to adapt accordingly. Factors that impact the brand certainly include the powerful V6 and V8 gasoline and diesel en-gines and their future degrees of electrification. There are also significant innovations in terms of running gear, ranging all the way to the rear-axle steering on the new Q7.

Other issues that we’re pushing forward in the MLB evo are the operating and display concepts, connectivity and driver assistance systems. The traffic jam assist in our new models already paves the way to piloted driving. We’ll be putting this technology into series production in the next A8 – the first stage being on highways at speeds of up to 60 km/h. We will raise this systematically and bring the new technologies implemented in the central driver assistance controller, the zFAS, into the smaller model ranges, too.

Is this technology transfer part of a general principle with the MLB evo?

Dr. Hackenberg: The high volumes that the matrix en-ables on account of standardization lead to consistent quality and cost reduction, i.e. to the democratization of the new technologies. One good example of this is the modular infotainment matrix, the (MIB). Not only is it highly scalable, we can also continually update it. Our customers can rest assured that they are receiving technologies that are state-of-the-art – also on account of ongoing development across the individual model ranges.

Our fundamental approach is to cascade our new technologies, so that their first application is in the top-of-the-range vehicles. Then we carry them over into volume production, which is how we achieve a real impact in traffic. The kind of contribution to safety that arises from our driver assistance systems can only have an impact on society when they are widely available.

What are the main determining factors in the fundamental elements of the MLB evo?

Dr. Hackenberg: The layout of the front end, the posi-tion of the bulkhead and the installation position of the engines are the same. The variable elements are the seating position, the lateral positioning of the pedals and the angle of the steering column. The track, wheel-base, overhang and the outer skin – or the hat, as we call it – are, of course, completely flexible. The MLB evo cov-ers all the models from the B, C and D segments as well as the larger Q models. More than 60 percent of all Audis sold are based on longitudinal engine concepts. Once it’s fully rolled out, we’ll be building more than 1.2 million vehicles per year on the MLB evo. That’s not including other group brands using the matrix.

How strictly can you and must you manage a matrix like this?

Dr. Hackenberg: All change proposals undergo a strin-gent decision-making process. Obviously, the matrix always has to remain competitive, which calls for a cer-tain degree of movement. What’s important, though, is to retain the definition of the architecture, which also determines production. The matrix provides our engi-neers with a set of guardrails. When you’re driving on the highway between guardrails, you feel safer and are able to drive faster. Within the matrix, our engineers can likewise work in a highly targeted and focused way.

5

7

6

8

MLB EVO

The matrix enables high volumes due to standardization.

This leads to more consistent quality and reduced costs.

Prof. Dr. Ulrich Hackenberg


2007 THE MLB

2015 THE MLB EVO

Developed by Prof. Dr. Hackenberg, the first- generation modular longitudinal matrix started in

2007 with the Audi A5, followed by the A4, A6, A7 Sportback, A8, Q5 and Q7 as well as the

Porsche Macan. An important technical feature was the new arrangement of the clutch

and torque converter behind the differential, resulting in a longer wheelbase.

The second generation of the modular longitudinal matrix is set to continue the success story.

Its first user was the new Audi Q7, now followed by the new A4. The strengths of the MLB evo

include the extremely wide bandwidth of drive concepts, the multi-material bodyshell

designs and the flexible architecture for operation and display, infotainment and driver

assistance systems.

2012 THE MQB

Production of the new Audi A3 began in 2012, with the TT debuting in 2014. Both model ranges use

the modular transverse matrix that Prof. Dr. Hackenberg conceived for many of the

Volkswagen Group’s models and brands. Cars like the Audi A3 Sportback e-tron (pictured),

with its plug-in hybrid drive, demonstrate the versatility of the MQB, while the TTS shows its

dynamic potential.

Guardrails for DevelopmentMLB, MQB, MLB evo – these acronyms refer to the three matrices used by Audi and the

Volkswagen Group. The two modular longitudinal matrices encompass the Audi models with longitudinally mounted front-engines. Many models with transverse

engines are based on the modular transverse matrix – at Audi, the A3 and TT ranges.“A monolithic, total vehicle sculpture.” Board member for technical develop-ment Prof. Dr. Ulrich Hackenberg speaking about the new Audi A4 Avant.

THE MATRICES


Dr. Hackenberg, the new A4 ultra has a cd figure of 0.23, making it the most aerodynamic sedan on the market. What is the role of aerodynamics at Audi?

Dr. Hackenberg: It is of growing importance to each of our models, regardless of the respective matrix. We want to combine Audi’s progressive design with the best possible aerodynamics. We keep our design discus-sions very open these days with the aim of enabling the best solution for all sides.

Dr. Islam, how did your team achieve this low cd figure?

Dr. Islam: In the case of the outer skin, we obviously worked very closely with the designers, which is our classic approach for optimization. However, it’s not just the design that influences the aerodynamics, but the entire vehicle concept. For the new A4, we worked suc-cessfully on this with the MLB evo.

The underbody details also play a major role. We achieved the final step with a special aerody-namic wheel and further refinements to the controll-able cool-air inlet on the ultra model. We’re not alone in all of this work; we receive very good support from the specialist departments responsible for the respec-tive components. We wouldn’t have been able to achieve this class-leading figure without that.

Herr Monchaux, as an aerodynamicist from motorsport, do you ever talk about the cd figure?

Monchaux: We don’t want to make life unnecessarily easy for our competition, which is why we’re not going to mention any numbers here. However, it’s safe to say that we have reduced drag significantly in recent years. We want to achieve the greatest possible downforce with the lowest possible drag, adapted specifically to the respective track. Perhaps I can give you one example – at between 150 and 200 km/h, the Audi R18 e-tron quattro could drive along the ceiling, depending on the aerodynamic setup and weight.

Dr. Hackenberg, aerodynamically speaking, did Audi have the best car at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in June?

Dr. Hackenberg: Yes, I’m convinced of that. The effec-tive aerodynamics helped us a great deal in compensat-ing for the performance shortcomings of the drive.

What can production development engineers learn from motorsport?

Dr. Islam: On the Audi R8, it was essential right from the early stages of concept development to find space on the underside for the large diffuser – a classic racing solution. Within the scope of the regulations, aerody-namicists have a significant influence on the vehicle concept and are incredibly good at coming up with clever detail solutions. And that’s how we try to work in production development, too.

Dr. Hackenberg: Demands differ a great deal between motorsport and series production. On a race car, you can and want to see the aerodynamics clearly; that’s a big part of the attraction. On a production car, however, this often runs contrary to tastes. Combining these is therefore quite an art form – with an excellent outcome achieved for the new Audi A4. Here at this location, we benefit hugely from the fact that motorsport is located right next to production development. This facilitates the exchange of ideas, which I always try to encourage and coordinate.

What are the next big challenges for you?

Dr. Islam: The kind of significant potential that enables major leaps forward is no longer there for the taking. What we need above all is extremely good expert knowledge, a lot of time in the wind tunnel and even more refined simulation methods.

Dr. Hackenberg: One central issue is surely the market trend toward SUVs. Bringing these large, high vehicles down to a figure compatible with emissions reduction is a task that makes aerodynamics even more impor-tant. Another aspect is our new models with electric drive, which no longer have any engine noise. This is where good aerodynamics deliver good aeroacoustics for the customer and create completely new and fasci-nating driving experiences.

Monchaux: On LMP1 race cars, we want to continue systematically and aggressively developing the aerody-namics. The regulations may well still not permit any movable parts, but we are working very hard on testing and measuring all aerodynamically effective compo-nents. The aim is to win the WEC in 2015 and to bring the Le Mans trophy back home in 2016.

Dr. Hackenberg: Why does the windscreen wiper on the LMP1 race car lie at a slight angle?

Monchaux: When our engines still had restrictors, we put the wiper at an angle so as not to disturb the intake cross-section on the roof. Although the new rules mean that’s no longer so important, it still helps the engine a little. Another factor is that it’s not in the driver’s line of sight. And, not least, the angled position give us a tiny little bit more downforce. It’s just one of many little steps in our development work.

9Discussion in the

wind tunnel – Prof. Dr. Hackenberg,

Jan Monchaux and Dr. Moni Islam

(from left).

10Group of experts –

At Audi, the motorsport specialists work

in close physical proximity to production

development.

On the LMP1 race car, form entirely follows func-tion, within the limits set by the current

regulations. The same objective applies to the base body of the R18 e-tron quattro and to the

airflow beneath the cladding – the best compromise between the highest possible downforce

and lowest possible drag.

The underside of the new Audi A4 features targeted airflow guidance. The engine bay is encap-

sulated and there are large areas of cladding beneath the occupant cell and luggage compartment. The rear axle suspension arms are specially covered,

while small spoilers – including those in front of the wheels and on the fuel tank – guide the airflow.

Lift at the rear axle is very low.

Aerodynamics is a traditional Audi domain. The brand once again puts itself at the front of the field with the new A4. Prof. Dr. Hackenberg

in discussion with Dr. Moni Islam, Head of Development Aerodynamics/Aeroacoustics, and Jan Monchaux, Head of Aerodynamics for Audi Sport.

AERODYNAMICS

AuDI A4R18 E-TRON QuATTRO

Scan the QR code andsee the video on the R18 e-tron quattro.

10

9


Chassis and DesignStrict lightweight design and intelligent control technology define

the chassis of the new Audi models. Inside, progressive materials and colors convey an atmosphere of modern elegance.

Stefan Gmelch“Our chassis sets new bench-

marks in all the relevant criteria,” says Stefan Gmelch,

Team Leader Chassis.

Tiziana Mauri“Open-pore wood is

currently a major trend in furniture,” reports

Tiziana Mauri, Designer Color & Trim.

THE NEWAuDI A4

GREATER THAN THE SuM

Of ITS pARTEven more powerful, even more efficient, even more intelligentThe new Audi A4 and A4 Avant set the bar a good deal higher. Who are the brains behind the

new technologies and solutions?


PhotosBernhard Huber

Aluminum swivel bearing –The new forged swivel bearing in the new A4 weighs 800 grams less

than the cast bearing in the last model. Furthermore, its manufacturing consumes far less energy. 31 Encounter Technology30

Engine and Predictive Efficiency AssistantIn terms of fuel consumption, the new A4 is far better than its predecessor.

This is thanks to technologies like the 2.0 TFSI with the new combustion process and the predictive efficiency assistant.

Dr. Rainer WurmsDr. Wurms (left) is Head of

Advance Development Spark-Ignition Engines. “We have developed downsizing

into rightsizing,” he says.Dr. Ralf Budack

“We saw right away that the new process will work,”

says Dr. Ralf Budack, thermo-dynamics specialist.

Reimund Limbacher“Up to ten percent

less fuel consumption out of town,” says

Reimund Limbacher, Development

Vehicle Functions Drive.

Intake camshaft –Under partial load, it is open for 140 degrees

of crankshaft angle and under full load for 170 degrees.

New and old pistons – The piston on the right comes from the previous

engine. The piston topology has been revised for the new 2.0 TFSI (left).32 33 Encounter Technology

Headlamp technology and Audi A4 Avant g-tronThe new Audi A4 always provides excellent road illumination with its

Matrix LED headlamps. The g-tron model, which follows in 2016, runs on synthetic methane – the environmentally friendly Audi e-gas.

Dr. Wolfgang Huhn“Our competence in electro-

nics is a key factor for success,” says

Dr. Wolfgang Huhn, Head of Development Light/Sight.

Ole EichbergEichberg (left) conceived

the gas tanks for the g-tron model. “They are

very lightweight and extre-mely safe.”

Christopher Mohns“The A4 Avant is actually

CO₂ neutral when it runs on Audi e-gas,”

Christopher Mohns, Technical Project Manager.

Gas tanks –The mixed weave of CFRP and GFRP,

which serves as the second layer, can be seen here on the tanks. The third layer of GFRP only is not pictured. 35 Encounter Technology34

Lightweight design is a tricky art to master – but, yet again, Audi is set-ting new benchmarks. Depending

on the engine variant, the new A4 weighs up to 120 kilograms less than its predecessor, much of which is attributable to its chassis. “We took a close look at every single chassis component,” says Stefan Gmelch, Team Lead er Chassis for the new A4. “In many cases, we opted for a completely new de-sign.”

One of these components is the electromechanical power steering, which delivers a weight saving of 3.5 kilograms. The new single-tube dampers bring a com-bined saving of more than two kilograms. Gmelch cites a further benefit: “The oil flows only through the piston valve, making the single-tube dampers more direct and responsive.” In many of the A4 engine vari-ants, the front wheels feature brakes with lightweight aluminum fixed calipers – weight benefit: five kilograms.

Development engineers saved a total of eleven kilograms between the two axles – all major links are now made from aluminum, with many parts forged instead of cast. Even the pentagonal wheel-hub mounts contribute to the lightweight de-sign balance sheet. Similarly to the front axle, the rear axle is now also engineered with a five-link design. “This brings us two major effects,” explains Gmelch. “We have lowered unsprung masses and we can clean-ly separate the longitudinal and transverse forces from one another. In the lateral di-rection, we have designed the rubber/metal mounts to be sporty and stiff, while keeping them smooth and soft in the longitudinal direction.”

Audi valvelift system (AVS). Dr. Budack tells us more: “We could already tell at the start of the project in 2006 that the process would work. The big task, however, was in the detail work – the adjustment of control times, swept volumes and compression ratio.”

The new engine is particularly not able for its efficiency under partial load. This is where mainly the multi-point injec-tion is active. It enables mixture formation that ensures efficient and extremely clean combustion. The intake valves are open through just 140 degrees of crankshaft angle. In combination with the increased pressure in the intake manifold, this lowers throttling losses during induction.

In the compression phase, the newly developed 2.0 TFSI compresses the gas like a small-displacement 1.4 TFSI – al-though at a compression ratio of 11.7:1, which is unusually high for a turbo engine. Because the subsequent expansion phase lasts longer than the compression phase, more energy is transmitted to the crank-shaft. The greater expansion of the gas dur-ing the extended expansion phase increases efficiency.

To ensure the charge air tumbles sufficiently, despite the short induction time, the intake ports, valves, pistons and com-bustion chambers of the 2.0 TFSI have been extensively redesigned. Under higher loads, the AVS, which has been moved from the ex-haust side to the intake side, ensures later closing of the valves at 170 degrees of crank angle. The higher fill facilitates good power and torque delivery.

Dr. Rainer Wurms outlines the potential unlocked by the new tech nology. “We have established a very good basis for fulfilling future exhaust legislation. Plus, the new combustion process is particularly well suited to hybrid concepts that can make targeted use of its best consumption points. We are right at the beginning of a highly interesting development.”

The designer runs her finger very gently over the trim piece. The open-pore oak possesses its very

own tactile qualities – slightly rough, ex-tremely natural, authentic. “Open-pore wood is a strong trend in modern and pro-gressive furniture,” says Tiziana Mauri, De-signer Color & Trim. “In the new Audi A4, we are offering the veneer in oak grey natural as part of the design selection.”

Color & Trim – this is the design department that gives Audi cars their sur-face finish. It decides on the exterior paint shades and add-on parts, and on the use of materials and color in the interior. The job of the designers of Color & Trim includes examining broader megatrends and fast-moving design trends and filtering out those that can be translated into Audi’s cars – for products that will be on the market for around seven years and will remain on the road for even longer.

Tiziana Mauri speaks with great enthusiasm about the new features in the Audi A4. “For the exterior, we have added three completely new colors to the Audi palette – Matador red, Manhattan grey and Gotland green,” explains the Italian. “All three tones are very calm and elegant be-cause we use the effect pigments very spar-ingly. This is something of a tendency for us that fits very well with the A4. But every mo d el has its own character – the Q7, for instance, needs a bit more effect.”

With the model changeover, Audi is introducing new equipment lines for the A4 that also encompass many exterior details. Besides the base model, there are the sport and design lines, the S line sport package and the design selection. The dif-ferentiations are subtle, yet have a distinct impact on the look-and-feel of the vehicles, as Tiziana Mauri explains: “For the design line, the Singleframe grille is in high-gloss titanium black and combined with chrome fins. For the sport line, we use a sporty mat-te paint finish for the grille and aluminum fins.”

Audi offers a wide choice of new colors and combinations for the interior, too. In the design line and the design selec-tion, the dashboard can be split into two colors. Serving as a dividing element is a large trim piece, available in fine wood ve-neer, deep gloss piano lacquer or classic alu-minum.

The designers of Color & trim are making increased use of new, technical textures in the interior and of cool, modern grey and brown tones that combine to cre-ate extremely sporty and elegant effects. This concept is particularly evident in the design selection, which offers the seat up-holstery and the dashboard in combina-tions such as wapiti brown with rock grey. “I saw this combination a while ago at the Milan Fashion Fair,” reports Tiziana Mauri. “This reinforced our thinking that our design is exactly right.”

Drivers of the new Audi A4 and A4 Avant will experience a car that runs even more smoothly than its predecessor – with-out any loss of sporting character. “The op-tional CDC dampers make the bandwidth even greater,” says Gmelch. The acronym stands for continuous damping control, with the dampers regulated by the electronic chassis platform (EFP). The highly integrat-ed control unit – another new feature in the new A4 and in the MLB evo – processes all the signals related to longitudinal and lat-eral acceleration and wheel movement.

The chassis with damper control allows customers to choose from two set-tings and two ride heights, either sporty and 23 millimeters lower than with the nor-mal chassis or more comfortable and 10 millimeters lower. The damper control is set via the Audi drive select system (standard as of 140 kW/190 hp). In the base configu-ration, the system works with the throttle flap, the automatic transmission and the steering. It also includes the optional ele-ments of dynamic steering and the quattro sports differential (as of 2016).

As far as the wheels for the new A4 were concerned, there was a strict upper weight limit of 12.5 kilograms. The electro-mechanical parking brake at the rear axle comes with new functions for stopping and pulling away. The electronic stability con-trol (ESC) functions even more precisely and sensitively than in the previous model. Stefan Gmelch sums up: “The chassis of the new A4 offers an even broader bandwidth between comfort and sporting character. It sets new benchmarks in all relevant criteria.”

Audi is starting a new chap ter in spark-ignition engines – with the highly

efficient 2.0 TFSI in the new A4 range. The four-cylinder delivers a fulsome 140 kW (190 hp) and 320 Nm of torque, the latter from 1,450 to 4,200 rpm. Yet, in the A4 Sedan, it consumes just 4.8 liters of fuel per 100 kilometers (109 grams of CO₂ per kilo-meter) – 21 percent less than the preceding engine with less power. Part of this progress is attributable to the vehicle as a whole, with the other major contribution made by the high efficiency of the engine.

The explanation comes from Dr. Ralf Budack, Advance Development Charge Cycle/Thermodynamics, and Dr. Rainer Wurms, Head of Advance Development Spark- Ignition Engines. “We have devel-oped Audi’s downsizing strategy into right-sizing,” says Dr. Wurms. “In the new 2.0 TFSI, we have combined increased displacement with the right technologies.” The outcome is the consumption benefits of a small-dis-placement engine when driving moderately, with the performance of a large engine when adopting a sportier driving style.

The combustion process of the new 2.0 TFSI uses the base thinking of the well-known Miller cycle, but takes it a deci-sive step further. Added to the shortened compression and extended expansion phas-es is an increased compression ratio flanked by turbocharging, dual injection and the

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ChassisSmooth running and sporty handling –

the chassis of the new A4 range has been extensively reconceived. The primary

focus was on systematic lightweight design and intelligent control technology.

Stefan GmelchThe tricky art

of lightweight design

Color & TrimThe paint shades, add-on parts,

interior materials and colors have been extensively revised. The atmosphere

in the new A4 range is one of calm, modern elegance.

Tiziana MauriTranslating design

trends into automotive applications

We took a close look at every single chassis component.

In many cases, we opted for a completely

new design.

Stefan GmelchTeam Leader Chassis

The new combustion process forms a good basis for

fulfilling the forthcoming ex-haust legislation. It is also

particularly well suited to hybrid concepts because it can

make good use of the best consumption points.

Dr. Reiner WurmsHead of Advance Development

Spark-Ignition Engines

Calm and elegant exterior colors are a tendency

for Audi that also fits very well to the new A4.

But every model has its very own character.

Tiziana MauriDesigner Color & Trim

2.0 TFSI with new combustion processDownsizing becomes rightsizing.

The 2.0 TFSI with its new combustion process unites the efficiency of

a lower-displacement engine with the performance of a larger power unit.

Dr. Rainer Wurms undDr. Ralf Budack

140 kW of power, but just 109 grams of CO₂


Predictive efficiency assistantSometimes, drivers don’t see areas where

they have to drive slowly until very late. The predictive efficiency assistant

knows where they are and helps aid an economical driving style.

Lighting technologyAudi is the world’s leading brand in

vehicle lighting. In the new A4 family, the brand presents its Matrix LED technology,

which regulates the high beam extremely precisely for every situation.

Audi A4 Avant g-tronThe g-tron model, which will join

the lineup in 2016, is another choice for sustainable mobility. When

running on Audi e-gas, the powerful Avant is actually CO₂ neutral.

