New times bring new icons – which is no reason to let the old ones vanish into a drawer. Icons rarely emerge from nothing; they often carry a historical heritage. In industry, these are the products that made a brand famous and embody it most enduringly – in the car world especially. Just over forty years ago, Audi created such an icon with the Quattro, one that accompanies the brand to this day. Brand Director Dieter Jermann is steering Audi through the shift to electric mobility, in which the e-tron GT continues the Quattro’s line – as a symbol of the brand’s values. And already now: “The future doesn’t arrive one day; it has long been here.”
MEN: Just over 40 years ago the original Quattro was a small revolution at Audi. Today the trailblazing model is the e-tron GT. Will it one day become an expensive collector’s item like its ancestor?
Dieter Jermann: As with the Quattro back then, we are once again a pioneer. The e-tron GT opens a new era. Audi and quattro are inseparable – from the original quattro of 1980 to the electric all-wheel drive of today’s e-tron range, with torque vectoring. With the electric quattro, Audi is setting new standards in the age of electric mobility. Emotional design, dynamic performance and a sustainable concept already make the e-tron GT a brand icon.
The car already has a sizeable fan community. A few months ago, when we were among the first to drive the e-tron GT, other e-tron drivers waved to us as they passed …
The e-tron GT really does turn heads and proves that electric mobility can be appealing. It was named “most beautiful car of the year” at “Auto-Bild’s” 2021 Golden Steering Wheel awards – and not without reason. It is seen as the harbinger of Audi’s future, which from 2026 will be exclusively electric worldwide. I’m proud to witness this departure, marked by innovation and change.
But the mechanically minded perhaps dream of tinkering with a V8 at the weekend. With the electric car, that “manly” era seems over …
Stereotypes around a certain idea of masculinity will always exist. But such caricatures are often shaped by roles learned in early childhood; this social construct changes over time and varies greatly from culture to culture. Powerful vehicles like the Audi R8 or the fully electric RS e-tron GT thrill men and women alike. Men readily claim an affinity for technology – and they can express it perfectly well in an electric car, too.
The car used to be the symbol of boundless freedom. Today, range – rarely more than 300 km – and charging time chip away at that image. Does it still make you dream?
Range is certainly an important topic, but DC charging power is the more relevant criterion in everyday use. The 800-volt battery of the Audi e-tron GT recovers 200 km of range in about ten minutes at 270 kW; 22 minutes are enough to go from 5 to 80 per cent. The RS e-tron GT manages up to 472 kilometres on average – a comparable petrol car gets barely further before refuelling. And the charging network is constantly being expanded.
“Future is an Attitude” is the e-tron GT’s slogan. How do you see the future yourself?
The future is electric, and Audi is taking the path to climate-neutral mobility. The switch to e-mobility is accelerating: by 2025 we will launch more than 20 such models. But that’s not all – our move towards sustainability is comprehensive, with numerous measures in the supply chain, production and logistics. More will follow.
How would you define luxury today?
I enjoy spending time with family and friends, and it’s a privilege to work in an innovative environment. I plan my limited free time carefully and arrange it around my interests as much as possible. Time is the greatest luxury for me!
This article appeared in MEN issue 1/22 (May 2022).
