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Found this to be quite the interesting read. Shared from Fouritude
We suspect there’ll be plenty to debate over two recent stories by Jens Meiners. The German auto journalist has filed two reports, one in Car & Driver and one in Automotive News, suggesting quattro GmbH boss Heinz Hollerweger confirmed rumors like the death of the manual transmission, more differentiation, more SUVs and EVs from quattro GmbH.
There’s a lot of ground to cover, so we’re going to go over this point by point.
2014-Heinz-Hollerweger-Audi-RS3-Sportback-Development-416
Who is Heinz Hollerweger?
If you don’t know already, Hollerweger is relatively new to the post at the helm of quattro GmbH, having been appointed when predecessor Frank van Meel was transferred to head up Audi China. van Meel decided to skip that post, perhaps smartly since the guy who got it is reportedly being relieved thanks to the Chinese sales slump, and instead the former quattro GmbH chief has now taken the top job at BMW’s M GmbH.
Though new to the position, Heinz Hollerweger is by no means new to Audi. In his previous job, the German executive worked on projects that affected cars far into the future. Perhaps he saw the demise of the manual transmission even then.
audi-ttrs-coupe-usa-1022
On the Manual Transmission and Its Supposed Death
If Meiners is reporting accurately, and there’s no reason to believe he’s not, then Hollerweger reportedly stated that the manual transmission is dead… at least as it pertains to quattro GmbH products that include all RS models and all R8 models. Yup… that means the TT RS joins the R8 as the last of the quattro-built manuals about to flip to DSG only.
We’ve chatted with Hollerweger before, and he’s never been much of a traditionalist when it comes to transmissions. That manual gearboxes are also redundant and cost more to develop alongside their superior DSG counterparts most certainly plays a part. He’ll readily argue that S-tronic gearboxes are both faster and more fuel efficient. To his very logical eye, there’s no reason to go any further.
Purists will pose all sorts of arguments against this sentiment. Manual transmissions are more engaging they’ll say. There’s more oneness with the car, more fun choosing your own gears, more art and style to rev matching and choosing that gear at precisely the correct time. On the track, there is no doubt, a manual transmission for all parties means a substantial chasm between the skilled driver and the novice. There are certainly arguments to be made for the manual transmission, though it appears Hollerweger isn’t particularly swayed by them.
What’s more interesting is the stance Hollerweger took at Geneva. When quizzed why the V10 was the only engine for the new R8 and why no turbocharged motor was chosen, he sited the experience. Certainly a turbocharged engines would be more efficient and faster when aggressively tuned, yet he sited customer delight as the reason to enjoy a high-revving V10. No doubt he’s onto something there, yet in some way the purist in us wishes that guy would talk to the guy axing manual transmissions because we suspect they’re not on the same page.
Audi-R8-V10-plus-MSS-2015-440
R8 with Smaller Turbocharged Engine
Interestingly, another mention in the Automotive News piece was the small engine for the “entry-level” R8. Sources we’ve talked to within the industry had heard the 4.2 FSI high-rev would eventually carry on in the new R8 as well. According to Hollerweger via Meiners’ story, that’s not the case.
Instead, Hollerweger hinted at either the 2.5 TFSI from the TT RS or the upcoming turbocharged 3.0-liter V6 destined for RS 4 and RS 5 models (also S6 and S7). This would suggest that perhaps there’s a re-think when it comes to engines at least. The move is a most logical choice, and those who like the tunability and lighter weight of a smaller displacement turbocharged engine should be pleased at this news.
Audi RS Q3
RS SUVs
If you hate this news of high-performance crossovers, blame the market. The RS Q3 has been a runaway success for Audi… not so much that it’s for sale just yet in America… but a runaway success just the same. The Car & Driver story from Meiners said to expect more like this, specifically an “RS Q6 and RS Q8″. That Meiners name drops the RS Q6 is an interesting name drop because this proposed more sporting offering roughly the size of the Q5 has been rumored to launch as a full electric e-tron only, then followed by a plug-in hybrid version. An RS Q6, unless electric or hybridized in some way, would be an interesting juxtaposition from the rest of the rumored Q6 lineup.