Reimund LimbacherPatent leather

or mountain boots?

Dr. Wolfgang HuhnElectronics

expertise as the key to success

The new Audi A4 is also the bench-mark in its class with its broad port-folio of driver assistance systems.

They deliver more safety and more comfort to drivers – along with lower fuel consump-tion. The latter applies particularly to the predictive efficiency assistant, which was largely conceived by Reimund Limbacher from Development Vehicle Functions Drive.

The new system works closely with the adaptive cruise control, the naviga-tion system and the camera-based traffic sign recognition. It draws information on vehicles traveling in front from the video camera. Using route data, the predictive ef-ficiency assistant can recognize in many countries worldwide when the A4 is appro-aching a bend, roundabout, intersection, downhill stretch, city limits sign or a speed limit sign – even when it is over the crest of a hill and not visible to the driver.

If it would make sense to lower speed, a symbol illuminates in the driver’s line of sight to signal “lift off the gas”. “We dis cussed the graphic for ages,” recalls the Limbacher. “For a while, we were talking about a three-dimensional representation, then about an Italian designer shoe. It end-ed up as a simple, concise symbol.”

We have given the predictive efficiency assistant

different characteristics. They are dependent

on the drive mode set in Audi drive select.

Reimund Limbacher Development Vehicle Functions Drive

Ole EichbergCoordination High-Pressure Fuel Systems

Dr. Wolfgang HuhnHead of Development Light/Sight

Safety is the number one priority. The gas tanks

are designed for an operating pressure of 200 bar, but

are tested to 300 bar during production.

The success of our new technologies also benefits

Audi customers. High volumes allow us to

make our innovations affordable.

A powerful, versatile car fully prepared for CO₂-neutral driving – with the

A4 Avant g-tron, Audi is offering its custom-ers yet another route to sustainable future mobility. Following the A3 Sportback g-tron, the A4 Avant, which comes to market at the end of 2016, is the brand’s second model to use natural gas and/or Audi’s environmen-tally friendly e-gas. “The technical challeng-es in this project were considerable,” says Christopher Mohns, Technical Project Mana-ger A4 CNG. “We solved them with the help of some great team spirit.”

When running on Audi e-gas, the A4 Avant g-tron is actually CO₂-neutral. The driver can refuel with an Audi e-gas card that serves as an accounting instrument. Audi e-gas is synthetic methane produced by Audi in several power-to-gas plants from water and CO₂ with the aid of eco-electrici-ty. In cooperation with partners, the com-pany is working hard to drive the technology forward, also with new production processes featuring a biological approach.

The A4 Avant g-tron is extreme-ly clean to run, as well as highly economical. It is powered by the 2.0 TFSI with a new combustion process, generating 125 kW (170 hp). In the NEDC, it consumes less than four kilograms of gas per 100 kilome-ters – equating to CO₂ emissions of less than 100 grams per kilometer. The tank volume of 19 kilograms means a range of more than 500 kilometers in the NEDC. When the

When the ACC Stop & Go is ac-tive, the predictive efficiency assistant does even more – using the engine control unit to automatically adapt the pre-selected speed of the car to accommodate bends and speed limits. Depending on the situation, it decides whether it would be more cost effective to slow down via engine braking or to use the automatic transmission’s freewheel clutch. By supporting an anticipatory driving style in this way, the predictive efficiency assis-tant helps reduce fuel consumption on out-of-town roads by up to ten percent.

But how does a system that seeks to avoid braking fit in with the sporty character of the Audi brand? “We have given the predictive efficiency assistant different characteristics,” answers Limbacher. “They adapt to the drive mode setting in Audi drive select. In the efficiency mode, it recom-

mends lifting off the gas early and makes extensive use of coasting. In the auto and comfort modes, this happens considerably later and not at all in the dynamic mode and when the transmission is in S. And when Audi side assist, our rear-end radar, identi-fies another vehicle approaching rapidly from behind, the “lift off the gas” recom-mendation is likewise suppressed.”

Audi is already introducing a fur-ther evolution of the predictive efficiency assistant in the Q7 e-tron, which will soon be coming to market. This system works in combination with the so-called active drive pedal. If required, it knocks briefly against the sole of the foot to recommend lifting off the gas. An electromagnetic actuator car-ries out this function – likewise entirely in the name of efficiency.

amount of gas remaining in the tank drops to around 0.6 kilograms, which is 10 bar residual pressure, the control unit switches to gasoline. The dual-fuel A4 Avant g-tron can then go on to cover a further 450 kilo-meters or so.

The four cylindrical gas tanks are located in the rear of the Avant, each one of them formed specifically for the best pos-sible fit within the available space. A sheet-steel framework holds the containers and protects them from damage. The large mo-dule, which also incorporates the 25-liter gasoline tank, extends forward of the front axle. During production of the A4 Avant, it is fastened to the bodyshell at 16 points. Unlike the TDI and TFSI Avant, there is no spare wheel well. The load surface is on the same level as the loading edge, while the battery has been relocated from the trunk to the engine compartment.

The tanks fit perfectly with Audi’s lightweight design philosophy – thanks to their innovative layout, they weigh far less than conventional steel bottles. A matrix of gas-tight polyamide forms the inner layer. The second layer – a mixed weave of CFRP and GFRP – is incredibly strong. The third layer, made entirely from GFRP, serves primarily for visual checks – damaged areas turn milky white.

Safety is the number one prior-ity for the Audi A4 Avant g-tron, as explained by Ole Eichberg, from Coordination High-Pressure Fuel Systems. “The tanks are de-signed for an operating pressure of 200 bar at 15 degrees Celsius. During production, however, each container is pressure tested to 300 bar before being fitted to the car. During testing, we used a 62-ton military tank to drive over the bottles, which still contained a residual pressure of 50 bar. The structure remained fully intact.”

Ole Eichberg undChristopher Mohns

Environmentally friendly driving with

Audi e-gas

Lighting technology is one of the many technical fields in which Audi drives the competition. The brand’s

major innovations include its Matrix LED headlamps, which debuted at the end of 2013 in the A8 flagship. “We then succes-sively introduced them into the smaller model lines,” explains Dr. Wolfgang Huhn, Head of Development Light/Sight. “Now we’re presenting them in the new A4. The success of our new technologies brings us the economies of scale that enable us to make them affordable to an increasing number of customers.”

In the new Audi A4, twelve LEDs generate the high beam. Their control unit switches them on and off individually as re-quired or dims them in 64 stages. The cor-responding signals come from a newly de-veloped camera that also handles part of the image processing. The Matrix LED head-lamps can realize several million different light patterns. In all cases, its high beam provides bright and homogenous illumina-tion, without dazzling other road users, which are masked precisely out of the beam.

The dynamic cornering light func tion of the Matrix LED headlamps is gen-erated by shifting the center of the light. In cooperation with the optional MMI Navi-gation plus system, it uses predictive route data to illuminate the bend before the steering wheel is turned. “There’s a new function

in the new A4,” says Dr. Huhn. “When the light falls on a highly reflective traffic sign, we dim it locally by around one third.”

One major factor for Audi’s lead-ing role in lighting technology is its elec-tronics expertise. “We have established our own team within the department to devel-op the function software for the control units,” reports Dr. Huhn. “Increasingly tight-er networking within the car and network-ing of the car with the outside environment present us with enormous possibilities for managing the light in an even more intelli-gent way. The pace of progress here is rising constantly.”

And in what direction is it going? “We see two paths,” answers Dr. Wolfgang Huhn. “One of them is to make the new tech-nologies even simpler and more cost effec-tive, so that we can offer them as standard equipment in a few years. Ever greater inte-gration of control units will help us achieve this. The other path is the hi-tech route. We are currently working with new modulation processes that enable us to disperse the light into several hundred thousand points. We can use this, for instance, to generate graphics for the driver. In any event, we will continue to work closely with our designers – which is one of the major keys to success. Our new light technologies will keep deliv-ering added value and look great at the same time.”

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TextMarlon Matthäus

PhotosUlrike Myrzik

1A sleek piece of design –

The new A4 combines the best of two worlds –

a low cd figure and innovative design features.

1

When it comes to aerodynamics and design, it’s usually a matter of a few millimeters – often under very different precepts. Frank Lamberty and Beat Heinzelmann explain how teamwork delivered the optimum solution for the new Audi A4. And how a car managed to lift the bar a good deal higher in both fields.

Part oF tHE Wind — aErodYnaMics MEEt dEsiGn

Part oF tHE Wind — aErodYnaMics MEEt dEsiGn


2 A matter of form –

Powerful shoulders and wide wheel arches set challenges

for the aerodynamicists.

3The science of airflow –

Thanks to refined technology on the underbody,

the air is guided smoothly around the rear wheels.

To create a vehicle with excellent aerodynamics,

you don’t necessarily have to cut corners in design.

Frank LambertyProject Leader Exterior Design

Audi A4

4Sharp look –

The steeply angled D-pillar turns a station wagon into an Avant.

5

Balancing act – The A4 was the subject of much

debate and discussion. The end result was a perfect symbiosis

of design and aerodynamics.

Does that mean you shift from being competitors to colleagues?

Lamberty: It’s an exaggeration, but you could put it like that. For us designers, it is the fundamental idea that matters. We want to create a great new car. Obviously aerody-namics is an important part of that, but I can’t allow that to restrict me in the first instance. It’s the creativity that counts at the start.

Heinzelmann: Finding a joint basis is some-times not easy at all. But it’s precisely for this reason that we work so closely together from the very start. We go into the wind tunnel with the first dimensionally accurate design models at a very early stage in the process and discuss the outcomes. Each of us has certain ideas and we manage to come closer together through our work on the models.

Lamberty: There are often interesting sur-prises. One form that we thought could be critical in terms of aerodynamics turns out to work really well.

You were heavily involved in the develop-ment of the new-generation Audi A4. Where did you have to make the biggest compromises? What were the major discussion points?

Heinzelmann: If it had been up to the de-signers alone, the A4 would have had a con-siderably wider track. We were a good 20 millimeters apart in our thinking. From an aerodynamic standpoint, that’s worlds apart.

Lamberty: As I mentioned, we entered the race for the A4 with far broader shoulders. For us, a wide car is a sporty car.

Heinzelmann: That was obviously a prob-lem for us. If the car gets wider, it automat-ically gets harder to create low-loss airflow. This is ultimately detrimental to the cd fig-ure as well as frontal area and leads to an increase in fuel consumption and emissions.

Lamberty: We talked extensively about the front skirt and the side air intakes. We wanted everything to be very three-dimen-sional and sculptural. Beat Heinzelmann was therefore faced with the challenge of addressing the turbulence caused by this.

Mr Lamberty, Mr Heinzelmann, if it was up to you individually, what would your perfect car look like?

Heinzelmann: For me as an aerodynami-cist, a car has to be sleek and streamlined like the profile of an aircraft wing. The wheels on the car are fully clad and the design is based on the Type C streamline vehicles from the 1930s. That would give the vehicle the best possible cd figure.

What does the designer say to that?

Lamberty: My ideal looks somewhat differ-ent. For me, the top priority is good, strong proportions. This includes broad shoulders and powerful wheel arches to accentuate our quattro genes.

That looks like tough teamwork …

Lamberty: In the end, the result of our work has to be a great design and a similarly great cd figure. And it is precisely through constructive and intense cooperation that we are able to achieve good results. The best example is the new A4. The sedan has a cd figure of 0.23, the Avant 0.26. These are best-in-class figures that were achieved without cutting corners in the design.

Heinzelmann: I agree totally. There are, of course, always lots of areas of disagree-ment in the beginning. We then wrestle long and hard with these, but ultimately find common ground and the optimum solution. At the end of the day, we both want to put an outstanding car on the road (laughs).

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Frank LambertyAs Project Leader Exterior Design for

the new Audi A4, Frank Lamberty and his team designed the new Audi A4. One of his

responsibilities was to bring together all the requirements for the new model range –

and, ultimately, to create a good piece of design.

Beat HeinzelmannAs an expert in the field of aerodynamics and

aeroacoustics, Beat Heinzelmann was involved in the Audi A4 project from the very start

and, together with his colleagues, has set new benchmarks with the cd figure. After the

game is before the game – the engineer is currently working on the development of the

new generation of the Audi A5.

7Smooth operator –

Thanks to the black aero baffles the experts were able

to shift the separation edge on the Avant rearward.

8Air travel –

Tricky work for designers and aerodynamicists –

there’s a tendency toward complicated turbulence in this area.

Heinzelmann: Smooth surfaces are easier to deal with. There’s no question that the front end of the A4 turned out super – it’s an edgy and very sharp piece of design. But the more three-dimensional the design of this kind of detail is on a vehicle, the more un-controlled the airflow becomes. We worked then with a simple air channel in the side intakes. This enabled us to guide the airflow around the front skirt without turbulence and blow it out along the sides of the wheels.

What other tricks did you use to unite design and aerodynamics?

Heinzelmann: Frank Lamberty and his col-leagues definitely wanted to use a narrow and very sharply angled D-pillar on the Avant.

Lamberty: Although it didn’t turn out that narrow in the end (laughs). We added an extra line specifically to make it look nar-rower. We use this “fast” D-pillar to lean the rear windshield forward, which makes the rear end dynamic and sporty. This is what sets an Avant apart from a regular wagon. However, it’s not ideal for the aerodynamics because it shortens the separation edge at the rear.

You’ll have to explain that …

Heinzelmann: The separation edge ensures that the air separates at the rear in a de-fined manner and flows rearward with as few losses as possible. The longer and, above all, deeper the separation edge on the roof spoiler can be extended rearward, the bet-ter it is for the aerodynamics.

Lamberty: On the sedan, the air separation doesn’t occur until the end of the trunk lid. On the Avant, it takes place high up on the extended roof spoiler. We then decided jointly to place small, formed surfaces be-tween the spoiler and the rear windshield, referred to as aero baffles. This enabled us to effectively shift the separation edge rear-ward.

Heinzelmann: In the end, we were all happy. Design got its narrow D-pillar and we were able to reduce the cd figure so much that we’re actually best-in-class with the Avant.

So design and aerodynamics are ultimately complementary?

Heinzelmann: We do actually have a lot of areas of common ground and often find ourselves fighting the same corner. For in-stance, we both wanted a diffuser that ex-tended high up into the rear end. This makes the car sporty, while at the same time gen-erating low rear lift and good balance. This is where we close ranks quickly if other de-partments question it …

Lamberty: When we develop a new car, we are faced with a diverse array of demands and requirements. The focus here is on pack-age and functionality. For the customer, a spacious and comfortable interior is impor-tant, as are features like a retractable tow hook or even a virtual pedal for automati-cally opening the tailgate. All of this tech-nology takes up space. As designers, we have to form these areas and the aerody-namicists have to streamline them. This is where we share a lot of common interests (laughs).

The number one purchasing reason was and is design. Is all this work on the cd worthwhile?

Heinzelmann: Good aerodynamics are very important as they have a direct impact on fuel consumption. A low cd figure means less fuel and, at the end of the day, lower CO₂ emissions. This matters to customers.

Lamberty: Our vehicles are becoming in-creasingly efficient. And we have to tighten every single screw in order to achieve this. The A4 Avant ultra has emissions of just 99 grams of CO₂ per kilometer, which is an ab-solute best.

Cast your eyes forward to the future: Where is this journey leading?

Heinzelmann: Everything that we have done well on this car will be carried forward into the next model. It’s a process of con-tinual improvement – and a very gradual, laborious one at that (laughs). As far as the whole issue of cd figures is concerned, I see the potential for major savings through new technologies in the shape of movable aero-dynamics.

Lamberty: I see it in broadly the same way. Movable aerodynamic elements will enable another whole new set of approaches for designers.

Heinzelmann: We started with the retract-able rear spoiler on the first Audi R8. On the Audi Q7 and now on the A4, there is a con-trollable cooling air intake behind the Single-frame grille. What makes it special is that the development team designed the part and its control in such a way that it not only noticeably reduced the cd figure, but fuel consumption, too. Technologies of this na-ture give both designers and aerodynami-cists even more creative freedom.

6Open channel –

On the side intakes, channels ensure that the air is

guided around the front skirt without turbulence.

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The two-stroke era finally came to an end in 1965. Car drivers wanted modern four-stroke engines. It came in the form of the legendary medium-pres-sure engine with the unusually high compression ratio of 11.2:1. The engineers combined the four-cylinder with the moderately modified F102. With 72 hp, the model was reasonably powerful and came to market as an Audi, breathing new life into the Auto Union, which had been re-estab-lished in 1949.

Before the company became a 100-percent subsid-iary of Volkswagen, a further model began rolling off its production lines in 1966. In keeping with the Zeitgeist, there was a new variant alongside the sedan. With its two side doors and robustly clad load compartment, the station wagon was, of course, a far cry from the elegance of a modern-day Avant. The primary demand at this time, however, was utility.

Five Decades of SuccessThe career of Audi’s sporty mid-size model began exactly 50 years ago.

Since the “Ur-Audi” of 1965 and in eight generations of the Audi 80 and Audi A4, this model range has been the heart of the brand. With the ninth edition,

it is ready to take yet another step into the future – the ideal opportunity to take a look back at its successful predecessors.

AuTO-BIOGRApHY

Four rings –The first Audi of

the post-war era comes from Ingolstadt.

Farewell DKW –Ingolstadt now builds

four-strokes.

Royal glamour –Queen Elizabeth II

with German chancellor Kurt Georg

Kiesinger on a grand state visit.

New plant –The Audi facility on Ettlinger Straße in

Ingolstadt.

Economic miracle –Chancellor

Ludwig Erhard governs Germany.

Outside –Cosmonaut Leonov

on the first space walk.

But the Audi, which was badged with numbers like 60, 72, 75, 80 or 90 depending on its engine, was far more than simply utilitarian. The Super 90, which entered production at the end of 1966, drew attention for the copious amounts of chrome along the edges of the bodyshell. And the ellip- tical aluminum bezel around the instruments gave way to imitation teak. Production of this ancestor to all Audi 80s and A4s, whose design harked back to the days of the German economic miracle, ceased in 1972. A new era was beginning.

AuTO uNION AuDI 1965 – 1972

fOuR-STROkE WITH CHROME EDGES

TextMichael Harnischfeger

IllustrationBernd Schifferdecker


The Master’s Way –Ferdinand Piëch used

innovative technologies to build Audi into a

premium brand.

It started back then at a curb weight of less than 800 kilograms, which meant even the 55 hp of the 1.3-liter engine felt rather speedy, while the 75 or even 85 hp generated by the 1.6-liter gasoline engines was veritably rocket-like for many. Any-one who sat in the comfortable seats, gripped the slender steering wheel and looked at the large instrument dials framed in wood veneer had truly arrived in the middle class.

Many aspects of the Audi 80 concept and technology were also used by VW. The first Passat was basic- ally a fastback or wagon version of the Audi 80. In some export markets, it was even offered as the Audi Fox station wagon.

By 1973, Audi was already offering something attractive to those customers with sporty tenden-cies in the shape of the 100 hp 80 GT. Another log was added to the fire in 1975, with the 1.6-liter fuel-injection engine in the 80 GTE producing 110 hp. With its sharp cornering skills and a top speed of more than 180 km/h, it was immediately accepted as a sporty sedan for all who appre-ciate family values just as much as a spirited drive through the countryside or even along Alpine passes.

With 200 turbocharged hp, the Audi quattro was a sensation in 1980. But the permanent all-wheel drive was not reserved purely for the sports car with the mighty wheel arches. Audi brought the in-crease in performance and all-weather safety into the mid-range, too. In fall 1982, the 80 quattro sedan crowned the range that had been in produc-tion since 1978.

136 hp made the top 80 model not just a fast car, but also something of an automobile for connois-seurs, with a technically extravagant fuel-injec-tion engine delivering its power with a soft, smoky voice. The displacement of 2.2 liters was spread

among five cylinders, generating a highly distinc-tive, addictive timbre. Starting 1985, further quattro versions, also with a more mainstream 90 hp four-cylinder, completed the lineup and made sure that quattro became widely affordable.

The quality ambitions of its maker notwithstand-ing, the second-generation Audi 80, with its clean, technical styling, also proved to be a car for those who keep a tight hold on the purse strings. The model lineup began, as before, with the two-door 80 1.3 with 55 hp – followed by diesel versions with 54 hp. Another innovation was the so-called Formula E versions. Above the regular fourth gear was a long-ratio fifth. And, at stop lights, the driver was able to switch off the engine at the push of a button. It sprang back to life automatically as soon as first gear was engaged. Automatic start/stop systems are thus not a recent invention.

The Ingolstadt company took its decisive step into the future in 1972 with the first Audi 80. The slightly notch-backed sedan had an unfussy de-sign. It was sleek, almost a little cool, with not a single line too many. The Ingolstadt designers succeeded in creating an automobile of enduring style.

