MUNICH AIRPORT,
car park P8. The longest straight is under 400 metresshort, but that’s all it
takes for the Audi A1 Clubspert to set the place on fire. The clutch drops at
.4000rpm and the 255/30 ZR19 Pirellis grapple for traction, leaving behind little
clouds of smoke. The wild A1 beams itself towards the exit sign in Hrst, then
second gear,throwing short blue flames out of its side pipes at every upshift. And
our car isn’t even as fast as Audi intended: 368kW was the target, but packaging
issues plagued the XXL turbo. instead, this prototype gets the off-the-peg 25okW
turbo five from the TT RS. This bad-boy A1 is actually the blueprint for the
lookalike A1 quattro - limited to just 333, LHD-only models — that will be powered
by a 188kW 2.0-litre four. A less flamboyantly dressed mainstream model gets a
184kW 2.0-litre four by mid-2012.For now, the Clubsport is more of an engineering
pet project, a chance for the boys to let off steam. Far more relevant is the E-
tron, a 75kW plug-in electric car with a range extender.
Range extender? It’s a
15kW petrol engine used not to power the wheels, but to charge a generator once
you’ve used your plug-in charge, when you call for extra perform- ance or when you
manually select the fossil-fuel burner. It’s a Wankel rotary engine, the kind that
Mazda just stopped using. Unlike the electric motor and the single-speed
transmission that crouch between the front wheels in a commendably tight package,
this ultra- compact 254cc single-rotor engine resides at the back of the A1 E-
tron. Project engineer Patrick Daniel explains why: ‘Although the Wankel engine
does offer clear NVH benefits, it is always better t0 keep any intrusion as far
away from the cabin as possible. In addition, this is a space-saving concept that
also happens to improve the weight distribution. The entire assembly weighs only
70kg and revs at a constant 5000rpm for maximum efhciency.' The sticker-clad A1
E-tron is one ofgo units built so fat. It can manage a zero-emission-range
of 50km and a total range of 249km. I have driven this car before, about six ago,
near lngolstadt. Now I’m back at the helm of a much-improved prototype. For a
start, the upgraded Wankel engine is notably smoother and much quieter too. It’s
more economical, as inertia-free as a turbine thanks
to reduced tolerances, and now much better integrated thanks to various software
updates.
Another update is on its way, which promises to boost power to 25kW. In
combination with the low 1190kg kerbweight, good aerodynamics
and reduced frictional losses, 25kW should be enough to swim with the ilow
oftrafhc evenmonths over longer distances. The car pictured here struggles when
the electrical energy has been
used up; it’s still drivable, but it cannot maintain the minimum speed on uphill
sections of autobahn.
Initially, there was a lot of hype around this clever concept, but then an early
car sent to Ferdinand Piech for appraisal did not function as well as expected and
a second vehicle failed to meet key in-house criteria. Audi boss Rupert Stadler
began to make verbal contingency plans. But in December, Michael Dick, Audi’s R&D boss, stated that the chances ofthe car going into production were still intact. ‘Soon there will be 100 vehicles on the road, and there is progress in almost every departmentf he said. ‘From the A3 and up, the plug-in hybrid
is the way to go, but for the A1, the range extender is a compelling alternative to the electric version'. The E-tron drives in stealth mode most of the time, but get aggressive with the throttle and the 45kW e-motor will kick
into stage two where up to 75kW/240Nm is temporarily available. There are two selectable driving modes: Electric idles the range extender unless you
accelerate hard, while Range does what it takes to get you as far as possible between charge points. Even with empty batteries, the 12 litres of petrol in the small fuel tank are plenty to keep the generator going and to get you to
either a filling station or a wall socket. Depending onvoltage, the system can be hooked up for a 1.5-hour quick-charge or for a regular three-hour pitstop. Over the iirst 160 to 240 kilometres, full throttle equals full power, but as soon as the range drops to a critical level, the available oomph is virtually cut in half Even up on the airport parking deck, it is essential to adjust t0 the new technology by adjusting your driving style. New tricks to be learned include how to
induce coasting (back off or shift up), how to make the best ofthe two driving programmes, and how to take full advantage of the five different recuperation settings (paddleshift deceleration is a lot more energy-efficient than
touching the brakes). Having spent two half days with the cute range extender, I sometimes find the E—tron
more challenging and more entertaining than the Clubsport. Why? Because while the E-tron marks a new chapter in automotive progress, the Clubsport pushes out a familiar envelope without rewriting the rules. It is entirely possible that the A1 E-tron will be axed because it fails to meet conformity standards, because a battery-powered or plug-in hybrid alternative yields greater synergy effects, or because the range extender is deemed a neither-here-
nor-there approach. But a premium brand deserves bespoke solutions, and Audi needs a car like this.
The A1 Clubsport relies on more conventional charms. At least in reduced output form, the engine is actually its least remarkable ingredient. More intriguing is the bone-dry, short-legged six-speed ’box which clickety-clicks
through the gate like an old Auto Union racer. The brakes sport gleaming race calipers and carbon discs. The Haldex diff is tuned for
tenacious grip, not impeccable manners. The steering is standard A1, but the new footwear and the zero-body-roll chassis make turn-in feel sharper, response more aggressive, directional stability less important and un-
winding lock a bit of a wrestling match. It’s an old-school approach, but when you’re strapped into that snug moleskin bucket, held tight by red Sabelts, facing a no-frills decontented dash highlighted by a row of
rocker switches, it is impossible not to fall for the art of classic tuning. Although neither A1 shown here may make
it to the showroom, both cars are credible ambassadors ofthe model’s true potential and relevance.
AUDI A1 GLUBSPIJRT
ENGINE | 248000 20v five-oylinder turbo, 250kW @ 5400-6500rpm, 450Nm @1600-55()()rpm,
TRANSMISSION | Six-speed manual, four-wheel drive
SUSPENSION | IVIa0Pherson strut front; multi-link rear
LENGTH/WIDTI-I/HEIGI-IT | 5954/1740/1416mm
PERFORMANCE | Sub 4seo 0-100kph, 249kph,8.8R/100km (est), 200g/ km (est)
WEIGHT | 1150kg (est)
-----------------------------
AUDI A1 E-TRON
ENGINE | Eieotrio motor with 58OV lithium-ion battery, 25400 singIe·rotor Wankel range extender, 75kW/240Nm
TRANSMISSION | One-speed gearbox, front-wheel drive
SUSPENSION | MacPherson strut front; torsion beam rear
LENGTH/WIDTH/HEIGHT | 3 954/1740/1416mm
PERFORMANOEI 10.2eeo O-10[ikph, 150kph, 1.92/100km, 45g/km
WEIGHT | 1190kg
