Audi is already testing prototypes of its new electric sports car ahead of its planned launch in 2027, as part of an accelerated development programme that will be just 30 months from sign-off to showrooms.
The radical new Concept C previews a successor to the Audi TT, which will be in showrooms in two years and is set to be the quickest-developed car the German brand has yet launched - setting the tone for a new strategy that aims to match Chinese competitors on pace.
Audi CEO Gernot Döllner told Autocar that the Concept C is about showcasing new design cues and technology "but also speed".
"China speed at Ingolstadt comes with that car - around 30 months development time, which is really a revolution for us, to develop a car at that speed."
Döllner stopped short of giving a precise launch date and wouldn't say when the Concept C was officially signed off, but Autocar has learned that prototype testing of both this car and the related Porsche 718 EV has begun in earnest, and bosses are keen to emphasise the capabilities of the underpinning platform.
Volkswagen Group CEO Oliver Blume said that he has driven prototypes of the upcoming sports cars (which use an adapted version of the Porsche and Audi-developed PPE platform, with their batteries behind the seat) and is confident of their ability to appease driving enthusiasts.
"It's such a different level comparing to the combustion engine cars," he said. "Drivability, agility, the power you have... It's a completely new feeling. And I'm so passionate about the platform."
Asked how he would respond to critics who say the lack of an engine is an inhibitor to engagement, Blume said: "They have to drive it.
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Utter tripe.
The platform has been in development for half a decade with full intention to host the 718 and an Audi pair - they can't magically claim it's a two year development becuase they've not shown the Audi one thus far.