Many things beneath the skin were brand new, thought up with ambition and far-sightedness. Take the engines for example – the four-cylinders in the legendary EA 827 model range were ar-ranged longitudinally between MacPherson struts. And, thanks to a negative steering offset, they improved stability under braking. The sedan, which, at 418 centimeters long, would today be consid-ered a compact, was very spacious. The trunk swal-lowed 450 liters of luggage.

Change of power –Chancellor

Helmut Schmidt hands over to Helmut Kohl

in 1982.

Rally victories –The Audi quattro turns rallying upside down.

Powerful statement –A compelling

sports sedan from the start.

Forward drive –quattro permanent

all-wheel drive revolutionizes automotive

engineering.

Olympia Waldi –A colorful dachshund

is the mascot of the 1972 Summer

Games in Munich.

World Cup mascots Tip und Tap –

Germany wins the World Cup in 1974.

Vote Willy –Willy Brandt becomes

the first German chancellor from the

ranks of the SPD.

AuDI 80 B2 1978 – 1986

THE ARRIVAL Of QuATTRO

AuDI 80 B1 1972 – 1978

ONE HuNDRED AND TEN Hp


The somewhat rounder bodyshell had other quali-ties, too – the sedan boasted a drag coefficient of just 0.29. This lowered fuel consumption. Sept-emb er 1990 marked the launch of the first turbo diesel in the Audi 80. The indirect-injection design produced 80 hp. It was fast and extremely fuel efficient. But it wasn’t until its successor, the B4, that diesel technology came into full bloom.

The third generation of the Audi 80 naturally served as the basis for other attractive models – it spawned the more highly positioned Audi 90, which was already established with its predecessor, as well as the coupé. As the S2 with 220 hp, it succeeded the Ur-quattro in 1990.

To many, the fourth generation of the Audi 80 looked like a facelift. But the B4 was a completely new design, the features of which included a new rear axle for increased trunk volume. The dis-tinctive radiator grille carried over from the S2 Coupé gave this Audi a suitably proud expression. One year after the sedan, the Avant long craved by many customers appeared in fall 1992.

It was a very up-market station wagon with plenty going on under the hood – new V6 gasoline en-gines producing 150 and 174 hp celebrated their premiere. Those with particularly dynamic tastes opted for the 230 hp S2, which was available as ei-ther sedan or Avant. And, with the RS 2 Avant, Audi established a whole new vehicle segment. The powerful all-wheel drive car developed in cooperation with Porsche pumped out no less than 315 hp and delivered the performance of a thor-oughbred sports car.

The TDI models were definitely closer to the main-stream than the RS 2. Two years after the intro-duction of the first five-cylinder TDI in the Audi 100, the four-cylinders celebrated their premiere in the 80 in 1991. The idea of injecting fuel under high pressure directly into a recess in the piston crown once again helped Audi achieve a competitive advantage in engine technology. A production-stand ard Audi 80 TDI covered a total of 40,273 kilometers on just 1,522 liters of fuel, working out at 3.78 liters per 100 kilometers.

They can still be seen on the road today – the B3 Audi 80. Almost 1.3 million of them rolled off the production lines between September 1986 and August 1991. But the sheer volume is not the only reason why this successful model – which will soon attain official classic car status in Germany – is still such a frequent sight these days. The more significant factor is the sophisticated full galvani-zation of all bodyshell panels – pioneered by Ingolstadt. With its ten-year guarantee against perforation corrosion, Ingolstadt issued a sensa-tional promise of long-term quality.

AuDI 80 B4 1991 – 1995

40,273 kM, 1,522 LITERS – TDI

AuDI 80 B3 1986 – 1991

NO RuST – AND THAT’S A pROMISE!

Railway sprinter –The new ICE brings

high-speed rail travel to Germany.

World champion –Michael Schumacher

begins his amazing Formula 1

career.

Open that gate –The Berlin wall falls

in 1989.

quattro power –The Audi V8 wins

the German Touring Car Championship twice.

In search of the Yeti –Reinhold Messner

scales all 8,000 m peaks.

Interstellar –The Voyager

space probe visits Uranus.

Sports badge –RS are now

Audi’s most powerful letters.

Into the wind –Audi is a pioneer in

aerodynamics.

Efficiency badge –TDI becomes the

most successful efficiency technology.


More widespread than this Über Avant launched in 1999 were the 2.5-liter TDI models. With 150 hp and 310 Nm, their six-cylinders were perfectly matched with the five-speed automatic transmis-sion with torque converter, which also enabled manual shifting in a second selector gate. The prin-ciple was called tiptronic – a name still used by Audi today.

The A4 that was produced in the lowest number is the Avant duo. The car presented in fall 1996 was a plug-in hybrid powered by a TDI and an elec-tric motor and capable of driving on battery-electric power for up to 50 km. Only 90 units were ever built. Clearly ahead of its time …

Design awards, readers’ choice – the sixth-generation A4 attracted accolades for its outstanding design left, right and center.

But progress at Audi means more than just looking good. New lightweight running gear with a high aluminum content further improved comfort and performance, while side and head airbags, as well as ESP, were part of standard equipment. It achieved top marks in the NCAP crash test and as “Best Pick” in the USA it achieved the best result the US safety experts had ever awarded to a mid-range car.

The Avant appeared in 2001, suiting the purist de-sign language equally well. The interior was the perfect combination of premium quality, style and intuitive operation. Readers of German car maga-zine auto motor und sport voted the A4 “Car of the Year” for the mid-size class in 2002.

Drive technology obviously didn’t stand still either. The 2.0 FSI marked the arrival of the first direct- injection gasoline engine, while new V6 gasoline en-gines and the Multitronic continuously variable transmission are likewise part of the story of this A4. Its top-of-the-range gasoline engine also started a new chapter – the S4 Sedan and Avant both featuring a 4.2-liter V8. With the crankshaft spinning at 7,000 rpm, the five-valve unit sent 344 hp to the six-speed manual transmission and onward to all four wheels. There could be no doubt about it: this top A4 was also the work of car enthusiasts.

It didn’t exactly come as surprise that the new model would no longer be called 80. The A8 and A6 had already been launched when the sedan ver-sion of the A4 arrived in November 1994. With air-bags, power steering and ABS for all models, it took safety and comfort to a whole new level. The same applied to the quality of materials and crafts-manship, which had already been impressive on the previous model. In September 1995, the sedan was joined by the Avant station wagon, with its shutlines bearing testament to high-precision pro-duction. The Audi slogan “Schöne Kombis heißen Avant” (beautiful station wagons are called Avant) fitted perfectly.

Engine output increased steadily, paired with de-creasing fuel consumption. Gasoline engines with five-valve technology and the first TDI power units with pump-injector technology strengthened the position of the A4. A new multi-link front axle improved steering precision and handling. This also proved important in the RS 4 Avant with 380 hp from a 2.7-liter V6 biturbo, the first standalone RS model from Audi subsidiary quattro GmbH.

AuDI A4 B6 2000 – 2004

LOOkING GOOD – STAYING SAfE

AuDI A4 B51994 – 2001

NEW NAME, fAMILIAR pASSION

Trainee wizard –Harry Potter

becomes the hero of a generation.

Elegant –The new Öresund Bridge connects

Copenhagen with Malmö.

Fighter –Nelson Mandela

is voted in as South Africa’s first

black president.

Land route –Eurotunnel connects

Great Britain with the continent.

Pioneer –The Audi A4

duo is Audi’s first plug-in hybrid.

Fast –The Audi R8

advances to serial winner

at Le Mans.

Direct –TFSI brings direct

injection to gasoline engines.

Power car –The RS 4 Avant

is high performance by Audi.

Biturbo –The V6 surges forward

into a whole new dimension with twin turbocharging.


And finally, much to the delight of its fans, the RS 4 followed in November 2005 as a sedan and mid-2006 as an Avant. 420 hp at 7,800 rpm delivered breathtaking performance. The sprint from zero to 100 km/h was dispatched in less than five seconds. The lateral dynamics of the RS 4 were also impressive, thanks to the asymmetrical dynamic torque vectoring of the re-engineered quattro drive.

Engineers have been working on the modular longi-tudinal platform for many years. This enormous matrix gives the technical experts new levels of free-dom – and the designers, too. Walter de Silva, who joined the company in 2002, used it for an ele-gant creation.

The core of this platform is the swapped layout of clutch and transmission. This enabled the front axle of the A4 to move forward by 154 millimeters. The new mid-range car had an elegant and muscular stance. However, it was elegance that went hand- in-hand with functionality – the sedan’s cd figure was 0.27.

New four-cylinder gasoline engines, a modern dual-clutch transmission with seven forwards gears, dynamic steering and adaptive dampers were just a few of the highlights of this model generation. Safety and ride comfort were also enhanced by a ve-ritable armada of assistance systems for parking, maintaining a safe distance, changing lane and sta-ying in lane.

In March 2009, the family was expanded with the A4 Avant allroad quattro. With its increased ground clearance and elegant outdoor look, it presented itself as the go-everywhere Audi. And finally, at the end of 2012, there were once again high-end se-dans and Avant with the RS 4 logo on the grille. With 450 hp at 8,250 rpm, the 4.2-liter V8 FSI was the interim crowning glory of this range, notable, too, for its extremly high-performance quattro drive. Vorsprung durch Technik – just like in every genera-tion.

The new design line with sweeping headlights and the Singleframe radiator grille gave the 2004 A4 a whole new look. In contrast to its predeces-sor, the sedan and the Avant were launched simul-taneously and thrilled technophiles with a new top-of-the-range four-cylinder.

TFSI marked the combination of direct injection (FSI) and turbocharging (T). 200 high-revving horses in combination with a punchy 280 Nm of torque at just 1,800 rpm were what set this highly fuel efficient engine apart. Indeed, multiple evo- lutions of it are still in service today in a whole host of Group models. The TDIs, too, became more powerful yet more fuel efficient at the same time.

AuDI A4 B8 2007 – 2015

WELL ASSISTED

AuDI A4 B7 2004 – 2008

BIG GRILLE WITH LOTS GOING ON BEHIND IT

Always on –Steve Jobs

revolutionizes communication with

the iPhone.

Speed King –Sebastian Vettel

is the new star of Formula 1.

Eastward expansion:The European Union

gains ten new member states.

Discipline –Britain’s

Queen Mother turns 100.

Madam Chancellor –Angela Merkel

has been governing in Germany since 2005.

Social network –Facebook started in

2004.

Downsizing –Turbo boost brings

added power and efficiency to direct-injection gasoline engines.

Get connected –Audi integrates

new online services into vehicles.

Signature –The Singleframe grille

becomes the Audi brand’s new icon.

Get there safely –New assistance

systems aid drivers in many situations.


skillsThe skill and dedication of every

single employee is Audi’s greatest corporate asset. They form the

basis for perfection and innovation.

——

UPsidE doWnUnconventional views –

six Audi models from below.

58

BEnds discUssionThree R8 variants, three development engineers – one workshop discussion.

74

in G[r8] sHaPEEngine, ASF, quattro – four R8 development

engineers explain the new technologies.

84

racinG WHEElsComparison – the cockpits in the new R8

and in the R18 e-tron quattro.

92

MaGaZinEA glimpse over the wall –

technology news from around the world.

98

aUdi PilotThe A7 piloted driving concept technology

study in Shanghai.

102

oPEration carBonThis is how Lamborghini repairs

damaged CFRP components.

108

Hot or notHighly efficient – the heat pump

in the new Audi Q7 e-tron 3.0 TDI quattro.

114


TextJohannes KöblerHermann Reil

PhotosRobin Wink

Cars from Beneath Let’s alter our perspective. Quite rightly, cars have their wheels on the ground. We look at them from above, take pleasure in their design and in their gleaming paintwork. On the pages that follow, however, we take a look at some cars from beneath. That way, we see far more of their technology and find out about some exceptionally refined aerodynamics on the current models.

58 Encounter Technology63 Encounter Technology

Like a race car, the new Audi R8 generates downforce – in the case of the V10, this measures 140 kilograms at top speed, 100 of which are on the rear axle. A fixed rear spoiler works together with a large diffuser on the underbody. Two so-called venturi spoilers direct the air into them at high speed, virtually doubling the effect. Longitudinal fins in the diffuser channel the airflow so that it doesn’t rush into the center.

Around the front axle are two small diffusers that send the air through the wheel arches and thus serve to cool the brakes. Each one works with two airflow bodies and venturi spoilers. Beneath the front of the car and the occupant cell, the underbody is almost entirely smooth.


AuDI R8201501 Front splitter 02 Cooling air outlet 03 Diffuser front04 Lower wishbone, front suspension 05 NACA duct for airflow to the engine06 NACA duct for airflow to the oil sump/engine compartment 07 Prop shaft for quattro drive 08 Pan for dry-sump lubrication 09 NACA duct for airflow to seven-speed S tronic/engine compartment10 Venturi spoiler for increasing the diffuser effect 11 Diffuser fin

01

02

03

04

06

07

05

08

09

10

11


AuDI 801972

01 Oil sump for the 1.3-liter four-cylinder 02 Anti-roll bar 03 Four-speed transmission and differential04 MacPherson suspension struts 05 Brake lines for the dual-circuit brake system06 Diagonal brace at the rear axle 07 Rear-axle trailing arm 08 Rear-axle transverse tube, open on the underside, with integrated anti-roll bar09 Fuel tank

On the Audi 80 presented in 1972, aerodynamics were still a long way from being a topic. And it is also immediately evi-dent why the cars of that era could be incredibly light and comparatively compact – the small amount of technology didn’t occupy much space. If the hood above the longitudinally mounted 1.3-liter four-cylinder with 55 hp were open, you would be able to see the stars to the right and left of the engine – unthinkable for the tightly packed engine bays of modern cars. The exhaust system is a single muffler with one narrow pipe and the rear axle not much more than that.

Nevertheless – the torsion-beam rear suspension with the front-wheel drive and the innovative negative steering roll radius at the front delivered excellent handling characteristics. The acronym EA 827 for the new range of engines would be with the entire Volkswagen Group for decades, and the curb weight of 835 kilograms shows that Audi was already leading the pack in lightweight design more than 40 years ago.

05

06 09

07

08

04

02

01 03


AuDI A4 AVANT201501 Wheel arch pre-spoiler 02 Wheel spoiler 03 Front-axle control arm and tie rod04 Damping tub 05 Storage catalytic converter 06 Heel-plate spoiler 07 Tunnel-brace spoiler08 Wheel spoiler rear 09 Tank spoiler 10 Rear-axle control arms and drive shaft11 Rear-axle differential 12 Control-arm cladding 13 Cover spare-wheel well14 Cover SCR tank 15 Spoiler spare-wheel well

The aerodynamic underbody is a major contributor to the cd figure of 0.26 achieved by the Audi A4 Avant. The engine bay is completely encapsulated, with a large section of plastic cladding protecting the underside of the occupant cell. The sum of all the small details also adds up to a substantial effect: The rear-axle suspension arms are individually covered, mini spoilers – including ones in front of the wheels and on the fuel tank – provide targeted airflow guidance. In combination with the rear-end design, the aerodynamically optimized underbody ensures minimal lift at the rear axle.

As shown by the rear-axle differential and the drive shafts, the car pictured is a quattro. Also clearly recognizable are parts of the suspension, most of which are made from aluminum. At the rear, a sophisticated five-link design replaces the trapezoidal geometry used in the previous model.

01

02

03

0405

06

07

09

08

10

11

12

13

14

15


AuDI QuATTRO1980

01 Cladding for the side-mounted water cooler 02 Oil sump for the five-cylinder turbocharged engine03 MacPherson suspension struts, control arms, coil springs 04 Half shafts, front05 Center differential with cable-actuated lock 06 Prop shaft with articulation 07 Exhaust system, still without catalytic converter 08 Drive shafts rear 09 Rear-axle differential with cable-actuated lock 10 MacPherson struts, control arms, coil springs

The revolution – this time from beneath. With its four driven wheels, the Audi quattro of 1980 turned the automotive world on its head. Some typical features of this now truly legendary sports car are also immediately recognizable. The prop shaft and exhaust system now share the center tunnel (there was still no catalytic converter at this point), the center and rear-axle differential locks were still cable operated in this model from the early 1980s. Also immediately recognizable is that the front and rear axles are practically identical, just turned around. The only space for the large muffler was at the back of the car.

The only sign of the powerful five-cylinder turbo engine in this veritable classic (bearing the German H plate for the last five years) is the oil sump, but it also shows the mounting position well in front of the front axle.

01

02

04

03

05 06

07

08

09

10


AuDI RALLYE QuATTRO A21984

01 Headlamp battery for night stages 02 Series-production bumper03 Protective panel for engine/transmission unit 04 MacPherson struts with additional trailing arms05 Center differential, partly locking 06 Exhaust pipe minus muffler07 Prop shaft 08 MacPherson struts with additional trailing arms09 Protective panel for rear-axle locking differential 10 Recovery hooks

Rally tracks were, of course, the perfect stomping ground for the quattro. And in 1981, Audi proved the superiority of the permanent all-wheel drive system to the motorsport world. 1984, the build year of our 360 hp example of the A2 generation, began with Walter Röhrl’s victory at the Rally Monte Carlo and ended with Stig Blomqvist claiming the world championship title.

Aerodynamics do not feature in this underbody, which called for toughness in the face of intense contact with gravel, stones and sometimes even rocks. The MacPherson suspension front and rear is far more robust than the one on the production car, but also lighter. The second generation of the Rally quattro had a homologation weight of just 1,000 kilo-grams. And, of course, not only is the exhaust system completely minus any form of muffler, it also has a consi-derably larger diameter than on the road car. For a good 50 percent more power, it also needs a proportionately higher airflow. The battle scars from its active period more than 30 years ago are still evident on this quattro – despite having been carefully preserved for posterity.

01

02

03

04

05

09

10

06

07

08


AuDI R15 TDI200901 Areas of heavy wear and tear protected by wooden panels 02 Front diffuser 03 Complete front end in one single piece, for speedy replacement 04 Cooling airflow to the brake system 05 Front part of the monocoque with suspension 06 Area between the wheels angled outward 07 Wooden panel exactly specified by the regulations defines the minimum vehicle height08 Rear diffuser generates downforce, calibrated precisely in accordance with the shape of the rear end and the wing

From the Audi R8 to the R18 e-tron quattro, Audi has been dominating endurance racing and the 24 Hours of Le Mans for the past decade and a half – and aerodynamics have always been an important part of the winning package. While the closed cockpit has been the better solution since 2011, Audi’s victories from 2000 until 2010 were achieved with open prototypes. The R15 had a ten-cylinder TDI with 5.5 liters of displacement and an output of around 600 hp.

In a race car, perfect aerodynamics always mean the perfect balance between downforce and drag. The most significant “disturbance variables” are the wheels. The most important element is the underbody, which looks so simple on the photo. Nevertheless, this is where 70 percent of the total downforce is generated.

08

04

07

0601

02 05

03


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* Audi R8 V10 plus: Combined fuel consumption in l/100 km: 12,3 Combined CO₂-emissions in g/km: 287 75 Encounter Technology

On-site appointment at the Motorsport Competence Center

in Neuburg an der Donau. The technicians from Audi Sport customer racing start up the V10 power unit in the new Audi R8 LMS “It has to warm up for a few minutes,” says a man who knows what he’s talking about – Romolo Liebchen, Head of the Audi Cus-tomer Sport Program. He’s playing a home game on this particular morning. Liebchen has a date for some gasoline-infused shop talk with the project leaders of the other two R8 variants.

“Officially, I have very little to do with gasoline,” counters Thomas Kubbe, who is responsible for the new Audi R8 e-tron, adding with a smile that he would have nothing against running a fast lap with his electric racer painted in electric blue. No wonder – the output of each of the two elec-tric motors driving the new-generation R8 e-tron has been raised to 170 kW, with maximum torque now standing at 460 Nm each. The sprint from zero to 100 km/h takes just 3.9 seconds.

“Mine is a tiny bit faster,” pitches in the third member of the group. Michael Fisseler, Technical Project Manager for the R8, has brought along the fastest produc-tion Audi ever – the R8 V10 plus. Its high-revving, naturally aspirated engine produces 449 kW (610 hp) and delivers thrill-ing responsiveness and a characteristic sound. The high-performance sports car reaches 200 km/h from a standing start in just 9.9 seconds, going on to a top speed of 330 km/h.

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shell, while increasing stiffness by 40 per-cent. In my view, we have struck the perfect balance between function and lightweight design.

Aside from lightweight design, which key points were right at the top of the specification document?

Fisseler: Without a doubt, performance. We had already decided at an early stage to position the new vehicle somewhat higher than its predecessor – while maintaining its good everyday usability. The outcome is the R8 V10 plus with a power output of 449 kW (610 hp) and a top speed of 330 km/h. That’s a lot and it’s also great fun, but the fastest production Audi to-date can also be a very relaxed drive.

When it comes to high-performance sports cars, the engine sound is an important distinguishing feature. What does the new R8 have to offer in that respect?