Audi R8 e-tron-piloted-driving-357
RS e-trons?
Given Hollerweger’s previous position of looking into the future, the German executive sees a future with high-performance electric vehicles. Frankly, the R8 e-tron is already coming to market built by quattro GmbH. Not surprisingly, the future will include more of such cars, but not for some time.
audi_r8_coupe_4.2_fsi_quattro_016
Back to the Manual Transmissions… Yes, We’re Persistant
Following an Audi Club event his past weekend at Audi of America headquarters, we found ourselves chatting with several of the American product planners. A club representative raised the subject of manuals – so nice of her since it didn’t have to be us raising the issue yet again.
The usual argument about customers not buying it, no business case, on track speed and fuel economy were all sited. These all make sense, but at the end of the day we still think there’s a market for manuals much like there’s a market for an R8 itself. Sure, they’re not for everybody, but outspoken enthusiast owners desire them and so why can’t there be a solution?
For such a happy medium, we’ll throw a hat tip to auto journo Chris Harris who penned an interesting re-think on manuals over on Jalopnik. For those not wanting to read the full story over there we’ll summarize it this way. Basically, Harris stated, “The limited edition manual only Porsche Cayman GT4 is a runaway success, sold out, blah, blah, blah.” He also suggested, and here’s the crux, that maybe manufacturers should re-think the plan and charge a premium for manuals.
We’ve had one candid product planner tell us that nobody wants to be the first to try charging a premium for something usually sold as the cheaper alternative. Fair enough, but we’d suggest that the market would applaud the brand that has the commitment to drivers to change the game and let us put our money where our mouths and left feet are.
By now this story has become more of an opinion piece and tirade about manual transmissions. Our apologies to Mr. Hollerweger on that one, but his stance on manuals plus a seemingly inconsistent view on high-revving big displacement left us wanting to push the issue and thus anyone reading this has had to endure. If you’re still here, make sure to check out the two Jens Meiners stories on Automotive News and Car & Driver for further insight into what’s going on at quattro GmbH.
There’s a lot of ground to cover, so we’re going to go over this point by point.
2014-Heinz-Hollerweger-Audi-RS3-Sportback-Development-416
Who is Heinz Hollerweger?
If you don’t know already, Hollerweger is relatively new to the post at the helm of quattro GmbH, having been appointed when predecessor Frank van Meel was transferred to head up Audi China. van Meel decided to skip that post, perhaps smartly since the guy who got it is reportedly being relieved thanks to the Chinese sales slump, and instead the former quattro GmbH chief has now taken the top job at BMW’s M GmbH.
Though new to the position, Heinz Hollerweger is by no means new to Audi. In his previous job, the German executive worked on projects that affected cars far into the future. Perhaps he saw the demise of the manual transmission even then.
audi-ttrs-coupe-usa-1022
On the Manual Transmission and Its Supposed Death
If Meiners is reporting accurately, and there’s no reason to believe he’s not, then Hollerweger reportedly stated that the manual transmission is dead… at least as it pertains to quattro GmbH products that include all RS models and all R8 models. Yup… that means the TT RS joins the R8 as the last of the quattro-built manuals about to flip to DSG only.
We’ve chatted with Hollerweger before, and he’s never been much of a traditionalist when it comes to transmissions. That manual gearboxes are also redundant and cost more to develop alongside their superior DSG counterparts most certainly plays a part. He’ll readily argue that S-tronic gearboxes are both faster and more fuel efficient. To his very logical eye, there’s no reason to go any further.
Purists will pose all sorts of arguments against this sentiment. Manual transmissions are more engaging they’ll say. There’s more oneness with the car, more fun choosing your own gears, more art and style to rev matching and choosing that gear at precisely the correct time. On the track, there is no doubt, a manual transmission for all parties means a substantial chasm between the skilled driver and the novice. There are certainly arguments to be made for the manual transmission, though it appears Hollerweger isn’t particularly swayed by them.
