Since the debut of the legendary Ur-Quattro at the 1980 Geneva International Motor Show, Audi has produced over 12.2 million cars with the Quattro all-wheel drive system.
And now, thanks to the recent introduction of RS Torque Splitter technology and electric Quattro drive with electric Torque Vectoring, Audi has 7 four-wheel drive systems in the range with the shared goal of combining stability and traction with maximum efficiency.
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In all variants Quattro means fun and safety
A story, that of the Audi Quattro, made up of great sporting successes but also of great appreciation from customers.
Worldwide, according to last year's overall figures, Quattro traction made up over 46% of Audi production and is available for every electric range or with ICE engines with the exception of the A1 family.
In Italy, the Audi range can count on 130 four-wheel drive versions which make up over 60% of the brand's offer.
In the first 4 months of 2022, the four-wheel drive Audi Quattro constitute 35% of the preferences in our country, with peaks of 80% for the Q5 and 95% for the Q5 Sportback.
A direct evolution of the first coupe of 1980, the Audi Quattro dominated rallies in the 1980s, winning four World Championship titles from 1982 to 1984.
Most recently, the Audi R18 e-Tron Quattro achieved three consecutive Le Mans victories and four WEC titles.
In 2022 - forty years after Audi's all-wheel drive debut in the race - the Ingolstadt company also returned to rallies, revolutionizing again with the Audi RS Q e-Tron, the electric prototype with range extender in the world at the start of the Dakar 2022.
In vehicles with longitudinal front engine and tiptronic automatic transmission with torque converter, permanent Quattro all-wheel drive with mechanical self-locking center differential - located in the gearbox housing - is dedicated, which in standard conditions provides for the distribution of thrust between the front and rear axles according to the 40:60 ratio.
This scheme is widespread among the sports cars of the Audi Sport range, such as the 600 HP RS 4 Avant and the RS 6 Avant, and the Audi Q8 3.0 (50) TDI Quattro Tiptronic 286 HP SUV coupé.
To further maximize efficiency, Quattro traction with Ultra technology made its debut in 2016, also dedicated to engines with longitudinal front arrangement.
The powertrain operates particularly efficiently, activating the torque distribution at the rear only when necessary.
To this end, the traction management is integrated into the network and parameters in a few tenths of a second the information relating to the steering angle, the transverse and longitudinal acceleration to which the car is subjected as well as the load of the engine, so as not only to act according to a reactive strategy, but also predictively.
The permanent integral variant with electro-hydraulic multi-plate clutch is reserved for Audi with transverse front engine.
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inside the clutch there is a package of discs in an oil bath.
The distribution of thrust also occurs when entering corners, especially in the case of high-performance cars and adopting a markedly sporty driving style.
The Audi R8 V10 Performance Quattro supercar also adopts a version of permanent all-wheel drive with electro-hydraulic multi-disc clutch, but adapted according to the central location of the engine and the car's high performance.
The system favors the distribution of torque at the rear and transmits thrust to the front in a few milliseconds.
However, Audi has gone further, introducing the new RS Torque Splitter system which allows torque to be actively and totally variable between the rear wheels, guaranteeing the new Audi RS 3 a tendentially oversteer behavior and refined handling like never before. of the Quattro all-wheel drive.
In addition to the five versions of the mechanical Quattro all-wheel drive, Audi is now adding the electric Quattro all-wheel drive, the prerogative of the models in the e-Tron, e-Tron Sportback, e-Tron GT, Q4 e-Tron and Q4 Sportback e-Tron ranges.
Based on the presence of a zero-emission engine at each axle, it permanently and fully adjusts the distribution of torque between the front and rear.
In the case of the Audi e-tron GT Granturismo, the electric Quattro drive acts five times faster than a conventional system.
Finally, from 2020, the Audi e-Tron S and Audi e-Tron S Sportback are equipped with electric Quattro all-wheel drive with electric torque vectoring.
It is thus possible to distribute the thrust, as well as between the axles, between the rear wheels in a few milliseconds, while managing very high torque values.