Fisseler: To my ears, our V10 engine sounds quite authentic – 100 percent mid-engine sports car; nothing has been artificially cre-ated. For an even sportier sound, the driver can use a switch on the steering wheel to open two flaps in the exhaust system, mak-ing it a bit louder and even more emotional.

The rear end of the R8 V10 plus features a distinctive spoiler, the form of which is evocative of the DTM race cars. What’s its purpose?

Fisseler: The attached wing is a functional element that completely fulfills its purpose – in combination with the large diffuser be-neath, it generates more downforce onto the rear axle. Together with the drive-relat-ed measures taken at the front axle, this enables even more dynamic driving at high speeds.

None of the three Audi develop-ment engineers seeks to hide their enthusi-asm for their own car – yet each is looking with fascination at the other two variants. The new generation of the high-performance sports car is wide ranging, no other model with the four rings exudes more racing char-acter. Alongside the highly emotional R8 production version for the road is the R8 e-tron, a hi-tech lab on wheels, and the R8 LMS, a full-blooded race car that has al-ready celebrated its first successes.

For the first time, Audi pushed forward all three variants in parallel from the start. Production development engi-neers, race engineers and race drivers worked hand-in-hand together – from the concept definition to the sign-off drives. While project management lay with quattro GmbH, the specialist departments of AUDI AG contributed around 90 percent of the practical development work – a true piece of teamwork.

The day is heating up. By just before ten o’clock, the asphalt is already shimmering – the height of a Bavarian sum-mer at its best. The three development en-gineers walk around the spearheads of the R8 lineup arranged trackside, comparing the tiniest of details. All are obviously proud – proud of a great, shared project that led to three fantastic cars.

Interview with Michael Fisseler – Technical Project Manager R8

When was the go-ahead given for the development of the new R8?

Fisseler: We began with the first ideas for the second-generation R8 at the end of 2008, start of 2009. I was entrusted with the development of the concept for the all-new MSS platform (Modular Sports- car System), on which the Lamborghini Huracán is also based. It was one year later that we started the actual R8 project.

What are the most important aspects of the new body-in-white?

Fisseler: The first R8 already had an ASF (Audi Space Frame) body-in-white. We are taking the next step with the new model and focusing more keenly on the multi-material approach, which combines alumi-num with carbon-fiber reinforced polymer (CFRP). This saves us around 30 kilograms compared with a purely aluminum body-

5 Clo

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How important were the bare numbers, such as the acceleration figure for 0 to 200 km/h in just 9.9 seconds?

Fisseler: Sure, ten seconds was the magic number from the start and I’m happy we came in below that. At the beginning of a project like this, we start with the broad outline and work down to the fine details. You have to set the right cornerstones in order to be able to realize different engine variants and derivatives on a common plat-form. To put it another way; before all the derivatives can be brought together on one platform, their specifications have to be defined and their positioning clear.

Are you referring to the LMS model for the race track?

Fisseler: Yes, we took the racing version of the R8 into account from the very beginning of the development process. Things were done a little differently with its predecessor – it wasn’t developed until some time later than the production vehicle. This time, we sat down at the table with our co-workers from motorsport right at the start and de-bated the characteristics of key compo-nents. This enabled findings from the first generation of the production and racing versions to flow into the development of the second generation.

Do you have anything approaching a favorite detail about your car?

Fisseler: I actually always see the vehicle as a whole. There are lots of individual details: the optimized shifting program, the switch to electric power steering, the variable multi-plate coupling in the quattro drive – just to name one or two examples. In a sports car, it’s the many small improve-ments in detail that ultimately result in a major step forward. I initially worked for two or three years on the concept’s theory alone, i.e. with computer models. One real-ly great moment was when I sat in the first prototype and drove the first few meters – I was able to experience how all our calcula-tions had become reality and that the con-cept worked.

7 An

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3.2 seconds from 0 to 100 km/h, 9.9 seconds from 0 to 200 km/h, 330 km/h top speed – the Audi R8 V10 plus is the fastest production Audi ever.

6 A g

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–

Kub

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AuDI R8 V10 pLuSType Mid-engine high-performance sports car

Engine Naturally aspirated V10

Displacement 5,204 cm³

Power 449 kW (610 hp) at 8,250 rpm

Max. torque 560 Nm at 6,500 rpm

0–100 km/h 3.2 s

Top speed 330 km/h

r8

V1

0 P

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What are the main technical highlights of the R8 e-tron?

Kubbe: The R8 e-tron is in itself a real high-light. The requirement to carry over as many components as possible from the produc-tion R8 and yet to differentiate them, pre-sented us with a whole lot of challenges. The specific radiator grille or the illumina ted sidebaldes in place of cooling air in-takes are two examples. As far as the charg-ing concept is concerned, we turned to the Group resources and helped ourselves to the latest standard CCS (Combined Charg-ing System). It brings the charging process down to well below two hours.

And how far can your car travel when fully charged?

Kubbe: In our specification document, the only word on the first two pages was “Range”. And we managed it – with a fully charged battery, the new R8 e-tron can now drive a distance of up to 450 kilometers. The new cells we’re using are massively energy opti-mized. The sprinting capability has been increased considerably compared with the previous model – it takes just 3.9 seconds to go from zero to 100 km/h. The R8 e-tron now reaches a top speed of 250 km/h – elec-tronically limited, of course, and sustained. The simulation figures forecast that, with the new package, the car would stay below eight minutes on the Nürburgring Nord-schleife.

The R8 e-tron is a lab on wheels for Audi. What technical aspects are of particular interest in terms of subsequent production use?

Kubbe: One important issue is correct ther-mal management in the different operating conditions. The sports car character was obviously a key factor for the R8 e-tron. An-other focal point was torque vectoring, i.e. on-demand torque distribution by the elec-tric motors at the rear axle. One more would be the electromechanical brake-by-wire system for maximum recuperation and the greatest possible efficiency.

Interview with Thomas Kubbe – Head of Development R8 e-tron

What were the biggest milestones for you during the development period?

Kubbe: The first thing that comes to mind is the point of the “concept freeze”. That was the stage at which the design of the R8 e-tron was consistent with the technical characteristics from the specification docu-ment. Once this milestone was reached, the detail engineering began – such as the inte-gration of the high-voltage battery into the bodys hell structure or the illuminated side-blades with a multi-color light function.

The diffuser and the rear spoiler lip seem less elaborate than on the R8 V10 plus.

Kubbe: Yes, and the two of them together also perform a somewhat different function on the R8 e-tron. The combination gener-ates slight lift instead of downforce. We can afford this because the big battery, which is a load-bearing part of the ASF, puts suffi-cient load on the rear axle – the axle load distribution is roughly 40:60 (front/rear). Further aerodynamic measures impact the cooling air intake and the underbody. The cd figure of the Audi R8 e-tron is just 0.28, which helps us a lot when it comes to range.

More powerful, faster and with greater stamina: The second-generation Audi R8 e-tron exceeds the last Audi R8 e-tron model in all major criteria.

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Jens Kötz Head of Networking Energy Safety

“Modular, highly flexible concept”

340 kW of power and a range of up to 450 kilome-ters – behind the imposing vital statistics of the new Audi R8 e-tron are extensive further develop-ments to the battery. Jens Kötz, head of Network-ing Energy Safety, and therefore responsible for the Audi Competence Center that stands in front of the factory gates in Ingolstadt, talks us through the progress.

“The most important factor is the new, en-ergy-optimized cell chemistry that replaces the cell chemistry used in the previous model,” says Kötz. “This step has enabled us to increase the battery’s energy density from 84 watt hours per kilogram of weight to 152 Wh/kg. This raises its rated capacity from 48.6 kWh to 90.3 kWh.”

The mighty, 2.35-meter battery system in the Audi R8 e-tron is shaped like a T and weighs 595 kilograms. The battery junction box on the transverse section of the T serves as both monitor and safe guard – managing a current of more than 1,200 amperes and a rated tension of 385 volts.

The 7,488 battery cells are packed into 52 modules of 144 cells each, layered on two and five “floors” respectively in the tunnel and rear section of the battery. The coolant circulates in a system of aluminum shells. Aluminum plates divide the “floors” and also form the battery’s load-bearing structure. In the event of an accident, they divert the forces into the R8 e-tron’s multi-material space frame in a predefined manner – with Audi simulat-ing extremely high loads of up to 150 g.

“We had already developed the battery of the first-generation R8 e-tron as a modular sys-tem,” explains Jens Kötz. “We were able to switch over to the new cells without having to make major changes to the dimensions and the integration into the car. We are now transferring this module concept to our new models, meaning we are equip-ped to address any future changes in the market and all applications within the Group. In the com-petition between cell manufacturers and cell con-cepts, where the leadership frequently changes, we can always select whichever solution is best for our customers at that point in time.”

AuDI R8 E-TRONType High-performance electric sports car

Motor Two electric motors at the rear axle

Power 2 × 170 kW

Torque 2 × 460 Nm

0–100 km/h 3.9 s

Top speed 250 km/h

Range 450 km

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Can you cite an example of the close cooperation with your colleagues from series production?

Liebchen: The race car chassis runs on the same line as the production version in the “Audi Böllinger Höfe” near Neckarsulm. The safety cage, which is very important for stiffness, is no longer put together inside the vehicle, but installed as a single piece. This takes place before the locally reinforced ASF gets its roof module.

What are other notable differences compared with the production model?

Liebchen: In terms of running gear, the GT3 race car is now more standalone. In motor-sport, camber, track and ride height have to be repeatedly modified to the respective race track. The new solution allows our cus-tomers to make these adjustments in an extremely short space of time.

What other customer wishes have you addressed?

Liebchen: We’re in constant contact with our customers, which means there’s always the opportunity for direct dialogue. We’ve made a huge step forward in terms of han-dling. The optimized weight distribution and the considerably more efficient control systems make the car even easier to drive, particularly for our gentlemen drivers.

What’s the situation with the engine – the heart of any race car?

Liebchen: The V10 unit is virtually identical to the production engine. The only deletion is the additional inlet manifold injection. The reduced complexity in engine control brought a major cost benefit for our cus-tomers, without causing any disadvantages in race application. The power output is de-termined by the respective regulations and the airflow limiters specified as part of them. For race use, it’s important that we’re now better armed for extreme situations. Thanks to the improved cooling concept, the car now deals better with extreme heat than its predecessor.

Interview with Romolo Liebchen – Head of the Audi Customer Sport Program

Just a few weeks after its world premiere, the Audi R8 LMS won the 24-hour race on the Nürburgring. A race car could hardly have had a more successful start.

Liebchen: For us, the 24-hour race was some-thing of a final endurance test under com-petitive conditions. You really don’t know going into it what’s going to happen. At the end, it took quite a while for me truly to un-derstand what a sensational story that ac-tually was.

The new car generated its very own customer testimonial.

Liebchen: A triumph like that obviously makes a clear statement to the competition and, at the same time, increases interest among our customers. This effect applies to both the race car and the road-going sports car.

Have the production and race vehicle become more similar?

Liebchen: Just like the first generation of the R8, both cars carry the same genes. The race car shares around 50 percent of its parts with the production car.

How heavily involved were the Audi race drivers in the development?

Liebchen: The expertise of real profession-als didn’t just help us with the R8 LMS. Race drivers like Christopher Haase and Frank Stipler were also at the steering wheel when we were testing the production vehicle. It’s enormously important to have people in the team who are able to drive a new vehicle at its limits.

The development of a completely new race car costs a lot of money, doesn’t it?

Liebchen: There are no parts about which we didn’t ask, can we make that lighter, stiffer, better? We turned every single screw in the car. The car is now better than the last one in a great many details. One important issue is the cd figure, which is now 20 percent lower, at absolutely no detriment to downforce. This should ben-efit the new R8 LMS on fast tracks in par-ticular. At the same time, we managed to maintain the same pricing level for our cus-tomers. I’m especially proud of that.

The Audi R8 LMS emerged as a winner from the word go. Is that how it’s going to stay?

Liebchen: We still have a whole load of solu-tions up our sleeves that we can’t use right now on account of the rules – that applies to the engine, the weight and the aerody-namics. The new R8 LMS has the potential to remain competitive throughout its entire lifecycle.

Edward SandströmRace Driver

“A much better workplace”

Race driver Edward Sandström has also made his way to Neuburg an der Donau. He climbs into the cockpit of the Audi R8 LMS wearing the official ra-cing overalls. “The workplace for us drivers is much better now. For instance, the ventilation has been improved,” says the Swede, talking about the new features inside the car. Sandström was one of the winning Audi drivers at the 24-hour race at the Nürburgring in mid May.

It doesn’t bother him that today is just a few laps of the proving grounds. “I enjoy every se-cond I get to sit in the car,” he says, closes his hel-met visor, starts the V10 and heads out onto the track.

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Lighter, more aerodynamically efficient, even more precise and more drivable than its predeces-sor – the new Audi R8 LMS established itself as the benchmark in its class right from the start.

AuDI R8 LMSType Racing sports car in accordance with

the GT3 rules

Engine Naturally aspirated V10

Power Up to 430 kW (585 hp)

Homologation weight 1,225 kg

Bodyshell ASF from aluminum and CFRP, outer skin from CFRP

Transmission Six-speed racing transmission

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IN [G]R8SHApE


PhotosManfred Jarisch

Technology at the LimitNo other car with the four rings is closer to motorsport; none is sharper,

none is more dynamic. The new R8 high-performance sports car probes the limits of technical feasibility. We take a look behind the

curtains at the development of its engine, ASF and quattro drive.

3quattro drivetrain – The electrohydraulically controlled multi- plate coupling enables a whole new degree of freedom in the management of the all-wheel drive.

Lightweight design meets power – In the new Audi R8, each hp has to shift just 2.55 kilograms. Power: 449 kW (610 hp). Curb weight: 1,555 kilograms.

2ASF parts – The component here is defined as “B-pillar upper left”. It is made from CFRP; the high-end material plays a key role in the new Audi R8.

1Control units – Two control unitsshare the computing work. This concept accommodates the high-revving char-acteristics of the naturally aspirated ten-cylinder.

THE NEWAuDI R8

AND ITS MAkERS

2,55 kg/hp

1

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Behind the increased power are first and foremost some classic measures – the compression ratio was raised from 12.5:1 to 12.7:1, valve control times have been set for good cylinder fill at high revs. Sophisticated detail work went into opening up the breathing – the valve heads on the exhaust side have a flatter design, while the intake valves have narrower shafts. The straight intake ports were shortened by ten millimeters, the tumble flaps and baffles removed – the 5.2 FSI no longer needs them thanks to the new dual injection.

The combination of manifold (MPI) and di-rect (FSI) injection makes a major contribution to per-formance. Only the new manifold injection is active under low partial load. The high vacuum in the manifold enables very good fuel evaporation and very few par-ticulates are generated during combustion. Under mid-range load, the work is split evenly between manifold and direct injection, with the FSI system, which devel-ops up to 200 bar of pressure, taking on around 85 per-cent under full load. The remaining proportion of MPI contributes to good cylinder fill.

Two control units operating in accordance with the master/slave principle share the computing work. Brinkmann’s co-worker Dr. André Grob, Head of Thermodynamics and Application V8/V10 Spark-Ignition Engines provided the data, which is based on more than 20,000 values. “Beyond dual injection, we are also running a special efficiency technology – cylin-der on demand (COD) – which we had to intricately in-tegrate into the different operating modes,” says Dr. Grob. “Under low to medium load and revs, we de-activate one of the cylinder banks by switching off igni-tion and injection. This applies to the D drive program and the upper four gears. After a certain period of time, we reactivate the bank to ensure its catalyst doesn’t cool down and deactivate the other bank instead. The driver doesn’t notice anything, because the sound of the engine barely changes on five cylinders. And we modulate the transitions by deactivating the cylinders one after the other.”

The COD technology, the start/stop system and a coasting function in the seven-speed S tronic make the new Audi R8 V10 plus amazingly efficient. In the NEDC, its consumption has dropped from 12.9 li-ters per 100 kilometers (299 grams CO₂ per kilometer) to 12.3 liters (287 grams). At 13 percent, the reduction in the new R8 V10, which produces 397 kW (540 hp), is even more. Even more power and even more passion paired with greater efficiency – that lights up the eyes of more than just the engineers.

What are the engine requirements for a high-performance sports car?

Plenty of power, of course; not to mention sound, tena-cious responsiveness and high-revving euphoria. The further developed 5.2 FSI in the new R8 has all of this. When Christian Brinkmann, Head of Thermodynamics and Application V Spark-Ignition Engines at Audi, talks about the naturally aspirated V10 his eyes light up. “Our development work was more than passion,” says the engineer from Neckarsulm. “It was a kind of posi-tive insanity.”

The vital statistics already hint at its thrill-ing potential. The engine, with a displacement of 5,204 cm³, delivers fulsome 449 kW (610 hp) at 8,250 rpm in the new R8 V10 plus; its maximum torque of 560 Nm kicks in at 6,500 rpm. Despite its long-stroke layout (bore × stroke 84.5 × 92.8 mm), the ten-cylinder spins up to 8,700 rpm. Here at the limit, the pistons reach their maximum average speed of 26.9 meters per sec-ond, circa 100 km/h. The specific output is 117.2 hp per liter of displacement and each hp has to move just 2.55 kilograms of curb weight (minus driver). The fast-est production Audi of all time shoots from 0 to 100 km/h in 3.2 seconds and from 0 to 200 km/h in 9.9 seconds. The acceleration doesn’t end until it reaches 330 km/h.

The 5.2 FSI is a hi-tech unit; even its basic layout indicates its close links with motorsport. All four camshafts can be adjusted by up to 42 degrees of crank-shaft angle. Dry-sump lubrication means the engine can be mounted low down in the car. Its pump module guarantees lubrication even at the maximum possible lateral acceleration of 1.5 g. The crankcase, which has a V angle of 90 degrees, is made from a high-strength, lightweight aluminum-silicone alloy. The cylinder bar-rels are honed from solid.

The crankshaft of the V10 is conceived as a common-pin shaft, whereby the conrods of the oppos-ing pistons are attached to a shared crank pin, leading to alternating ignition intervals of 54 and 90 degrees. This rhythm and the ignition sequence of 1 – 6 – 5 – 10 – 2 – 7 – 3 – 8 – 4 – 9 play a major role in defining the unmistakable sound of the new R8. Under load, the mighty, free-breathing engine plays a symphony of rumbling basses and powerful trebles that soars with the revs to a magnificent fortissimo, rounded off by the slap of the gearshift under full load and the burble on lifting off the gas. The acoustics can be fine tuned via two flaps in the exhaust, which can be controlled by the driver, and a switchable intake for untreated air.

And what’s new about the V10? This is where Brinkmann really starts to rave: “We have made the engine even more responsive and designed it even more for power output. Above 6,000 revs, it’s far more dynamic than its predecessor. And even when it’s run-ning above the rated output, it still has plenty of oomph. If you push the pedal to the floor when the car is idling at a standstill, it reaches full load in just 66 hundredths of a second – almost 20 percent faster than the previous engine.”

The specific power of the top V10 is out-standing – Its 610 hp come from a displacement of 5,204 cm³.

The development engineers –Christian Brinkmann (left) is Head of Thermodynamics and Application V Spark-Ignition Engines. Dr. André Grob works in the same field for the V8 and V10.

Our development work was morethan passion. It was a kind of positive insanity from sheer enthusiasm for the new engine.

Christian BrinkmannHead of Thermodynamics and Application V Spark-Ignition Engines

AuDI R8THE 5.2 fSI

A

B

5.2-liter V10 FSI engine in the Audi R8 V10 plus

A Engine power 449 kW (610 hp) @ 8,250 rpmB Torque 560 Nm @ 6,500 rpm

1

Scan the QR code andsee the video on the R8 V10 plus.

117,2 hp/l


The development engineer –Jürgen Gerbrand is responsible for developing the bodyshell structure of the Audi R8.

AuDI R8THE ASf

The CFRP parts in the ASF fulfill a very specific task wherever they are used. We’ve designed them with enormous precision.

Jürgen GerbrandDevelopment Bodyshell Structure Audi R8

Weighing exactly 200 kg – The new Audi R8’s multi-material space frame enters a whole new dimension of lightweight design.

The right material in the right amounts in the right place – talk-

ing to Jürgen Gerbrand brings to life Audi’s classic principle of lightweight design. The engineer from Neckarsulm, responsible for the development of inno-vative bodyshell projects, knows all there is to know about the multi-material space frame of the new R8, about the strengths of the different materials and about the best methods for joining them with one an-other.

Gerbrand tells us that the space frame of the high-performance sports car weighs just 200 kilo-grams, a further 15 percent less than the previous model, which was already extremely light. Behind this incredible figure is a concept used by Audi for the first time – the front and rear ends of the car are still made from aluminum. However, the rear bulkhead, center tunnel and the three-part B-pillars are now made from carbon-fiber reinforced polymer (CFRP). Together, these parts make up 13 percent of the multi-material space frame and form a backbone of outstanding strength and torsional stiffness.

