RMcQ
01-03-2001, 08:07 AM
The text is below as well as the link to the original article.
Operation Hunter:
How Audi Engineered its 2002 Allroad Quattro
Interview by Don Sherman
Audi's initial reaction to the crunch of SUV interest was to poke advertising fun at high-riding urban assault vehicles. The ads featured shots of a disembarking high-heeled lass in desperate need of a step stool. But when it became clear that the sport-ute market was too rich to miss, Audi planners launched project Hunter, an initiative that yielded the Audi allroad quattro crossover SUV for the 2002 model year.
During recent introductory preview activities near Vail, Colo., Audi of America's product management leader Marc Trahan and Audi AG suspension development engineer Franciscus van Meel offered this behind-the-scenes look at the Allroad's
engineering program.
Q: How did the Hunter project evolve into allroad quattro?
Trahan: From a number of consumer clinics held in the U.S. and Germany, we established the primary goal of offering the Allroad driver the best of two worlds -- the sharp responses of a high-performance touring sedan on the highway married to an equally high level of off-road capability.
The A6 Avant was quickly identified as the logical starting point because of many attributes it had, such as Audi's fourth-generation quattro all-wheel-drive system. But when the ambitious off-road goals were analyzed, it became clear we couldn't follow the course other makers have taken -- simply jacking up the suspension, adding oversize wheels and tires and hanging cladding on the side surfaces.
van Meel: We worked with two key allies who were of tremendous assistance on the off-road side of Allroad's personality -- SFT (Steyr Fahrzeugtechnik) in Austria and Continental-Teves in Germany. SFT has ample off-road vehicle experience. We've cooperated previously with Continental on the A6's leveling system and they were very helpful in engineering the allroad quattro's air suspension.
The core engineering team consisted of Audi A6 personnel, plus representatives from the two key supplier organizations. Extra resources were added as they became necessary to engineer the air suspension and other parts of the car.
Q: What was the duration of the Allroad engineering program?
Trahan: The final technical focus was in place by the end of 1997. The concept car we presented at the North American International Auto Show (Detroit) in early 1998 represented the functionality we intended, but it took us a few years to improve the parts needed to assure adequate durability.
van Meel: The development process revealed that the test procedures we use for on-road cars are not sufficient for off-road models. The test procedures and the technology were both improved in tandem.
Q: Compared to the A6 Avant from which it springs, allroad quattro has extensive differences in body structure and exterior design as well as a unique suspension system. Is it manufactured on-line with the mainstream model?
Trahan: The allroad quattro is built on a specialty line at Audi's Neckarsulm plant that assembles lower-volume models such as the A6 V-8 and the S6 sport sedan. The body-in-white is manufactured at our aluminum center that builds the A2, A6 and A8. The Neckarsulm plant employs 13,000 and has a daily capacity of 100 cars, but it's significantly smaller than Audi's main facility in Ingolstadt. Capacity is in place to build approximately 20,000 Allroads per year for worldwide consumption.
Q: This is a major investment for what amounts to a niche product in North America. What are the prospects for future crossover products from Audi?
Trahan: In order for Audi to grow in the future, it must begin to compete in earnest in the light truck segment as it's defined today. We planned on this first step to be modest so that we can build these complex systems, such as the Allroad's air suspension, with confidence.
van Meel: We've learned a lot from the allroad quattro's air suspension. We're also working on semi-active suspensions that offer tremendous potential in the future. The key benefit is the ability to enhance both the sporting capabilities in line with Audi's image and at the same time improve comfort qualities.
The possibility exists of going further in the sporty direction with no loss of comfort and vice versa. This is an area of rapidly advancing technology and Audi intends to be at the forefront of semi-active suspensions with its future products.
Operation Hunter:
How Audi Engineered its 2002 Allroad Quattro
Interview by Don Sherman
Audi's initial reaction to the crunch of SUV interest was to poke advertising fun at high-riding urban assault vehicles. The ads featured shots of a disembarking high-heeled lass in desperate need of a step stool. But when it became clear that the sport-ute market was too rich to miss, Audi planners launched project Hunter, an initiative that yielded the Audi allroad quattro crossover SUV for the 2002 model year.
During recent introductory preview activities near Vail, Colo., Audi of America's product management leader Marc Trahan and Audi AG suspension development engineer Franciscus van Meel offered this behind-the-scenes look at the Allroad's
engineering program.
Q: How did the Hunter project evolve into allroad quattro?
Trahan: From a number of consumer clinics held in the U.S. and Germany, we established the primary goal of offering the Allroad driver the best of two worlds -- the sharp responses of a high-performance touring sedan on the highway married to an equally high level of off-road capability.
The A6 Avant was quickly identified as the logical starting point because of many attributes it had, such as Audi's fourth-generation quattro all-wheel-drive system. But when the ambitious off-road goals were analyzed, it became clear we couldn't follow the course other makers have taken -- simply jacking up the suspension, adding oversize wheels and tires and hanging cladding on the side surfaces.
van Meel: We worked with two key allies who were of tremendous assistance on the off-road side of Allroad's personality -- SFT (Steyr Fahrzeugtechnik) in Austria and Continental-Teves in Germany. SFT has ample off-road vehicle experience. We've cooperated previously with Continental on the A6's leveling system and they were very helpful in engineering the allroad quattro's air suspension.
The core engineering team consisted of Audi A6 personnel, plus representatives from the two key supplier organizations. Extra resources were added as they became necessary to engineer the air suspension and other parts of the car.
Q: What was the duration of the Allroad engineering program?
Trahan: The final technical focus was in place by the end of 1997. The concept car we presented at the North American International Auto Show (Detroit) in early 1998 represented the functionality we intended, but it took us a few years to improve the parts needed to assure adequate durability.
van Meel: The development process revealed that the test procedures we use for on-road cars are not sufficient for off-road models. The test procedures and the technology were both improved in tandem.
Q: Compared to the A6 Avant from which it springs, allroad quattro has extensive differences in body structure and exterior design as well as a unique suspension system. Is it manufactured on-line with the mainstream model?
Trahan: The allroad quattro is built on a specialty line at Audi's Neckarsulm plant that assembles lower-volume models such as the A6 V-8 and the S6 sport sedan. The body-in-white is manufactured at our aluminum center that builds the A2, A6 and A8. The Neckarsulm plant employs 13,000 and has a daily capacity of 100 cars, but it's significantly smaller than Audi's main facility in Ingolstadt. Capacity is in place to build approximately 20,000 Allroads per year for worldwide consumption.
Q: This is a major investment for what amounts to a niche product in North America. What are the prospects for future crossover products from Audi?
Trahan: In order for Audi to grow in the future, it must begin to compete in earnest in the light truck segment as it's defined today. We planned on this first step to be modest so that we can build these complex systems, such as the Allroad's air suspension, with confidence.
van Meel: We've learned a lot from the allroad quattro's air suspension. We're also working on semi-active suspensions that offer tremendous potential in the future. The key benefit is the ability to enhance both the sporting capabilities in line with Audi's image and at the same time improve comfort qualities.
The possibility exists of going further in the sporty direction with no loss of comfort and vice versa. This is an area of rapidly advancing technology and Audi intends to be at the forefront of semi-active suspensions with its future products.