Audi A3 TDI Clubsport Quattro Concept

The exploits of Audi at Le Mans, carrying the TDI badge, seem to have served as an excuse for more than just turning the R8 into an imminent gas guzzler and the Q7 into another one. The smaller members of the four-ring brand claim their right not to be left out of such a good marketing slogan, which is why the people from Ingolstadt present the Audi A3 TDI Clubsport Quattro Concept.

Starting from the new Audi A3, the styling is defined by a widened body for larger wheel arches. The front now sports two prominent air intakes on either side of the grille, which inevitably recall creations like the R8; at the rear, meanwhile, there is a large diffuser housing two symmetrical exhaust pipes on either side.

The red tone extends along the sides, giving way to white on the bonnet, roof and tailgate; a white that makes an eight stand out on the side, whose meaning I don’t know. Finally, mention of the rear spoiler and its 20-inch wheels, which accentuate its well-deserved mechanical sportiness.

Of course, everything is in proportion: its heart is a 2.0-litre common rail injection engine producing 224 CV and 450 Nm of maximum torque. Paired with it is a 6-speed gearbox that sends power, naturally, to all four wheels through the Quattro transmission.

With it, the A3 TDI Clubsport Quattro Concept goes from 0-100 km/h in 6.6 seconds and is capable of pushing the speedometer needle up to 240 km/h; to stop it we rely on ceramic brakes with six-piston calipers on the front wheels. But at Audi they know that their concepts cannot rely only on numbers and good looks, technology plays a key role.

For example, it incorporates a system to vary the throttle response, the exhaust sound, the level of steering assistance, or the thresholds at which the ESP is meant to intervene. Furthermore, the dampers will work with a magnetic system—although if they are referring to the Magnetic Ride, there is no great novelty there.

Its arrival in production would be quite complicated, but bearing in mind that with this latest update the A3 is entering its final days before being completely renewed, limited editions based on something like this would help popularise it. But, well, the logical thing is to see it as yet another “routine” concept, where Audi wants to put its model on everyone’s lips and, in passing, showcase technologies that may find a place in production in the future.

Via | World Car Fans