A decision on the production, development and specifications of the Audi Quattro Concept will likely be made and announced as the 2011 Frankfurt Auto Show kicks off in September, according to Inside Line. In an interview with the site, Quattro chief Stephan Reil said that the well-received concept needs "the use of lots of exotic materials" to get the car down to the car's 1,400 kg (3,086 lbs) target weight.
While providing the automaker with a solid way "of demonstrating Audi's 'Ultra' lightweight technologies," the result could be an even higher price to a car that would likely see pricing bumps from strong demand and low production volumes.
Reil said that the aim will be "a small-volume exotic car with a production run of 500-1,000 cars", built with the RS5's engine, only tuned for "more power". The RS5 uses a naturally-aspirated 4.2-liter V8 that kicks out 444 hp (331 kW / 450 PS) and up to 317 ft-lb (430 Nm) of torque.
The engine would also have to be "mounted longitudinally instead of transversely," according to Reil. Even though an "amazing" full prototype has already been built, a production model would not come until 2013 at the earliest.