“We use CFRP specifically in those places where it achieves better results than aluminum and we specify it completely differently,” explains the develop-ment engineer. In the rear bulkhead’s transverse beam, where the number one priority its maximum lateral stiffness, the layers of webbing are arranged largely in one direction. There are around 14 of them one on top of the other, forming a layer five millimeters thick and taking full advantage of the extreme tensile strength of the pure fibers in the longitudinal direction – which measures 4,800 megapascals. In the B-pillar reinforce-ment, on the other hand, which has to accommodate both longitudinal and transverse loads, the layers are arranged in all directions (quasi isotropic orientation). Gerbrand: “In each location they’re used, the CFRP parts perform a specific task for which they are suitably structured.”

When it comes to aluminum parts, where the classic semi-finished components are castings, profiles and panels, the Audi space frame principle has likewise been extensively developed. The A-pillar nodes, which connect important components of the front-end and occupant cell, are made from a new, high-strength cast alloy with a tensile strength of 230 MPa, which is 15 percent higher than before. Altogether, the cast nodes represent 20.8 percent of the ASF.

In terms of the extruded profile, which makes up 47.2 percent, development work focused on increased tensile strength – with the new top figure of 340 MPa – and on optimized topology. “Between the suspension strut mount and the chassis connection to the rear axle is a vertical profile around 60 centimeters in length,” says Jürgen Gerbrand. “Its wall thickness varies between two and seven millimeters, resulting in a weight saving of 1.3 kilograms across the rear end as a whole.” Oval aluminum profile sections form the upper spider of the structural braces that stiffen the rear end – they weigh just one kilogram.

Cast nodes made from the new high-strength alloy connect the axle radius arms directly and stiffly to the ASF. The floor of the luggage compart-ment is made from sheet aluminum and functions as a shear plane. “We have achieved a new kind of function-al integration here,” sums up Gerbrand. “Alongside new materials and improved geometries, this is our third discipline in lightweight engineering.”

Cast parts, profile, heat-treated aluminum alloy sheet and CFRP – how do all these different mate-rials come together to create a stiff, safe and vibration-optimized space frame? Gerbrand cites the most im-portant technologies in bodyshell engineering, “The welded seams between the aluminum parts are a total of 89 meters long. To connect them with the CFRP com-ponents we use cold processes only. The multi-materi-al space frame contains 270 semi-hollow punch rivets, 207 blind rivets, 241 metric and 270 self-tapping screws. We ensure the aluminum does not corrode in those areas in contact with the CFRP through cathodic dip coating, with its drying oven set at around 200 de-grees Celsius, a technical adhesive and a special seal-ant.”

In the lightweight rating – the relationship between weight, size and stiffness – the new multi-material space frame achieves a top figure in its seg-ment. When it comes to torsional stiffness – a particu-larly important figure for a sports car – it has increased by 40 percent. Jürgen Gerbrand: “Only through the new multi-material concept were we able to achieve these improved characteristics while reducing weight. If we had designed the space frame using the same technol-ogy as the previous model, it would have been 32 kilo-grams heavier.”

200 kg

Scan the QR code andsee the video on the R8 space frame.

2


To ensure drivers always have the full per-formance of quattro technology at their disposal, the multi-plate coupling is incorporated into the engine’s cooling circuit. This ensures it always performs pre-cisely and to its full extent, regardless of load and out-side temperature – from Saudi Arabia to the North Cape. Conditions are continually monitored by a pres-sure and temperature sensor and the control parame-ters adapted accordingly. Although the multi-plate coupling operates with a minimum amount of slip, which is necessary for defined torque transmission, it is still more efficient than the viscous coupling used in the previous model.

On the rear axle of the new Audi R8 is a me-chanical differential lock that further improves traction and handling. With its 25 percent locking ratio under pull and 45 percent under push, it is designed specifi-cally for the actively regulated quattro drive. Sebastian Straßer: “A high-performance mechanism and software that offers us plenty of control parameters – it’s this combination that gives the new quattro drive its supreme performance.”

Audi is quattro and quattro is Audi – and that goes for the new R8, too.

Especially here in the high-performance sports car, the permanent all-wheel drive system delivers a major plus in stability, precision and traction. “In the quattro drive for the new R8, we have achieved the very best that is possible today,” explains Sebastian Straßer, Head of Development Vehicle Control All-Wheel Drive Control Systems / Electrified Drives.

The heart of the new quattro driveline is an electro-hydraulically regulated multi-plate coupling integrated into the front axle differential. Inside it is an electrically driven axial piston pump. When the situa-tion demands, it applies a pressure of up to 40 bar to push together the plates, which are made from steel and coated with an organic material. The higher the oil pressure, the more power is sent (continuously vari-ably) to the front axle. To assure pressure buildup in a matter of milliseconds, the pump runs constantly with a certain oil volume.

“Compared with the unregulated viscous coupling on the previous model, the regulated multi-plate coupling performs far better in all criteria,” says Straßer. “Before, we were only able to transfer a maxi-mum of 30 percent of the torque to the front. It also necessitated a certain difference in the axle speeds. We are now able to apply the ideal torque distribution at any time, fully variably and depending on the actual driving conditions, because the new coupling has no fixed base distribution. Our intelligent all-wheel drive software has been adapted specifically to the mid-en-gine concept. It is constantly calculating the ideal torque distribution at any given moment, depending on the driving situation, driver input and environmental conditions.”

Management of the quattro drive is inte-grated into the Audi drive select dynamic handling sys-tem, which offers the choice between comfort, auto, dynamic and individual modes. In the R8 V10 plus (optional in the V10), the performance mode also of-fers dry, wet and snow programs, which adapt the han-dling parameters specifically to road surface friction. Handling characteristics are rounded off by the addi-tional software system for wheel-selective torque vec-toring – if required, it applies a slight braking force to the inside wheels when cornering.

The development engineer –Sebastian Straßer is Head of Development Vehicle Control All-Wheel Drive Control Systems/Electrified Drives.

A high-performance mechanism and software that offers us plenty of control parameters – it’s this that gives the new quattro drive its supreme performance.

Sebastian Straßer Head of Development Chassis Control, All-Wheel Drive Control Systems/Electrified Drives

AuDI R8THE QuATTRO DRIVE

R8 drivetrain – The multi-plate coupling is integrated into the front-axle differential at the front end of the drive shaft.

3


In the production sports car, too, the driver manages the most important performance functions via satellite controls on the steering wheel. Like the race driver,

he can shift gears using steering-wheel paddles; he can monitor the status of the R8 V10 plus via the virtual cockpit, showing information such as power, torque and temperatures.

Downshift Upshift Navigation within the menus; switch for the Audi virtual cockpit

Volume control, voice commands, phone express function Audi drive select Engine start/stop

Performance mode Exhaust flap control

aUdi r18 E-tron qUattro aUdi r8 V10 PlUs

Operation and DisplayIn a really fast car, the driver always has both hands on the wheel – whether in the Audi R18 e-tron

sports prototype or the new Audi R8. Both cars have much in common in terms of their operating and display concepts – at the multi-function steering wheel, the driver can control important

dynamic parameters, while a digital display shows all key information.

The steering wheel of the racing sports car.The labeling means (from left to right and top to bottom):

KFS and HMF: Hybrid system functions BB-R and BB-F: Brake balance rear and front ASR- and ASR +: ASR settings MUL: Multi-function thumbwheel

FCY: Drive program for yellow phase DISP: Menu switching in display KERS CLEAR: Hybrid function BAL: Balance settings RADI: Radio MIX: Engine mapping V6 TDI

PIT: Speed limit for pit lane DRI: Drink system WIP: Windshield wiper MODE: Hybrid system LAT: ASR setting OK: Confirm pit radio STA: Starter

IN: Pit function BEAM: High beam with laser high beam HEAT: Windshield heating FOG: Fog light

PhotosUlrike Myrzik, AUDI AG


RACING WHEELS

92 93

Audi R18 e-tron quattroJust one thing counts for Holger Turczynski

– strict functionality with maximum ergonomics within the scope of the regulations. The engineer from Audi Sport is Project Leader Electrics, Electron-ics and Energy Systems for the Audi R18 e-tron quat-tro and he knows every detail of the operating and display concept. “The cockpit is defined by the tech-nology alone,” says Turczynski. “We have developed it step-by-step for years in close cooperation with our drivers. That applies to the operating concept as well as details such as the color of the buttons.”

In WEC racing, there are four operating levels – three on the aluminum steering wheel, which is home to a total of 33 buttons, switches and knobs, and one on the dashboard. The first level in-corporates those operating elements that the driver uses most frequently – the shift and clutch paddles. They are located behind the steering wheel. The driver uses the fingers of his left hand to shift down, and the fingers of the right to shift up. The high beam flash and fuel functions are likewise handled via paddle switches.

The driver doesn’t have to take his hands off the steering wheel for the second level of con-trols either – for which he uses his thumbs to operate the buttons for brake balance and traction control. Both of these are on the steering wheel’s horns. Further down are three buttons on each side – for the speed limit in the pit lane, the radio and the starter (double), the drink system and the confirm button for communicating with the pits. There are also scroll wheels for brake balance and the steering wheel display as well as two buttons on the upper edge of the steering wheel for the hybrid functions.

1Right-hand drive –

The driver sits on the right in the

Audi R18 e-tron quattro. The flywheel

storage device is located next to him.

On the lower edge of the steering wheel and directly beneath the display are the buttons for the windshield heating, the fog light, high beam, the pit function, the hybrid function for yellow phases, menu navigation within the steering wheel display and the hybrid function. This is the third level – the driver has to move his hands in order to operate them. “He only does that on the straights,” says Turczynski. The same applies to the four rotary knobs in the center of the steering wheel – they control the windshield wiper, the ASR and the mapping of the V6 TDI and the hybrid system.

In the Audi R18 e-tron quattro, the driv-er sits on the right-hand side. On his left is the dash-board made from carbon-fiber reinforced polymer (CFRP) with several secondary switches – the fourth operating level. Under the sticker bearing the letter “E” is a protected switch that activates the fire extin-guisher system. Beneath that are the connecting sockets for the communications cable that runs to the helmet and a rotary control, which the driver uses to adjust the radio volume.

On the right side of this surface are the buttons for idle and reverse gear, the main switch for the vehicle electrics and the switch for activating the hybrid system. During technical work in the pits or if there is a problem on the track, the driver switches the power supply to the high-voltage system off. Four LEDs indicate the status – green means the sys-tem is working trouble-free, red indicates a safety-relevant malfunction.

If the electronic fuse box switches off a consumer in the Audi R18 e-tron quattro, the driver can attempt to reactivate it via a button on the dash-board. He can use the neighboring reset button for the data logging and transmission system to restart a broken connection. Two rotary controls serve for adjusting the brake system and the traction control (ASR).

The Audi R18 e-tron quattro is designed around function and the regulations when it comes to the displays, too. “We have to keep certain fields of vision clear,” explains Holger Turczynski. This ap-plies, for instance, to certain parts of the virtual rear-view mirror at the upper edge of the windshield, which Audi Sport conceived together with their col-leagues from production development. It takes the form of an AMOLED display made from organic light-emitting diodes that works together with a rear-view camera. A gear display is positioned above it.

2Powerhouse –

The Audi R18 e-tron quattro, the hybrid race

car in the WEC.

3The steering wheel

display –Among the most

important read-outs are the lap times,

the gear engaged and tire pressure.

PIT –This knob serves

as a speed limiter for the pit lane.

MODE –This is where the driver controls

the hybrid system. Each of the four rotary

knobs on the steering wheel clicks

round in twelve positions.

WIP –Windshield wiper,

extensively adjustable.

MIX –The rotary

control knob influences the mapping of

the V6 TDI combustion engine.

1

2

3

We have developed the race car cockpit over years in

close cooperation with our drivers. That applies to the

operating concept as well as details such as the color

of the buttons.

Holger TurczynskiProject Leader Electrics, Electronics,

Energy Systems at Audi Sport

Scan the QR code andsee the video on the R8 interior.


However, the driver sees the most impor-tant information on the steering wheel. Along its upper edge are six green, three yellow and three red LEDs – this shift display replaces the rev counter. When the red diodes light up, it’s high time to shift up. Beneath the LED strip is the 3.0-inch transflec-tive color display. It has a mirrored layer that reflects light, ensuring the driver can still read it clearly even in direct sunlight.

For regular driving, the display has three similarly structured views. Each one shows the tire pressures, the engaged gear, the ASR and brake bal-ance settings and the current fuel strategy – which helps the driver achieve the energy targets for each lap. Added to that are the variable displays for lap time and difference, speed, the charge status of the flywheel storage device and brake temperatures.

Audi R8 V10 plus“Our new R8 is an extremely dynamic car,

which is why we have systematically focused the op-erating and control concept around the driver,” says Michael Zeyn, Head of Development Operating Concepts at Audi. “Here, too, the driver’s hands can remain firmly on the wheel at all times.”

This principle applies in equal measure to the 14 multi-function buttons, paddles and thumbwheels on the steering wheel spokes on both versions of the new high-performance sports car – the R8 V10 and the R8 V10 plus. “On the left-hand spoke are primarily the menu levels of the Audi vir-tual cockpit. And on the right, we have the volume control, the skip buttons and the shortcuts for phone and voice commands,” explains Zeyn. Using these buttons, the driver can control almost all of the car’s functions – except for entering text and numbers into the navigation and phone systems, which is done via the rotary/push control on the cen-ter console. There is also a voice control system, which, instead of the previously commonplace com-mands, now enables far more natural speech input.

In terms of the performance and hand-ling parameters, the two engine variants differ dis-tinctly from one another. These are controlled by either two or four large satellite buttons located be-neath the hub of the steering wheel. The R8 V10 comes as standard with two large, round satellite buttons. Beneath the right steering wheel spoke is a red button for starting and stopping the engine. The black button beneath the left spoke enables the driver to choose between the four basic modes of the Audi drive select system – comfort, auto, dynamic und individual. This controls the operation of the gas pedal, engine sound, power steering, seven-speed S tronic, quattro drive and the optional Audi mag-netic ride damper control system.

The performance steering wheel in the Audi R8 V10 plus (optional for the V10), comes with two more satellite buttons. The one on the right is for controlling the exhaust flaps, while the left-hand one is for activating the performance mode. Using the integrated rotary ring, the driver can choose be-tween the performance programs dry, wet and snow – as well as the aforementioned systems, they also adapt the operation of the electronic stability con-trol to the surface friction of the road, always aiming for the fastest possible lap times.

In the new R8, the fully digital Audi vir-tual cockpit replaces both the analogue instrument panel and the MMI monitor from the previous model – also strictly in the interests of driver orientation. Its 12.3-inch TFT display offers a resolution of 1,440 × 540 pixels. It shows all information in razor sharp and richly contrasting graphics with sophisticated detailing.

The driver can use the “view” button on the steering wheel to switch between two different display views. In infotainment mode, the navigation map or the lists from the phone, radio and audio sec-tions appear in a large central window – the rev coun-ter and speedometer flanking them as small dials. The second view increases the size of these two in-struments to create a classic view that places the emphasis on driving information.

As an alternative to the classic view, the driver can also select a special sports mode that places a large rev counter front and center. It also serves as a shift read-out – when the seven-speed S tronic is operating in manual mode, its scale has a colored background at high revs. As the rev count rises, green, orange and red segments illuminate and as soon as the engine reaches its limit at 8,500 rpm, the scale starts flashing in red.

In S layout, the driver can use the multi-function buttons to position further displays to the left and right of the rev counter, visualizing the dy-namics and performance of the new Audi R8. The power and torque of the 5.2 FSI can be seen in per-centage figures, while a g-meter reading up to 1.5 g indicates the forces of lateral acceleration at play. A lap timer records up to 99 laps and compares the times. The display also shows the status of impor-tant technical components – the temperatures of the engine and transmission oil, as well as the air pres-sure and temperature of the tires. Here, too, the new R8 has a great many parallels with the R18 e-tron quattro race car.

In the R8, too, the driver’s hands can remain

firmly on the wheel at all times.

Michael ZeynHead of Development Operating Concepts at Audi

Our new R8 is an extremely dynamic car, which is why we have

systematically focused the operating and control concept

on the driver.

Michael ZeynHead of Development Operating Concepts at Audi

4All important

elements within sight and easy reach –The R8 cockpit

is fully focused on the driver.

5An image

of a sports car –The new

Audi R8 V10 plus.

Start/Stop –The button for

firing up and shutting down the 5.2 FSI.

Exhaust symbol button –

Enables control of the exhaust flaps.

drive select –This is where the

driver chooses between the comfort, auto,

dynamic and individual modes.

Flag symbol control – For switching

on the performance mode and

choosing between the dry, wet and

snow programs.

4

5


Researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)

and Pennsylvania State University have developed a medical examination

instrument that can identify cancer cells faster than is possible

with existing procedures. Blood flows through a micro-channel fitted

with transducers that emit sound waves. The sound waves transport the

cells varying distances depending on their size and nature. Cancer cells –

of which a maximum of ten exist in a single milliliter of blood – thus find

their way into a separate micro- channel. Once isolated, conclusions can

then be drawn on metastases. Using the new procedure, the time

taken to examine a blood sample can be reduced from 50 to around five hours.

MAGAzINE2/2015Only those prepared to look beyond their horizons can evaluate and build on their own progress. Technology news from around the world.

TextJulian Fritsch

3An increasing number of bacteria are becoming resistant to antibiotics

and this is endangering the battle against infections. Researchers

at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) have developed so-

called phagemids that produce poisons deadly to bacteria. Similar

to bacteriophages (viruses specialized to attack host bacteria), they dock

onto bacteria and infiltrate them with tiny DNA molecules. The molecules multiply and generate

proteins that poison the host bacteria. In contrast to viruses, which

cause the bacteria to burst and release poisons into the human body, the

phagemids disable the cell process within the bacteria. This means

the bacteria dies without bursting, thus avoiding the side effects for

human beings.

pROTEIN VERSuS BACTERIA

Poisonous protein – The developed phagemids infiltrate

a bacterium.

Further information:newsoffice.mit.edu

Like using tweezers – The program seeks out the appropriate

software section to repair the bug.

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upDATE MADE EASY

Who isn’t familiar with them – the ubiquitous error messages that pop

up every day on your computer. Most of these bugs originate in soft-

ware errors. Researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology

(MIT) have now developed a program that automatically repairs

bugs. Known as “CodePhage”, it doesn’t even need access to the

defective software’s coding. The pro-gram simply looks at how it

carries out its security checks. It then “borrows” a better solution from

a functioning program and uses it to replace the defective section.

Bit by bit, all the programs on the com-puter are furnished with the

most secure software components and bothersome bugs are history.

Further information: newsoffice.mit.edu

How do we dispose of highly toxic industrial waste? Companies face this problem

every single day. Microbial Solutions Ltd, a spin-off from Oxford University, has now found

a solution – take a mix of five types of bacteria, use the toxic waste at room temperature

as a habitat and produce just small amounts of CO₂ in the process. What is left is a

grey, watery liquid that can be returned to the normal waste water system.

TRASH DIET

By light – Up to three gigabits of data per

second can be transmitted via “Visible Light Communication”

technology.

Reduction – The examination of blood samples

for cancers cells can be shortened with the new process from

50 to around five hours.

Augmented reality and cloud comput-ing mean that data volumes are

now rising immeasurably, which is why there is a need for new ways to

transport it quickly and reliably from A to B. With “Visible Light

Communication” technology from the Fraunhofer Heinrich Hertz Institute

(HHI) in Berlin, for instance, speeds of up to three gigabits per

second can be achieved – using light. It means that even high-resolution

movie files can be transmitted with ease. A modulator switches LEDs on and off, while the receiver device,

such as a laptop, captures the light and converts the signals into elec-

trical impulses. Anywhere wireless networks are too slow or unavail-

able, ceiling lights could potentially function as new data highways –

in airplanes, production halls or even frequency sensitive spaces such

as operating theaters.

ONLINE AT THE SpEED Of LIGHT

Further information: www.fraunhofer.de

50→5

Further information:newsoffice.mit.edu

Acoustic process – Transducers separate cancer cells and white

blood cells from one another.

SOuNDWARRIORS

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98 Encounter Technology 99

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auto-nomous

3Before the “wound is healed” –

Micro-capsules in cement.

4Self-healing bridges –

An active ingredient from a micro-capsule disperses inside the crack.

5Printed on –

Transparent thin-film electrodes made from conductive polymers can be

applied to flexible substrates.

6Organic electronics –

Conductive polymers are a highly promising market of the future.

3

5

4

Further information: www.cam.ac.uk

By 2050, international air traffic will have increased four-fold. For the year 2050

alone that means an additional 500 million metric tons of CO₂. In order to prevent

this, the airlines have to meet certain emissions targets. Studies carried out by Sheffield

and Cambridge Universities and University College London show that, in this respect,

conventional aluminum aircraft are no longer practicable. Composite materials could ensure that 15 percent of CO₂ emissions

are saved – a major step in the right direction.