What’s more interesting is the stance Hollerweger took at Geneva. When quizzed why the V10 was the only engine for the new R8 and why no turbocharged motor was chosen, he sited the experience. Certainly a turbocharged engines would be more efficient and faster when aggressively tuned, yet he sited customer delight as the reason to enjoy a high-revving V10. No doubt he’s onto something there, yet in some way the purist in us wishes that guy would talk to the guy axing manual transmissions because we suspect they’re not on the same page.
Audi-R8-V10-plus-MSS-2015-440
R8 with Smaller Turbocharged Engine
Interestingly, another mention in the Automotive News piece was the small engine for the “entry-level” R8. Sources we’ve talked to within the industry had heard the 4.2 FSI high-rev would eventually carry on in the new R8 as well. According to Hollerweger via Meiners’ story, that’s not the case.
Instead, Hollerweger hinted at either the 2.5 TFSI from the TT RS or the upcoming turbocharged 3.0-liter V6 destined for RS 4 and RS 5 models (also S6 and S7). This would suggest that perhaps there’s a re-think when it comes to engines at least. The move is a most logical choice, and those who like the tunability and lighter weight of a smaller displacement turbocharged engine should be pleased at this news.
Audi RS Q3
RS SUVs
If you hate this news of high-performance crossovers, blame the market. The RS Q3 has been a runaway success for Audi… not so much that it’s for sale just yet in America… but a runaway success just the same. The Car & Driver story from Meiners said to expect more like this, specifically an “RS Q6 and RS Q8″. That Meiners name drops the RS Q6 is an interesting name drop because this proposed more sporting offering roughly the size of the Q5 has been rumored to launch as a full electric e-tron only, then followed by a plug-in hybrid version. An RS Q6, unless electric or hybridized in some way, would be an interesting juxtaposition from the rest of the rumored Q6 lineup.
Audi R8 e-tron-piloted-driving-357
RS e-trons?
Given Hollerweger’s previous position of looking into the future, the German executive sees a future with high-performance electric vehicles. Frankly, the R8 e-tron is already coming to market built by quattro GmbH. Not surprisingly, the future will include more of such cars, but not for some time.
audi_r8_coupe_4.2_fsi_quattro_016
Back to the Manual Transmissions… Yes, We’re Persistant
Following an Audi Club event his past weekend at Audi of America headquarters, we found ourselves chatting with several of the American product planners. A club representative raised the subject of manuals – so nice of her since it didn’t have to be us raising the issue yet again.
The usual argument about customers not buying it, no business case, on track speed and fuel economy were all sited. These all make sense, but at the end of the day we still think there’s a market for manuals much like there’s a market for an R8 itself. Sure, they’re not for everybody, but outspoken enthusiast owners desire them and so why can’t there be a solution?
For such a happy medium, we’ll throw a hat tip to auto journo Chris Harris who penned an interesting re-think on manuals over on Jalopnik. For those not wanting to read the full story over there we’ll summarize it this way. Basically, Harris stated, “The limited edition manual only Porsche Cayman GT4 is a runaway success, sold out, blah, blah, blah.” He also suggested, and here’s the crux, that maybe manufacturers should re-think the plan and charge a premium for manuals.
We’ve had one candid product planner tell us that nobody wants to be the first to try charging a premium for something usually sold as the cheaper alternative. Fair enough, but we’d suggest that the market would applaud the brand that has the commitment to drivers to change the game and let us put our money where our mouths and left feet are.
By now this story has become more of an opinion piece and tirade about manual transmissions. Our apologies to Mr. Hollerweger on that one, but his stance on manuals plus a seemingly inconsistent view on high-revving big displacement left us wanting to push the issue and thus anyone reading this has had to endure. If you’re still here, make sure to check out the two Jens Meiners stories on Automotive News and Car & Driver for further insight into what’s going on at quattro GmbH.
