Audi created quite a stir in January when it unveiled a twelve-cylinder, diesel-powered version of its R8 supercar at the Detroit Auto Show. But although the R8 V12 TDI was considered a concept, it was no mere flight of fancy. After inventing the turbocharged direct-injection diesel engine and dominating endurance racing on diesel power, how long would it be before Audi delivered TDI technology to its roadgoing sports cars?
Behold the TT 2.0 TDI. The 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine (pictured above), matched to a six-speed manual transmission and Quattro all-wheel drive, is good for 167 horsepower and 258 pound-feet of torque — enough to prod the coupe to 60 mph in about 7.4 seconds (7.6 for the slightly heavier Roadster) and on to a top speed of 140 mph (138 mph for the Roadster). Perhaps more noteworthy than its performance, however, is the diesel TT's meager appetite: Audi is claiming 44.4 mpg for the coupe (42.8 mpg for the Roadster).
Naturally, the TT 2.0 TDI was created with the European market in mind, but will this diesel-swilling sports car ever arrive in American showrooms? It's a long shot, but not out of the question. Audi intends to introduce the U.S. to its turbocharged direct-injection diesels for 2009 with a Q7 sport-utility powered by a 233-horsepower 3.0-liter V-6. With that model's success in the marketplace, that company may roll out other V-6-powered vehicles and, possibly, the 500-horsepower V-12 — in the R8, the Q7, or the A8 flagship sedan. At this point, the company isn't saying a thing about a four-cylinder diesel (although corporate kin Volkswagen certainly is, with four-cylinder clean diesels arriving by the summer and the $68,340 Touareg 2 V10 TDI Twinturbo on sale now).
For more information on Audi's diesel technology and market plans for North America, check out the company's Diesel Launchpad.
Source: Jalopnik
Photos courtesy of Audi.