“We want concrete to be a material

for life that can heal itself again and again

when wounded.”Prof. Abir Al-Tabbaa

University of Cambridge

TRAVEL LIGHT

Engineers and scientists at Cambridge University in Britain are currently working on

furnishing concrete with “self-healing powers”. To enable bridge structures or even road

surfaces to repeatedly self renew – much like human skin after an injury – micro-capsules

containing a mineral-based “medication” are mixed into the cement-based material. If cracks form, the physical and chemical

processes triggered cause the capsules to break open. The active ingredient is released

and sticks the cracks back together, similar to a wound.

Further information: www.cam.ac.uk

SELf HEALING

2

1


Computer controlled airborne drones and piloted cars are revolution-

izing land-based travel. On or even in water, however, you still need

a captain. This could soon change, as scientists at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)

have developed algorithms that enable underwater robots to operate

autonomously. When the engineers give it a task, the robot autonomously

develops ways to fulfill its objective. If unexpected problems arise,

it decides for itself whether to abort the operation or to find a

different solution.

AuTONOMOuS uNDER WATER

1Autonomous diving –

One of the MIT team’s robots navigates underwater.

2Monitoring –

Scientists watch film material from an autonomous underwater robot.

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SCREENS HOT Off THE pRESS

Further information: www.tum.de

Touch screens from a printer? Sound like science fiction, right? But physicists

at the Technical University of Munich (TUM) have succeeded with the

help of X-rays to establish how molecules distribute themselves as the

newly printed object cools. They observed that the plastic components decompose more easily through the

addition of solvents with a high boiling point. As a consequence, the

distance between the molecules decreases and conductivity increases.

The microelectronic parts generated in this way are thin, flexible and

lightweight. This technology will thus enable flexible displays,

illuminated films and even paper-thin solar cells to be produced

inexpensively and with little energy input. The starting point for

this is organic LEDs, known for short as OLEDs.

6

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TextVerena Väth

PhotosGraeme Fordham

↓ Look, no hands! The car takes over control – The A7 piloted concept is piloted at speeds of up to 60 km/h. It remains in lane, braking and accelerating as required.

Piloted through the urban jungle of Shanghai ― this is no longer a vision of the future. Audi development engineer Thomas Müller and his team sent “Lu Ban” and “Kong Ming”, two piloted Audi A7 Sportback prototypes, on a very special kind of test drive. An initially uncertain and soon impressed reporter tells all.


What ultimately looks simple, and pro-vokes stunned head-shaking on my part, takes a whole lot of preparation. Müller’s team has been at the Audi R&D Center in Beijing for several weeks building two technology prototypes together with their development co-workers from Audi China. The electronic systems in the two A7 piloted driving con-cept models have been specifically adapted to Chi-nese traffic conditions. Driving in the Middle King-dom is far more chaotic than on German or American highways. A bus from the right, a car from the left, a quick dash into the tight space in front of the A7 – these are extreme situations that can quickly push human beings to their limits.

It’s also an endurance test for the elec-tronics in the technology prototype. Every now and then, the practiced test driver has to take over. “This is exactly why we’re testing in China,” says Müller’s team member Sebastian Klaas, who is monitoring the vehicle data on the computer from the rear bench. “Driving here is totally different from what we know in Europe and the USA. The horn is part of standard Chinese communication. They use it to tell you they want to cut in and lots more besides. We have to learn to understand all that.”

While piloted driving is planned to enter series production for the USA and Germany in 2017 with the new A8, Müller’s team is still at the very beginning of the process for the Asian region. When it comes to the development of driver assistance systems, the infrastructure and driving behaviors of the respective countries play a major role. “We have to adapt and approve the system for each region. And reliability is the key factor for Audi. At the end of the day, it’s all about safety,” says Müller.

The cooperation with the Audi Techno-logy Center in China is crucial to this project. This development center in Beijing mirrors the Technical Development organization at the Ingolstadt plant. Those at work there include German engineers and specialists from around the world. It was the Chinese co-workers who named the two technology proto-types.

“Baptism” has a long tradition in Müller’s team. “We always like to give the cars names be-cause we believe they have personalities,” says Müller. “You can equip two cars the same, yet they still drive differently. Each has its own character.” With the names “Lu Ban” and “Kong Ming”, the engineers are underscoring the high demands that Audi has of its own technologies. Lu Ban lived in the fifth century BC and is considered in China to be the father of ar-chitecture. In 200 AD, Kong Ming invented an all-terrain vehicle – in a sense, the first quattro.

We have to adapt and approve the system for each region. And reliability is the key factor for Audi. At the end of the day, it’s all about safety.

Thomas Müller Head of Development Brake/Steering/Driver Assistance Systems

The weather in China’s sprawl-ing metropolis of Shanghai is

oppressive and muggy. On the city highway, the cars snake their way slowly in convoy toward the Pudong district – i.e. directly into the Manhattan of Shang-hai. The on-ramp spirals upward into the sky to reach the bridge that stretches more than 400 meters over the Huangpu River. Right in the midst of it all is a white Audi A7 Sportback, known as “Kong Ming”. At the steering wheel is Thomas Müller, Head of Devel-opment Brake/Steering/Driver Assis tance Systems at AUDI AG. We are on a test drive to check the capa-bilities of piloted driving in congested traffic. Will the Audi prototype pass this endurance test in the Asian city?

As soon as the car reaches the straight, a white display lights up in the cockpit: “Piloted Driving available”. Müller pushes an inconspicuous button on the steering wheel, takes his hands off the wheel, his feet off the pedals and settles down in his seat. The engineer has a satisfied smile on his face. The green light framing the speedometer and rev counter signals to the driver that the electronics have everything under control. For a moment, as a passenger, it’s a strange feeling to experience the Audi A7 Sportback driving on its own. However, the unpleasant sensation quickly transforms into fasci-nated amazement. The steering wheel turns by it-self, keeping the A7 Sportback safely on track, while the car maintains the right distance to the vehicle in front at all times.

The cockpit shows what’s going on:

1 White – piloted driving is available.2 Green light – the vehicle has everything under control.

↓ Real personalities – “Lu Ban” and “Kong Ming” negotiate Shanghai congestion completely autonomously.

Lu Banlived in the fifth century BC and is considered in China to be the father of architecture.

Kong Mingin 200 AD invented an all-terrain vehicle – in a sense, the first quattro.

↑ Piloted driving – Thomas Müller traveling with his personal chauffeur, an A7 piloted driving concept.

1

2


Müller has his eyes firmly on the prize. “90 percent of accidents are caused by the driver. We want ultimately to offer a safety system that reduc-es this.” The first step in this direction is piloted driv-ing on highways and highway-like roads where speeds of around 60 km/h are possible. This situa-tion, without oncoming traffic, cyclists, pedestrians and traffic lights is the easiest to manage.

The next step is to cover speeds of up to 120 km/h. No simple undertaking, as Müller ex-plains: “The sensors with which our system works can’t currently see as far ahead as the driver can. We can’t yet identify a construction site or the end of a traffic jam sufficiently far in advance with the on-board sensors to comfortably enable it for even higher speeds.”

Complicated scenarios also have to be thought through. In the event of a system failure, there must be another on standby to take over the function. Thus, various systems in the car have to be doubled up. Once these issues have been addressed, the engineers will then be able to venture into more difficult situations – main roads with oncoming traf-fic, overtaking maneuvers, stoplights and, at some point, even city traffic with pedestrians.

However, for development engineers work ing on piloted driving, the city is a highly com-plicated matter for realization in the more distant future. A human driver can categorize others sharing the road – if he sees a child at the curbside, he slows down in case that child suddenly dashes out onto the road. If he sees an adult and notices that he, too, has been seen, there is no urgent need to slow down. A car is not yet in a position to take such decisions.

“In principle, the car has to gather driv-ing experience much like a human being. You can’t preprogram everything. What you have to do instead is develop a self-learning system,” says Müller. “Swarm intelligence and learning algorithms will be necessary for piloted driving through cities.” All of that takes time. The legislative conditions are a lim-iting factor, too. And, ultimately, the customer also has to be prepared for such innovations and accept them as well.

As a passenger, I trust the system – be-cause Müller trusts it. After just a short time, I am sitting just as calmly in my seat as the engineer next to me. But I find myself wondering if I would hand over control to the car if I were sitting behind the steering wheel. Müller takes a relaxed view: “We are developing the systems on an evolutionary basis and guiding our customers step by step toward piloted driving.” According to Müller, the feedback is usu-ally “It feels like the next generation of ACC, the adaptive cruise control.” Plus, the decision to engage piloted driving is always left to the driver: “Our strat-egy is not to replace the driver, but to support him.” This applies to all situations in which driving is not enjoyable or can become dangerous, i.e. where the driver is either over-challenged or under-challenged.

Meanwhile, “Kong Ming” has long since crossed the highway bridge. In my fascination for the future of driving, I have forgotten all about the imposing view of the Shanghai skyline. But, with the heavy cloud hanging in the sky, there would have been little to see today anyway. Shortly before leav-ing the highway, the A7 Sportback makes an an-nouncement. “Traffic dissolving. Please take control of vehicle”, appears in the display, outlined in red. The Audi engineer dismisses his personal chauffeur for the day and takes over the wheel again himself.

RoadConcept vehicle “Jack” pilots the long journey between

Silicon Valley and Las Vegas.

TrackThe RS 7 piloted driving concept “Bobby” completed

a lap of the Hockenheimring completely autonomously and at racing speeds.

Success story – piloted driving at AudiPrecision, speed, distance – regardless of the challenge, Audi is at the forefront when it comes to piloted driving.

CityIn Shanghai, the piloted Audi learns

to deal with traffic in a Chinese megacity.

↓ Red – caution! Please take over!

3 Look, no hands – Thomas Müller doesn’t miss the opportunity to undertake some of the test driving himself.4 Team meeting – Thomas Müller wants to know how the test drives are going.

3

4

90 percent of accidents are caused by the driver. We want ultimately to offer a safety system that reduces this.

Thomas Müller Head of Development Brake/Steering/Driver Assistance Systems

Scan the QR code and seethe video on the milestones of piloted driving.


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Wired up – Heat plays a major role in repairing

carbon. A so-called hot bonder maintains the temperature at a

constant 120 degrees Celsius, which melts the resin between the

carbon layers.

Lamborghini’s CFRP DoctorsSpecially trained flying doctors from Sant’Agata Bolognese are on duty all over the world.

Their mission is to maintain and heal damaged parts made from carbon-fiber reinforced polymer. Alongside technical expertise, the highly precise operations on the super sports

cars’ lightweight bodies call for plenty of practice. I try out as an assistant doctor in the “carbon clinic” of the Advanced Composite Research Center.

TextDorothea Joos

PhotosBernhard Huber

109 Encounter Technology108

The Advanced Composite Research Center is a breeding

ground for innovation. This is where Lamborghini

conducts research into things like possible applica -

tions for carbon and new production methods.

Transformation – To experience the work of the flying

carbon doctors up close, writer Dorothea Joos slipped into the role of

assistant doctor.

First pass – The carbon layers beneath

the crack are carefully removed using a side grinder.

Clean cut – The carbon fabric for the patches

is cut to size using a scalpel.

It was as if Captain Kirk had given Scotty the order to beam a highly

futuristic flying object into the middle of the operating theater of Grey’s Anatomy. The room in Lamborghini’s Advanced Com-po site Research Center (ACRC) is actually a little reminiscent of a clinic – white, un-clut tered, almost sterile. In the middle, a black body shell hangs in mid-air on a vehi-cle platform. This is where three “doctors” are in training for very special service around the globe. Their specialty is carbon-fiber rein-forced polymer (CFRP), which makes these so-called “flying doctors” unique world-wide. And I’m allowed to spend a whole day assisting them. Normally, I sit in the offices of the famous sports car manufacturer. But today, I am taking on the role of assistant doctor – I tie my hair back, slip on the black polo shirt bearing the bull on the breast and pull on a pair of blue gloves.

Casper Steenbergen, who is in charge of the flying doctors, greets me in his “operating theater”. The training center is maintained at a pleasant 21 degrees Celsius. “That’s the best for working with carbon,” he explains to me, indicating the floating bodyshell. “The doctors use this to practice identifying and repairing even the finest hairline cracks in the carbon after an accident.” This kind of training takes up to two years, after which the flying doctors are dis-patched on customer calls to the farthest corners of the earth to administer aid to damaged Lamborghinis. “We’re the only automaker that repairs carbon parts,” says Casper. “Swapping out parts would be expensive, particularly if we’re talking about a monocoque. That would be almost as expensive as a new car.”

Lamborghini has been working with carbon-fiber reinforced polymers for more than thirty years. The Italians work in

the company’s own research centers, in the past also in cooperation with organizations such as Boeing, to continually develop their expertise in the field. “The procedure for repairing carbon comes from aeronautics, the science of flying,” says Casper. The tiniest amount of damage can have a massive im-pact on the crash safety of carbon. “We have developed a process that restores stiffness and safety. Lamborghini is the first auto-motive manufacturer with a TÜV-certified repair standard for carbon.”

Casper shows me a large metal table on which the instruments are already laid out for an operation. “These are our tools.” I recognize adhesive tape, scissors, scalpel. Now it’s getting serious. I try to re-member when the last time was I repaired something. Vaguely, in the dark recesses of my mind, I can see a flat bicycle tire – that was 13 years ago. Should I perhaps have mentioned that? Too late. Paolo Bisordi, the company’s original flying doctor and my trainer for today, greets me with a shake of the hand. The 35 year-old may not be wearing a white coat, but his calm demeanor and the oper-ating gloves lend him the authoritative air of a long-serving doctor. “Take a look at this crack.” He points to the wheel arch of the Lamborghini bodyshell. Try as I might, I can’t see anything. “Yes, you need a trained eye,” he admits. “A crack in carbon is a bit like an iceberg. There’s almost nothing to see on the surface, but underneath, the crack can spread in all sorts of directions.” Therefore, all the layers beneath the crack have to be carefully sanded away. Before Paolo lets me near the actual “pa-tient”, I have to practice on a dummy – a panel made up of four layers of car bon. Using a side grinder, I work in circles lay er-

by- layer through the black fibers. The grin d- er is heavy, making it quite difficult to be precise. Paolo lays a clear layer of film on top of the sanded area. He points to the hole in the panel: “The crisscross structure of the carbon fibers makes it possible to see the individual layers.” Using a black marker, he traces them onto the film. This creates a template for repair patches – circles that we then cut out of carbon fabric and that will later precisely cover the hole; laid layer-by-layer one on top of the other.

But cutting them out is far from straightforward. The fibers are treated with resin to make them bond later and the ma-terial is hard but extremely flexible. It takes a lot of effort to cut through it with the scal-pel – I have to turn to Paolo for help. He cuts the remaining patches with the precision of a surgeon. Patience and calm is extremely important in this kind of work. “Time can’t be allowed to feature,” says Paolo. “It’s about perfection. That’s the only way we can guarantee the customer the highest levels of safety following a repair.”

acrc

01

Pattern – A template is created to ensure

the patches of carbon fabric cover the hole exactly.

02

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Millimeter precision – The carbon-fabric patches have to be

bonded exactly over the hole. Twice as many layers of patches are used

than carbon layers in the original part.

04

per cm³This makes carbon 80 percent

lighter than steel and more than 50 percent lighter than aluminum.

1.5 g


“A crack in carbon is a bit like an iceberg. There’s almost nothing to see on

the surface, but underneath, the crack can spread in all sorts of directions.”

While Paolo cuts, I notice his ex-tremely short fingernails, which push through the gloves. “That’s a rule for the doctors,” he explains, “so that we don’t damage the carbon.” And that’s why he is also the proud owner of countless manicure sets. “Almost every time I travel, I don’t notice until I’m at the airport that I’ve left the nail file at home again.” After eight years as a flying doctor, that adds up to a lot of nail files. Once Paolo is finished cutting, he pulls the blue protective film from the smallest carbon circle. He sticks it accurate-ly over the hole and uses a rubber squeegee to press it into place. “Now it’s your turn,” he says, handing me the tool. Each of the patches has to be individually applied ac-cording to size. The resin on the carbon fabric adheres quickly. I have to keep thoroughly reworking it to make sure there are no air bubbles. However, the last tiny bubbles don’t disappear until the piece is placed under vacuum pressure, at which stage, the patches are simultaneously heated. The resin melts and bonds the carbon layers together as it cures. During this part of the production process, the laminated parts are

pushed into a huge, round oven. But be-cause the flying doctors work on a mobile basis, this job is performed in the field using a red heat mat made from silicon. Placed on top of that are nylon film, a protective layer of fleece, then the vacuum film. A pump sucks any air out from beneath the film in a matter of seconds. Now comes the most important tool of all – the hot bonder, a metal case bristling with sockets and switches. The “patient” is duly wired up to it. The hot bonder maintains the tempera-ture of the heat mat at a constant 120 degrees Celsius. Paolo pulls off his gloves. “Now we can take a break.” The circles of carbon fabric have to bake for two hours. Meanwhile, the experienced doctor packs up for the next assignment, stowing an assortment of tools in a large brown case. There are six such cases stationed from the west coast of the USA, through the Gulf region to Asia. When a flying doctor leaves on a call-out, he also has with him a box full of hazardous goods such as clean-ing agents and adhesives. And, of course, the ice box – a box in which the carbon fabric is cooled down to minus 18 degrees Celsius with the help of dry ice. This is how it sur-vives transportation without the resin set-ting in the box.

Laid out – The collection of tools in the flying

doctor’s operating theater.↑

Accuracy – Thorough reworking with the rubber

squeegee. There can be no tiny air bubbles between the layers

of carbon fabric as this could later have a negative effect on the

material’s stability.→

05

Vacuum packed – A pump draws out the air between the

carbon patches. At the same time, a heat mat warms the CFRP

to 120 degrees Celsius, melting the resin and bonding the

layers of carbon fabric.

International –From the west coast of the USA to the

east of Asia – the field of operation for the flying doctors extends across the

entire globe. ↑

Rare team photo – Flying doctors

Casper Steenbergen,Luca Calio, Paolo Bisordi and

Modesto Caprino (from left) are rarely in the same place

at the same time.→

Paolo and his three colleagues fly on an average of eight jobs every year. So what has been their toughest so far? “A cus-tomer had an involuntary encounter with a palm tree,” explains Paolo. “Just to make things worse, after the collision, a coconut fell onto the hood.” It’s not made from CFRP, but the damage to the monocoque presented quite a challenge. As Paolo starts telling me the repair story, his phone rings, which means it’s time for him to pack a bag. He’s not entirely sure what awaits him. But he knows one thing for sure – he won’t for-get his nail file this time.

Paolo BisordiFlying Doctor

Only the best of the best become flying doctors. Those who

have proven themselves in the series-production of carbon

components undergo an additio-nal two-year training program.

teaM



PhotosUlrike Myrzik

Heat Pump in the Audi Q7 e-tronAudi presents the world’s first heat pump in a plug-in hybrid model.

It delivers a new kind of efficiency in interior climate control.

HOTOR NOT

Main component – A so-called scroll

compressor serves as an electrical

compressor. The com-pact component

forms the heart of the heat pump.

Heat pump development engi-

neers – Dr. Klaus Straßer,

Bert Brandes and Michael Schuster

(from left).


1

3

4

5

2

8

9

7

6

In winter, the heat pump and the electric heater integrated into the system quickly heat the interior of the Audi Q7 e-tron 3.0 TDI quattro up to the temperature set by the driver. Afterward, the heat pump alone can maintain a comfortable interior temperature of around 22 degrees at an outside temperature of down to zero degrees Celsius. The heat pump demonstrates another of its strengths when it comes to keeping the windows clear of condensation during damp weather. First, it cools the air to remove the moisture and then heats it back up again without the need for an elec-tric heater. Conventional heating systems in electric-drive vehicles have to use energy twice to do this.

“I’m proud of what my team has achieved,’ says Dr. Klaus Straßer. “With the heat pump in the Q7 e-tron quat-tro, we are presenting a key technology for electric driving and a world first at the same time, because this technology has never existed before in a plug-in hybrid.”

The first Audi with a heat pump was the R8 e-tron – the experience garnered by Audi with the electric high-performance sports car flowed into the new Q7 e-tron quattro project. Its development work was carried out within an interdisciplinary team in which specialists from Simulation, Test Control and Engineering worked closely together.

The core components – the electric air-conditioning compressor, the indirect condenser, the refrigeration circuit valve, the pressure tem-perature sensors and the TME control unit are conceived as a Group module. This means that these parts, which were developed under the leadership of Martin Kronbichler, are suitable for application across multiple brands and models. The software, too, which was created by the team under Thomas Kobs, is an in-house development. The specific expertise acquired here is fully protected.

From left: Dr. Klaus Straßer (Manager), Christian Stippler (Test Engineer), Bert Brandes (Coordination Component Development), Erwin Sander (Engineering Refrigerant Circuit), Michael Schuster (Function Team Leader), Martin Kronbichler (Head of System and Component Development), Andreas Djermester (Control and Application), Frank Meller (Cooling Layout, Simulation).

