Technical data

22 Audi ultra
Audi ultra:
Every gram less extends the lead.
Audi ultra, the pioneering lightweight technology
from Audi, is more than just the sum of its
individual components. It combines innovative
materials, intelligent design principles and
production processes that use resources sparingly
into an overall concept. Many Audi ultra light-
weight measures have already been implemented
in the Audi RS 7 Sportback.
That starts with the body itself. The aluminium
hybrid body combines low weight with high
rigidity. The body is produced in a hybrid steel-
aluminium design. This provides a high level of
safety with an agile driving sensation – and
reduced fuel consumption. The aluminium
components on the front and rear axles as well
as the lightweight forged aluminium wheels
consistently implement this lightweight theme.
New innovative wave brake discs with a wave-
shaped contour and aluminium brake disc
chambers specifically reduce the weight on the
wheels. The resulting reduction in unsprung
masses leads to improved rolling characteristics.
Technologies such as FSI® direct fuel injection
and turbocharging have made Audi engines more
and more powerful. The modern 4.0 litre V8 TFSI
engine in the RS 7 Sportback produces more
power
with less displacement and is therefore
significantly lighter than similar engines in
previous series.
Each lightweight component has an effect on
other components, allowing their dimensions
to be reduced as well. The result is a continuous
development process towards less and less
weight and more and more efficiency. In figures:
a vehicle that weighs 100 kg less can save up
to 0.3 litres of fuel per 100 km.
The fuel consumption and CO₂ emission figures as well as the efficiency class can be found on page 56.
Audi ultra on the podium: the Audi R18 ultra
About weight reduction
The demands placed on modern vehicles are
contradictory. On the one hand, they must
offer enhanced performance and comfort, on
the other they need to be more economical
and efficient. Audi ultra resolves this conflict
by examining each and every component. We
demand the highest functionality combined
with the lowest possible weight. The result
is an intelligent mix of materials that even
allows a reduction in engine size: lighter
vehicles no longer need a large engine to be
agile. In 2012, for instance, both the Audi
R18 e-tron quattro and the Audi R18 ultra
drove to podium finishes at Le Mans with a V6
engine, whereas their victorious predecessor
in 2010, the R15 TDI, had featured a V10
engine.
Aluminium sheet
Cast aluminium
Aluminium profile
Hot-formed steel
Cold-formed steel