After starring in the Gran Turismo Sport racing game on the Playstation platform, Audi has decided to turn its virtual e-tron Vision Gran Turismo idea into reality.
Fitted with three electric motors that produce 804bhp, the Vision Gran Turismo weighs just 1,450 kilograms and can get from 0-60mph in less than 2.5 seconds.
With two of the motors mounted on the rear axle and one on the front, the Vision Gran Turismo has 50/50 weight balance on the chassis and the power is driven through all four wheels with the help of Audi’s quattro all-wheel drive system.
But rather than the racer being used to go hell for leather, it will be used as a race taxi for the Formula E World Championship – with its first outing taking place at the Rome e-Prix on Saturday 14 April.
Peter Mertens, Audi chief development officer, said: “E-Mobility is rapidly gaining importance. That is why in 2017 Audi was the first German manufacturer to enter Formula E with a factory-backed commitment.
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“In our development laboratory motorsport, we are continuously expanding our expertise in e-mobility and gathering valuable experience also in extremely demanding conditions. With the Audi e-tron Vision Gran Turismo race taxi we are turning electric mobility into a tangible experience for our customers and guests as part of the Formula E races – in the middle of the world’s metropolises.”
Although many of the special edition cars developed for the latest game in the Gran Turismo series have been built for static display at events, the Audi is the first to be used in the real world – and the German car manufacturer’s chief designer Marc Lichte is “particularly proud” of this concept.
Lichte said: “Although the design of a virtual vehicle allows much greater freedom and the creation of concepts which are hard to implement in reality, we did not want to put a purely fictitious concept on wheels.
“Our aim was a fully functional car. The Audi e-tron Vision Gran Turismo shows that electric mobility at Audi is very emotive. This car incorporates numerous elements of our new design language such as the inverted single frame in the vehicle’s colour that will be typical for our new e-tron models.”