Not pictured here: Thomas Kobs (Head of Function Development), Thomas Wegele (Test Engineer), Stephen Rost (Development Engineer Air-Conditioning Compressor) and Tim Groke (Engineering Refrigerant Circuit).

The Team

In the shadow of the large Technical Development building complex, techni-

cal building N 16 appears small and unimposing. It serves as one of five refrigeration centers that form the refrigeration network at the Audi plant in Ingolstadt, which extends across the entire northern section of the factory site. Per hour, up to 4,000 cubic meters of cold water flow through the network’s extensively insulated pipe work. It supplies the cooling ceil-ing and ventilation systems in many offices as well as the Paint Shop, its biggest consumer.

We have an appointment in N 16 with Dr. Klaus Straßer, Head of Simulation, Flow Technology and Develop-ment Thermal Management Electrified Vehicles. Straßer and his team developed the heat pump in the Audi Q7 e-tron 3.0 TDI quattro, which arrives at German dealerships at the start of 2016. The new technical components in the plug-in hybrid model and the large-scale refrigeration equipment make use of the same physical principle – mechanical power can be converted into a usable flow of heat via a circuit process in-corporating the phases of compression, heat extraction, ex-pansion and heat absorption.

In refrigeration center N 16, four refrigeration machines generate a combined output of 10 MW, for which its electric-drive compressors require around just 1.8 MW of power. When the network’s water reaches the return line in N 16, it is at a temperature of 12 degrees Celsius; when it flows back into the network after the cooling process, it has been cooled down to 6 degrees. “The principle in the car is similar, albeit somewhat more complex,” says Dr. Straßer. “Our heat pump gathers waste heat from the components in the electric drivetrain and raises it to a higher temperature level. This enables us to generate up to three kilowatts of heating power from one kilowatt of electrical power.”

The multi-source heat pump for the new Audi Q7 e-tron quattro offers a multitude of impressive capabilities. Function Team Leader Michael Schuster explains: “There were two main guidelines during the development process. Firstly, we want to use the heat pump to increase the range under electric power. Secondly, the customer has to enjoy at least the same comfort as in a conventional vehicle.”

Audi achieved both targets. Compared with a con-ventional air-conditioning system with an electric heater, the heat pump saves a significant amount of energy. In everyday use, it extends the electric range by around 15 percent, which is roughly seven kilometers in the Audi Q7 e-tron 3.0 TDI quattro. The customer gains even more range if he pre-con-ditions the interior prior to the start of the journey, while the car is still charging at the outlet.

Dr. Klaus Straßer, Head of Development Thermal Management

Electrified Vehicles

We’re generating up to three kilowatts of heating power

from one kilowatt of electrical power.

1High-voltage PTC

device serves as electric heater

2Heat exchanger

in the air-conditioning device for

interior heating

3Chiller as a heat

exchanger between LT circuit

and heat pump

4Valve block

5Heat pump’s indirect

condenser

6Electric-drive

scroll compressor

7Condenser

in front of the main water cooler

Heating and Drying

7

5

6

21

3

4

The three most important operating states for the heat pump are heat mode, cool mode and reheat mode for dehumidifying the air.

Heat mode: To heat the interior, the electric air-conditioning compressor compresses gaseous refrigerant, substantially raising its temperature. The indirect condenser, a compact plate heat exchanger, transfers the heat from the hot gas to the interior heating circuit, causing the gas to cool down and condense.

The now liquid refrigerant is expanded via an electric expansion valve, before evapo-rating in the chiller, which is another plate heat exchanger. In the process, the chiller draws heat from the low-temperature cir-cuit of the electric drivetrain, lowering its temperature by around three to five degrees Celsius. Via this process, the heat pump makes the waste heat from the electric drivetrain usable for heating the interior.

Reheat mode: The air is initially cooled and thereby dehumidified, before then being heated up again. The heat absorbed by the refrigerant when the air is cooled is then made available for the interior by the indi-rect condenser. If required, the system can also access the waste heat from the electric drivetrain via the chiller.

Cool mode: Unlike in heat mode, the hot, gaseous refrigerant is not liquefied in the indirect heat exchanger, but instead in the large condenser at the front of the vehicle. It is expanded and evaporated in the air-conditioning system’s evaporator, thus cooling the interior.

As an integral part of the thermal manage-ment in the Audi Q7 e-tron quattro, the heat pump is connected to three refrigerant cir-cuits in which temperatures can vary from -30 to +110 degrees Celsius. The high-tem-perature circuit supplies the 3.0 TDI, its an-cillaries and the automatic transmission. The low-temperature circuit cools the elec-tric motor and its power electronics. An-other circuit cools the battery and the charging device and can be coupled to the air-conditioning system and the electric mo-tor’s LT circuit.

The system uses a wide variety of sensors, valves and pumps to link the circuits with one another in the best manner possible for comfort, vehicle performance and effi-ciency. The TME control unit communicates with other control units (see image) to se-lect the best from more than 200 possible switching states in accordance with require-ments.

1Control unit

thermal management

2Control unit battery

3Control unit

power electronics

4Control unit

air-conditioning con-trols

5Engine control unit

6Electric motor

7Power electronics

8High-voltage battery

9Charging device

Extensively networked –

Important control units interact

with the heat pump.

The cooling system –The main

elements of the electric drivetrain.

Heat mode

Reheat mode

200 Switching States

Scan the QR code and see the video on the Q7 e-tron 3.0 TDI quattro.


PassionPassion is the key driver at Audi.

Passion means love, sometimes lust and always complete

dedication.

——

toMorroW’s aUtonoMoUs tHinkErs

Students develop software for piloted driving.

120

Mission to tHE MoonAudi heads for space

with the Part-Time Scientists.

144

iMPrint

148

HiGHlY cHarGEdThe record breaker

Audi RS 5 TDI competition concept.

132

EasY GlidErRelaxed cruiser from Italy – the new

Ducati Scrambler.

136

doUBlE qUick ttiMEThe Audi TT clubsport turbo concept

with e-turbo.

128


TOmOrrOw’S AuTONOmOuS

ThiNkErSUp-and-coming talent

The brand with the four rings has launched a model version of piloted driving in the form of the Audi Autonomous Driving Cup, which offers the

creative minds of the future the opportunity to undertake some hands-on development work. This is getting-to-know-you on the highest level.

TextWinfried Stürzl

PhotosBernhard Huber aUdi

aUtonoMoUs driVinG cUP

1 Thrilling to the end – As the final gets underway, the university teams from Karlsruhe and Munich (from left), pictured here with their Q5 models, lie in first and second place respectively.

1 ↑

1 → Intersection

Give way to the right On the obligatory course, the tasks include identification of oncoming and crossing traffic. To make them more easily readable for the cameras, the traffic signs are also available as bitmaps.


It is now the second day of the Audi Auto-nomous Driving Cup – a competition that Audi is run-ning for the first time this year. Ten teams of students from universities and colleges across Germany are com-peting against one another. And although the vast quan-tities of technology, the pit garages and the tense faces of the participants are evocative of motor racing, this is not about who is the first to cross the finish line (even though speed can bring bonus points). This is more about model cars driving autonomously around a course with as few errors as possible – on the basis of self-devel-oped solutions.

“We put the software developed by the young experts on test on our competition course,” explains Dr. Patrick Heinemann, from Advance Devel-opment Driver Assistance Systems at Audi and one of the four competition organizers. “Oncoming and cross-ing traffic, tricky parking situations and obstacles sud-denly appearing from nowhere are designed to demon-strate their programming skills.” The teams completed the obligatory program the previous day, collecting important points in the process. As 50 percent of the overall score, this is the most critical part en route to the final, in which the best three teams compete against one another. The scientific presentations, in which the students presented their respective ap-proaches and solutions, are now likewise behind the participants. What we are seeing on this Friday morning has been entitled “Open Challenge” by the organizers.

In this part of the competition, each team is free to present its own ideas without any predefined requirements. “Because this is also about us finding the most intelligent and creative minds in software devel-opment from among the universities,” adds Patrick Heinemann. The spectrum of contributions ranges from parking without a camera (Team A2O, Offenburg), through identification of unsigned intersections (Team CN:ARR, Kassel) to controlling the vehicle using the eye’s muscle contractions (Team FRUIT, Freiburg).

The stars on this particular morning, how-ever, are the members of Team leTHlt drive from Ingol-stadt. Triggered by a symbolic kicking action, the Q5 model rolls forward, slipping into a controlled drift that sends the ball in front of it into the goal then – with all lights flashing in celebration – skids in four arcs around the artificial asphalt. The jury and onlookers are de-lighted! “To turn it into a soccer game, incorporate a drift and then finish off with a celebration dance that paints the four Audi rings on the ground was obviously an absolute bull’s eye,” comments Dr. Lars Mesow from the organizational team. Dr. Heinemann continues: “That’s simply outstanding. It’s exactly for this kind of thing that we created this competition.”

Preparations for the Audi Autonomous Driv-ing Cup began a good five years ago, when it became apparent that highly automated driving would become an increasingly important topic at Audi. “We realized back then that we had to find people who come from robotics – who have a practical background,” recalls Patrick Heinemann. “You see, this is an incredibly broad field of expertise, in which you really need the prover-bial ‘jack-of-all-trades’ – the engineers who can do con-trol technology, mechatronics and software, who know how environmental perception works and who know the hardware. And these people are very, very thin on the ground.”

2 Deep in concen tration – Team KAtana from the Karlsruhe Research Center for Infor mation Tech nol ogy (FZI) closely exam ines the software one more time in the pits.

3 Highly demanding – On the 300 square- meter course in the museum mobile in Ingolstadt, ten uni ver sity and college teams from across Germany compete against one another with their self- developed software.

4 Kick, drift, goal! Celebration following the successful car-soccer performance. It puts the team from Technische Hochschule Ingolstadt in first place of the Open Challenge – and wins them a lot of support among the spectators.

We put the software developed by the young experts on test on our competition course. Oncoming and crossing traffic, tricky

parking situations and obstacles suddenly appearing from nowhere are designed to demonstrate their programming skills.

Dr. Patrick HeinemannAdvance Development Driver Assistance Systems

One of our evaluation criteria is the coolness factor. The team from Ingolstadt impressed me. Turning the Open Challenge into a soccer game, incorporating a drift and then finishing off with a celebration dance that paints the four Audi rings on the ground was obviously an absolute bull’s eye!

Dr. Lars MesowDevelopment Piloted Driving

coolnEss Factor

coUrsE

2 → Skidding danger

Caution! Snow!Construction site, slippery road, oncoming light – in the final, the piloted cars were set some spe - cific challenges from everyday traffic. Rice was used to simu late snow.

↑ 2

4 ↑

↑ 3

The atmosphere is highly charged in the rotunda of the museum

mobile in Ingolstadt on this Friday morning. Guests and participants are enthralled as they watch events unfold – a blue Audi Q5 in 1:8 scale moves slowly through a street plan laid out on the floor, accompanied by jurors dressed in black, closely monitoring every single action. Suddenly, there’s a loud bang, a plastic cube falls down and blocks the lane. A tense silence fills the air. But the Q5 brakes and comes to a halt. Then the car activates the indicator and drives around the obstacle in a smooth arc to the left – exactly as it should and completely auto-matically, without any human input.

The obstacle recognition on this pass was successful – and on the remainder of the run, too. “This isn’t a problem for our vehicle, because it knows where it wants to go and where the obstacles are,” says Raphael Frisch from Team KAtana from Karlsruhe, ex-plaining the principle. “This means it has a planned trajectory. And when something is in its way, it comes to a halt as soon as the sensors register it.” This planned route is clearly visible in the form of a dotted line dis-played on the large monitors, which are connected to the team’s computer. “You could say, we’re building a model of the world as a whole,” adds team colleague, Nilan Marktanner, “and can therefore take decisions on a larger scale than ‘now follow a left angle of 30 degrees’. We can say ‘we’re now at an intersection and want to take a left’.”


5 Technology showcase – The model cars devel - oped specifically for the competition are equipped with technology such as a camera and various dif-ferent ultrasound and infrared sensors, similar to those used by Audi in its production cars.

6 The Untouchables – Dr. Lars Mesow (third from left) talking to the university team from Ingolstadt. Together with Dr. Patrick Heine-mann and Alexander Hanl (main photo), he watches the compe-tition closely as a juror.

This is particularly so when it comes to stu-dents, because colleges and universities often don’t provide the opportunity to gather practical experience under real-life conditions. The purchase of a test vehicle for research purposes is usually not financially feasible. And so the idea was born to develop a small platform that functioned in a similar manner to full-size vehicles – with the aim of making them available to students in a competition. “The Audi Autonomous Driving Cup is a good opportunity for us to get to know highly promis-ing up-and-coming individuals, who are interested in working with us to shape the innovations of tomorrow,” states Audi board member for human resources, Prof. Thomas Sigi, with conviction.

“We really got things going about two years ago, when we built the first prototypes of the model. After a few months, we had the version that you see here today,” explains Dr. Lars Mesow, responsible for the development of piloted driving at Audi. Alongside a high-performance camera, it is also equipped with a large number of sensors, including various infrared and ultrasound sensors – similar to the equipment used by Audi in its production cars. And the software develop-ment environment also has a direct connection to reality – it’s the same one used to test drive assistance systems.

↑ 5

↓ 6

3 → Right of way

Is it free to go?Crossroads and intersections, even those at which the piloted models have right of way, have to be identi-fied in the obligatory program – as do possible obstacles that might restrict free progress.


The competition was then issued to the uni-versities mid 2014 – with particular emphasis on stu-dents of informatics, electrotechnology and mechanical engineering. Ten teams qualified for the competition from around 20 applicants. A short time later, they took delivery of the vehicles – two for each team. Things could now get started for real. “The kick-off meeting took place at the end of September,” recalls Florian Janßen from Team MomenTUM. “And we’ve been working on it ever since. We drove back to Munich that evening and started on it right away the next morning – full steam ahead …” They had six months to develop a software architecture for autonomous driving – six months of non-stop work.

But what are the participants in the compe-tition taking home with them from this? For Paul Berg-mann from the Munich team, it is definitely the practical element: “I personally found it super that we had this car. In a lecture, it’s often the case that we are presented with the theory, but can’t really gauge whether it works in practice. I found it really interesting to see how all the algorithms also actually run on a platform.” Zahra Boroujeni from the Free University of Berlin takes a similar line: “When you work alone in the lab, you can run the algorithms several times one after the other.

8 Reduction – Zahra Boroujeni from the team repre-senting the Free University of Berlin sees the Audi Autono - mous Driving Cup as a chance to devel op simple solutions that also work under real-life conditions.

7 Rolling computer – The teams developed their individual software directly on the vehicle’s powerful computer.

9 Prize giving – Dr. Peter Steiner, CEO of Audi Electronics Venture GmbH, and Prof. Thomas Sigi, AUDI AG manage -ment board member for human resources (from left), congratulate the par-ticipants and winners.

10 That winning feeling – Joy from the team representing the Department of Robot ics and Embedded Systems at TU Munich on winning the final.

4 → Parking

Piloted into the parking spaceThe models obviously should also master those skills that are already in production in the full-size cars. Automated parking presents major challenges for the precise inter action of software and sensors.

7 →

8 →

10 ↑

9 ↓

When there’s an error, you simply start over. But you don’t have that option in competitions. You have to restrict yourself to simple models in order to be able to intervene.”

In the meantime, the jury has tallied up the points. The uncontested winner of the “freestyle” event is the Ingolstadt team. But in the overall score, it’s not quite enough to reach the final, which is between Karls-ruhe, Munich and Freiburg. “Now we’re back on a level playing field anyway,” says Florian Hisch from the Bavar-ian capital, “because we’re set unknown driving tasks that none of the teams could have anticipated before-hand.” So things get exciting again – all the more so because, in the end, the competition and the final each make up half of the total and the three teams are very close in points.

What follows now is an obligatory course made tougher by chicanes – a construction site, snow, oncoming light, all simulating difficulties familiar from everyday driving. The three teams give it their all, but in the end it’s the Munich team that comes out on top. Why? “We have a really complicated approach, but tried to stay as modular as possible,” says Florian Janßen, attempting to explain the positive outcome. “By that I mean, we tried something out then swapped out indi-vidual parts without having to rework the whole pro-gram.” Perhaps that was an approach that ultimately gave them the advantage.

There’s jubilation among the winners and a more restrained mood further down the field. But the closing words by Prof. Sigi bring a smile back to the faces of all the participants. “I believe every one of you is a winner. It was a valuable experience, indeed a life experience. And I personally hope, of course, that you all apply to work at Audi, because we need young peo-ple who are as creative as you!”

For the competition organizers, the task now is to process all of it. “We will make the complete software and the vehicle hardware available afterward as open source,” says Dr. Patrick Heinemann, speaking about the next steps. “To publish, to disclose all the results, is simply the norm in science and research and we would like to stand by that.” The decision has already been taken to continue the competition.

“After the good results this year, we will hold the Audi Auto no mous Driving Cup in 2016, too,” says Prof. Dr. Ulrich Hackenberg, Member of the Board of Management of AUDI AG responsible for Technical Development. The next competition will then be able to build on the existing knowledge base. “Give the whole thing another two or three years,” says Dr. Heinemann looking forward, “then we might be able to talk about solutions that are very close to ones we can use in our actual vehicles. In any event, I’m definitely very excited about what’s still to come!”

In a lecture, it’s often the case that we are presented with the theory, but can’t really gauge whether

it works in practice. I found it really interesting to see how all the algorithms also actually run on a platform.

Paul Bergmann Team MomenTUM, Munich

The creative solutions presented by the students have impressed the jury. After the good results this year, we will hold the Audi Autonomous Driving Cup in 2016, too.

Prof. Dr. Ulrich Hackenberg Member of the Board of Management of AUDI AG responsible for Technical Development

PracticE BasEd

FUtUrE


Audi TT clubsport turbo concept 2.5l inline five-cylinder TFSIElectric-drive compressor (EAV) for sporty responsivenessExhaust turbocharger for maximum charge pressure Intercooler48-volt module for powering the EAV Modified quattro drive Sports exhaust system as "sidepipe" Sports rear spoiler

Compact muscle car –The Audi TT clubsport turbo combines hi-tech with the finest sporting virtues. Power-to-weight ratio: 2.3 kg/hp.

12

345678

Pulse AcceleratorFans watch out. The heart beating in this show car is the wonderful five-cylinder. What makes it extra special is the small electric motor that provides a performance boost like an adrenalin surge. Add to that all manner of lightweight design detailing, manual shifting and the fundamental focus on what truly matters.

TextOliver Strohbach

PhotosRossen Gargolov

AuDI TT CLuBSpORT TuRBO CONCEpT

DOuBLEQuICk TTIMEDOuBLEQuICk TTIME

1 3

2

4

5

7

8

6


4Power plant –

The 2.5-liter five-cylin-der generates

600 hp and a maximum 650 Nm of torque. Between 3,000 and

7,000 rpm, there is more than 600 Nm

on tap. That adds up to a specific output

of 240 hp!

5Only the best –

The cage is made entirely from

high-strength titanium and the dash-

board from a high-end display, the

Audi virtual cockpit.

6Additional storage –

In the rear is the energy source for the

electric-drive compressor: a 48-volt

lithium-ion battery connected

to the 12-volt network via a DC/DC

transformer.

1First outing –

14 centimeters wider and the rear spoiler from the TT Cup race car – the TT show car

displays the genetics of the successful Audi

IMSA GTO.

2The purest of the

pure – Manual gearshift and

the fascination of minimalism, plus a storm of sound from the sidepipe on the

driver’s side. The purest experiences are

sometimes the most beautiful.

3Control center –

The Audi R8 says hello. Grippy sports

steering wheel with the most important

functions within easy reach.

The core is a completely normal Audi TT. You can see it in its

flanks, in the roofline, in the lights. But this new sports fan has obviously spent some time down the gym re-cently, doing some major bodybuilding – biceps, tri-ceps, lats – wow! Body fat? Not a chance. Body mass index: 2.3. And by that I mean kilograms per hp.

When Audi came to the 2015 Wörthersee Treffen with the TT clubsport turbo concept, it brought a show car with top fighting talents. It is a vision that forces its way into the consciousness like the drums in The Pretender by the Foo Fighters. It’s unmistakable, clear, sharp and hard. Surgical precision has been ap-plied here. Skillful hands formed side panels and fend-ers from sheet aluminum, while parts like the fuel cap came from the latest production tooling – a 3D printer. This is where traditional craftsmanship meets state-of-the-art technology.

The design inspiration was the Audi IMSA GTO – the legendary race car that ran rings around the competition on US race tracks in the late 1980s. They are united by uncompromising lightweight design and a “muscle look” with massively flared wheel arches for a wide track and ferocious stance. They are united by turbocharged, five-cylinder power. The sound? There’s a fierce storm brewing in the sidepipe, as if cooked up by Thor himself. The five-cylinder hisses briefly to life under cold start conditions, before transitioning to an

angry growl. Opening the throttle is greeted by a volley of intensionally orchestrated misfiring thunderclaps and the chirruping of the blow-off valve as it releases excess charge pressure, sending out a warning – this is a wild ride!

When it comes to turbo technology, this racer is finely equipped. The five-cylinder uses an elec-tric-drive compressor (EAV) and an exhaust gas turbo-charger – a principle that will soon be entering series production at Audi. The result is impressive: The EAV functions like a small, fast-reacting, seven-kilowatt electric turbine. It is powered by its own 48-volt elec-tricity supply to ensure that the necessary electrical energy is available at all times. The EAV spins up to its top speed of 72,000 rpm in around just 200 millisec-onds, enabling it to push a lot of air into the combustion chambers very quickly. More air equals more fuel equals more power – if you need boost, it’s there right away.

The smaller EAV handles response charac-teristics from the start up to around 3,000 revs, before handing over smoothly to the larger exhaust gas turbo-charger, which is then able to concentrate its maximum charge pressure of 2.3 bar on the high engine power.

The result is that the TT clubsport turbo generates torque of 300 Nm and up to 600 hp from as low as 2,000 rpm. This phenomenal power is controlled via a sports clutch and six-speed manual transmission. The tooth surfaces of the differential in the quattro drivetrain have been especially hardened. Thanks to these ingredients, this 1,396 kilogram TT shoots past the 100 km/h mark in just 3.6 seconds. The whole pack-age feels superb and extremely refined. On its first of-ficial outing one evening in Frankfurt, we took it rather gently with the clubsport turbo. It was, however, built for the handling course, which is where it will soon have a chance to let loose. So does this show car provide a preview of a TT RS? It sure does.

The e-turbo makes this TT clubsport turbo a true sprint hero. In the low rev range, it raises the torque by up to 130 Nm, giving the sports car a lead of one-and-a-half car lengths in the first two-and-a-half se-conds from a standing start.

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Scan the QR code and seethe video on the Audi TT clubsport turbo concept.


Audi RS 5 TDI competition concept Drivetrain

Low-pressure exhaust gas turbochargerHigh-pressure exhaust gas turbochargerEight-speed tiptronicIntercoolerElectric-drive compressor (EAV) with an output of up to 7 kWBypass valveSports differentialExhaust system with active sound

Record hunter –The Audi RS 5 TDI competition concept comes with everything needed to crack a race track: power (435 hp), torque (800 Nm) and, thanks to the electric-drive compressor, an amazing sprint performance.

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TextOliver Strohbach

PhotosManuel Hollenbach

Faster than the FastestAudi race driver Nicki Thiim scorches around the Sachsenring with a close-to-production sports car. He’s aiming to score a best time at Auto Bild Sportscars Record Day.

AuDI RS 5 TDI COMpETITION CONCEpT

CHARGED HIGHLY

CHARGED HIGHLY

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For gamblers, it’s the jackpot; for ice hockey players, the sud-

den death, and for race drivers, it’s that spine-tingling moment when the clock shows you – bam, you did it. Best time. New record.

It is for moments like this that Audi built the RS 5 TDI competition concept. It is for moments like this that Nicki Thiim became a racing driver.

The story begins summer 2014. To cele-brate the 25th anniversary of the TDI, Audi presented a new technology showcase to international journalists. The RS 5 TDI concept featured a 3.0-liter V6 TDI. The biturbo engine worked together with an electric-drive compressor. This three-stage charging delivered mas-sive pulling power, a stunning torque curve with up to 750 Nm and an output of up to 385 hp. The message was: When an e-compressor handles engine response from idle, the turbochargers can be setup to concen-trate on higher maximum power. A similar principle also applies to the Audi TT clubsport turbo (page 128) and will shortly enter production at Audi.

Following the first showing, the next step was to demonstrate the potential of the car and the technology on the race track. A test was carried out by German motoring publication sport auto. The profes-sional test drivers drove the technology showcase hard around the grand prix track at the Hockenheimring. The result – a best time. In the unbroken history of sport auto spanning back to 1969, no other diesel has ever been as fast as the RS 5 TDI concept.

Then came the idea from Auto Bild Sportscars. They would host a Record Day, bringing together tuners and manufacturers to have a go at existing best times on the publication’s home track, the Sachsenring. For cars with diesel engines, the time to beat was 1:37.22 minutes. The record holder was a BMW Z4 from AC Schnitzer with a 430 hp diesel engine. Game on.

For this particular challenge, the technol-ogy showcase was allowed to spend some time in fit-ness training, resulting in the Audi RS 5 TDI competi-tion concept. CFRP hood, aluminum doors, titanium exhaust system, CFRP bucket seats, lightweight design concept in place of the rear bench, thin glass and plastic windows – all of these measures led to a weight reduc-tion of 241 kilograms. On top of that, the V6 TDI was pumped up to 435 hp and 800 Nm. At the lower end of the rev range, when accelerating out of corners for in-stance, which is when the exhaust flow doesn’t have enough power for the two big turbos, a small, electric-drive compressor generates charge pressure and thus the decisive propulsion.

Once the revs have increased, the two ex-haust gas turbochargers step in smoothly one after the other. The e-compressor draws the necessary electrical energy from a dedicated 48-volt electrical system fed by a lightweight gel battery.

Audi race driver Nicki Thiim, son of touring car legend Kurt Thiim, was exactly the right man for the job. The likable 26 year-old Dane was fast from the get-go. There’s a reason his helmet bears his personal motto “Go hard or go home” – and he proved that one more time on the Sachsenring. A quick test lap, adjust the air pressure in the Michelin tires and it’s time to go. Out lap and bam! There it is – 1:35.35, a new record. We get a big smile, a thumbs up and a “that was fun” from Nicki. Mission accomplished.

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Audi V6 TDI biturbo with electric-drive compressor Charge air line with no assistance from the electric-drive compressorCharge air line with assistance from the electric-drive compressor

1Gripping –

The lightweight design concept also includes

ultra-lightweight CFRP racing bucket

seats. Weight saving: 28 kg.

2Racing solution –

Instead of a rear bench, there’s a piece

of CFRP lining with shelves and a net.

3Attacking instinct –

Nicki Thiim usually drives an

Audi R8 LMS, and is usually in the

lead.

4Last Check –

All systems are checked before heading for

an out lap on the Sach-senring. The light

flicks straight to green.

5An exquisite sports TDI –

The 3.0 V6 TDI is one of the most popular

engines among Audi customers. Thanks to triple charging,

it reaches 435 hp and 800 Nm here.

6Grip, grip, hurray –

265 sports tires on 19-inch wheels with

ceramic brakes. Anything else?

7Sachsenring –

A venue for GT race cars and MotoGP bikes.

Those seeking speed need power, a

balanced setup and skill.

Audi RS 5 TDIcompetition conceptElectrical system architecture 12-volt generator12-volt electrical system12-volt battery48-volt supplyDC/DC transformer48-volt electrical systemElectric-drive compressor

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The Audi RS 5 TDI competition concept shows the sportiest side of TDI technology. There will soon be a production Audi TDI with an e-compressor. Which one? Stay tuned.

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The essence of purismThe Ducati Scrambler is more than a motorcycle. It stands for a whole lifestyle attitude and for decelerated, relaxed cruising without performance pressure. It is a pure “post-heritage” bike that will appeal equally to those getting back on the saddle and to young trend-setters.

EasY GlidErReturn of freedom – The Ducati Scrambler offers simple, proven technology at a reasonable price.

TextArmin Götz

PhotosAlex Herold


4To each their own – The four base versions can be customized with many different accessories.

5Passionate biker – Ducati CEO Claudio Domenicali has been working for the iconic company for 24 years now.

1Fanta 4 – Ducati Scrambler fans can choose from four different base versions.

2Beautiful behind – Icon with short tail (left) and Classic with long tail (right).

3Born free – Motto for Ducati Scrambler fans on the fuel tank cover.

Buyers can choose from four basic bike variantsThe Ducati Scrambler is light and nimble, and it can be operated almost playfully.

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Contemporary post-heritage bikeThe contemporary Ducati Scrambler combines the name and some of the design elements of the historic single-cylinder Ducati Scrambler of 1968. However, its technology is highly contemporary.

Until now, Ducati has been a purely sport-performance brand offering high-quality, high-tech bikes, some of which are very challenging to drive.Claudio DomenicaliDucati CEO

“Up until now, Ducati has been a pure sport-performance brand offering high-quality, hi-tech bikes, some of which are very chal-

lenging to drive,” says Ducati CEO Claudio Domenicali. That is, until the Ducati Scrambler was launched on the market early this year and forged a new, second image of Ducati. “With the Ducati Scrambler, we wanted to intentionally provide a counterbalance – with an easy-to-use product that is easy to operate, pleasant to drive and relatively simple technically,” explains Domenicali. “Ducati Scrambler is a new brand for Ducati and the land of joy is its environment,” says the Italian.

Developers intentionally avoided pursuing a high top speed and maximum acceleration. The Ducati Scrambler wants to revive a 1970s feeling of freedom. At just 186 kg with a full fuel tank, it has a low center of gravity and a low seat, and it is light and easy to handle.

“The bike embodies the spirit of those times: relaxed riding and the coming together of like-minded bikers who simply want to have a good time. We wanted to trans-fer this Woodstock feeling to contemporary times,” says the mechanical engineer, who has worked for the brand for 24 years.

Unlike the previous, very performance-oriented Ducati bikes, the Ducati Scrambler model series will appeal to a more design-oriented and fashion-conscious tar-get group. “In the big cities of Europe, there has been a strong trend in interior design for several years now. In their homes, residents of Berlin or Milan like to mix furniture from past eras with contemporary pieces. This is precisely the trend that we are taking up in our new brand,” says Domenicali.

In keeping with this DNA, the base color of the Ducati Scrambler model series is a ̕ 62 yellow. Traditionally, the bikes from Bologna come in an eye-catching and more aggressive red – so a clear distinction is being made based on the color.


9Comfortable chair –Seat in classic look on the Icon.

10Refined desmo twin – Even more refined engine response for the Ducati Scrambler.

11Modern meets classic – Single-sided alloy swing arm.

6Stylish lights – LED daytime running lights in classic housing.

7Principle of simplicity – Digital dial with key information.

8Characteristic sound – Termignoni exhaust pipe available as an optional extra.

Proven and cultivatedThe air-cooled two-valve per cylinder engine is not a highly-powered unit, but it is more than adequate for the lightweight Ducati Scrambler.

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Permanent grin includedThe virtues of the Ducati Scrambler are not a high top speed or maximum acceleration. Instead, the bike offers relaxed touring thanks to its comfortably high handlebars and low weight.

The developers of the new motorcycle also followed puristic principles in de-veloping its drive system. The air-cooled 803 cm³ desmo twin, which is familiar from the Monster 796, was further refined for the Ducati Scrambler. That is because brute, raw power delivery does not fit in with a relaxed driving style. The optimization eliminated one throttle valve, which cost a few horsepower, but resulted in a wonderfully smooth power curve. The two-valve per cylinder engine shows a willingness to accelerate at low revs, and it then runs through the speed range in an unagitated way and with typical Ducati tailpipe sound, which in this case is not overly brash. The peak power of the motorcycle is 75 hp, which is more than adequate – even for a lot of fun on winding country roads.

Although the motorcycle’s design is based on a historic product – the single-cylinder Ducati Scrambler that was very successful in its time and was built from 1968 until the mid-1970s – the modern variant is by no means a retro bike. Domenicali explains the design philosophy: “We borrowed stylistic elements from the old motorcycle, but mixed contemporary elements such as an LED daytime running light, a short exhaust pipe and contemporary swinging fork into the overall design.” On this motorcycle, it is hard to find any electronic gimmicks except for the indispensable Bosch ABS system.

The concept also includes numerous customization options. The Ducati Scrambler is available in four different versions: the Icon, Classic, Full Throttle and Urban Enduro. They can be configured to personal tastes with an extensive program of customiza-tion options. “Each customer can, so to speak, scramble his or her own machine,” explains Domenicali. It is a type of modular component system. Customers choose the parts that they like and create a custom bike from them. Examples include the many different fuel tank side panels available – such as aluminum, carbon or even a really hip look, various fenders and handlebars, and the Termignoni exhaust pipe, which is also available in a high-mount enduro-like version. There is also a full line of apparel designed for the Ducati Scrambler series – from the jet helmet and matching goggles to leather jackets, t-shirts and jeans to the trendy Blundstone boots – which the brand is marketing under contract with the luxury brand from Australia.


We have ramped up our production and are now well above planning figures.

16Full Throttle in yellow-black – For riders enthralled by the flat-track racing world.

17Perfect all-rounder –Be it in the city, on the open road or across a field, the Ducati Scrambler is fun every-where.

Claudio DomenicaliDucati CEO

12Protection –Guard screen and high-mounted fender on the Urban Enduro.

13Design – Tank graphics of the Urban Enduro.

14Color – Short tail, brown seat and white strut.

15Sound – The Ducati Scrambler also has the typical Ducati desmodromic sound.

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A bike for ladies and gentlemenWomen love the Ducati Scrambler too – because it looks good and is easy to drive. The Ducati Scrambler Shop offers matching apparel and accessories: gloves, helmets and boots that range up to the stylish Blundstone boots.

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Driving pleasure both on and off the roadEven drifts on loose surfaces are no problem on the Ducati Scrambler. It is very manageable at all times.

Currently, the Ducati Scrambler is the least expensive Ducati. In Germany, the Icon can be purchased for 8,390 euros with cast alloy wheels and plastic fenders. For 1,400 euros more, there is the Classic with spoke wheels, metal fenders and a stitched vintage seat. Offered at the same price are the Full Throttle with cast wheels and Termignoni sport exhaust pipe and the Urban Enduro with a high-mount front fender, off-road crossbar and headlight protection grille.

For European markets, the bike is built at the main plant in Bologna. For Asia and America, on the other hand, the bikes are built at a factory in Rayon, Thailand, which began production in November 2014. The bike has been at dealers since January in Europe, since February in the USA and since just a few weeks ago in Asia. The original plan was to build around 10,000 Ducati Scramblers per year, but the bike’s success quickly changed things for the Ducatisti in Bologna. “We have ramped up our production and are now well above planning figures,” says the Ducati CEO with pleasure.

And the journey is far from over: Ducati wants to grow the Ducati Scrambler brand into an extended model series, including additional engine versions. But Domenicali is not revealing details on this yet. We can look forward with eager anticipation to the Ducati Scrambler bikes that the Italian motorcycle crafter will conjure up for the streets in coming years.

Technical data: Ducati Scrambler Icon

Engine type Air-cooled two-cylinder in L-form 2 valves per cylinder, desmodromic control

Displacement 803 cm³

Bore/stroke 88 × 66 mm

Compression ratio 11:1

Power output 55 kW (75 hp) at 8,250 rpm

Torque 68 Nm (6.9 kgm) at 5,750 rpm

Gasoline injection Electronically controlled fuel injection, 50 mm throttle valves

Exhaust system Stainless steel exhaust system Aluminum covers for muffler, catalytic converter and 2 oxygen sensors

Standard Euro 3

Price from 8,390 euros (price in Germany)

More information:http://scramblerducati.com/en



PhotosAUDI AG

Audi lunar quattro Competition: The Google Lunar XPRIZE. Destination: The moon.

Timeframe: By December 31, 2017. Vehicle: The Audi lunar quattro. Audi heads for space.


Competition and the battle for su-premacy are firmly fixed in the Audi

brand DNA. Be it on the race track or in Vorsprung durch Technik for production models, the company consist-ently sets itself the standard of being at the front of the pack. Now, Audi is taking on a new challenge and heading into space in support of the Part-Time Scientists team. The group of engineers from Berlin is working toward the Google Lunar XPRIZE to bring an unmanned expedition vehicle onto the earth’s satellite. The vehicle in question is the Audi lunar quattro.

The Google Lunar XPRIZE, worth more than 30 million US dollars, is a space travel competition aimed at the engineers and entrepreneurs of the world. To win, a team 90-percent financed through private sources, has to land an automated vehicle on the moon. Once there, this rover must cover at least half a kilometer and transfer high-resolution images and videos back to earth.

By the end of 2017 at the latest, the landing vehicle must lift off into space on-board a transport rocket and cover the more than 380,000 kilometers to the moon. This journey will take five days and – accord-ing to calculations by the Part-Time Scientists – will cost around 24 million euros. The landing zone is north of the moon’s equator, close to the landing spot of the last manned NASA moon mission, Apollo 17 from 1972. In this region, there are temperature variations of up to 300 degrees Celsius. When the sun shines here, the lack of atmosphere means it can soar to as much as 120 degrees.

The Google Lunar XPRIZE began with more than 34 teams. Now, in the final round, there are still 16 groups from ten countries in the race. The Part-Time Scientists, based in Berlin, with whom Audi is working, are the only German participants. In the competition so far, their rover prototype has already been awarded two so-called Milestone Prizes. These prizes, worth a total of 750,000 dollars, were given by the jury in rec-ognition of the development of the rover and its optical systems. The Berlin researchers have continued to re-fine their lunar vehicle, with extensive “test drives” tak-ing place in locations such as the Austrian Alps and on Tenerife.

The rover is built largely from high-strength aluminum and weighs 35 kilograms. In its further de-velopment into the Audi lunar quattro, this weight should drop further through design changes and the use of magnesium, although the vehicle is likely to get somewhat larger in the process. An articulated solar panel captures sunlight and the resulting electricity is sent to a lithium-ion battery, which feeds four wheel-hub motors. All four wheels can turn through 360 de-grees. The top speed is 3.6 km/h. Far more important on the moon’s surface, however, are robust off-road qualities and sound orientation capabilities. A movable head at the front of the vehicle carries two stereo cam-eras for capturing detailed 3D images. A third camera is for investigating materials and generates extremely high-resolution panoramas.

The working group with which Audi is sup-porting the Part-Time Scientists currently consists of ten employees from different specialist departments led by Michael Schöffmann, Head of Transmission Devel-op ment. Alongside lightweight design expertise, they contribute a wide range of other skills and know-how. This applies above all to the permanent quattro all-wheel drive and the e-tron electric drive – whereby the objective is a further increase in performance through more improvements to the electric motors, power elec-tronics and battery.

The brand with the four rings is also provid-ing wide-ranging support in testing, proving and assur-ing quality. Specialists from Quality Assurance will use their hi-tech tools and processes to examine the com-ponents of the future Audi lunar quattro for wear and tear. The motors and electronic elements must with-stand stress tests in climate chambers. In parallel, Audi Concept Design Munich is also revising the form of the rover.

The Part-Time Scientists team was brought together at the end of 2008 on the initiative of Robert Böhme, who works in Berlin as an IT consultant. The majority of the more than 70 current team members – its core numbers 20 to 35 – come from Germany and Austria. The group is strengthened by experts from three continents, including former leading NASA em-ployee Jack Crenshaw from Florida. Besides Audi, they are supported by several research institutions and hi-tech companies such as NVIDIA, the Technical University of Berlin, the Austrian Space Forum (OeWF) and the German Aerospace Center (DLR).

1The founder –

Robert Böhme, IT consultant and the

brain behind the Part-Time Scientists.

2 The electronics

specialist – Karsten Becker

coordinates inwardly and outwardly.

3 The engineer –

Jürgen Brandner, specializes in

the rover’s mechani-cals.

4The designer –

Jorge Diez heads up the visual

reworking of the Audi lunar quattro.

5Top speed 3.6 km/h –

The Audi lunar quattro, the moon rover.

6 Battery under a

solar panel – The vehicle supplies itself with energy.

MISSIONTO THE

MOON

Robert Böhme Founder of Part-Time Scientists

A lot of people these days are deeply involved in

optimization loops. We lack visionaries. It’s therefore good to have

something bigger than yourself to help you grow.

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Jorge Diez Head of Automotive at Audi Concept Design Munich

The design of the Audi lunar quattro must show the

technology and the component parts of the vehicle, while

at the same time conveying the identity of our brand.

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Scan the QR code and seethe video on the “Mission to the Moon” project.


Imprint

AUDI AG85045 Ingolstadt

Responsible for Content:Toni Melfi,Head of Communication,I/GP

Editor-in-Chief:Armin Götz

Concept and Realization:reilmediaHermann Reil

Graphic Concept and Layout:stapelberg&fritzDavide DuranteDaniel FritzHelen HauertRoman HeinrichMaik StapelbergBarbara Stehle

Copy Editing:Johannes Köbler Winfried Stürzl

Translation from German:Elaine Catton

Authors:Paul-Janosch ErsingJulian FritschArmin GötzMichael HarnischfegerDorothea JoosJohannes KöblerMarlon MatthäusHermann ReilOliver StrohbachWinfried StürzlVerena Väth

Photography Management:Bernd EberleRoland Lustig

Photography:Graeme FordhamRossen GargolovAlex HeroldBernhard HuberManfred JarischUlrike Myrzik

Illustrations:Steven PopeBernd Schifferdecker

Post Production:Wagnerchic – Digital Artwork

Printing:Druck Pruskil

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