Dec

In the Autoblog carport: 2008 Audi RS4 Cabriolet, Quattro GmbH’s Stephan Reil

Posted by Published in Convertibles

Click above for a high-res gallery of the Audi RS4 Cabriolet

Just about the day that a Misano Red 2008 Audi RS4 Cabriolet arrived in the Autoblog carport, the very final examples of the breed were rolling off the assembly line at the Quattro GmbH facility in Neckarsulm Germany. During my trip to Germany a couple of weeks prior for the launch drive of the new Audi A4 Avant, we had an opportunity to sit down in Neckarsulm with the General Manager for Development of Quattro GmbH, Stephan Reil. Quattro is Audi’s in-house tuner division, comparable to AMG for Mercedes-Benz and the M Division at BMW.

Quattro GmbH has several divisions, one of which is responsible for development and part of the production of Audi RS models such as that RS4 Cabriolet and the new RS6. Another group is responsible for all aspects of a car from development to production and quality control. The first product of that latter team is the Audi R8 that debuted final year. The third group is responsible for accessories like the S-Line products and the

final agency handles individualization of new cars. When customers order a new Audi, they can have it customized in innumerable ways such as custom colors, upholstery and pretty much any add-on you can think of that adds plenty to Audi’s bottom line. There is additionally a group apart from the vehicle groups that is responsible for lifestyle products, which could be anything from umbrellas to Jeff Kuhlman’s (Audi of America Communications Director) favorite, the Audi cigar cutter. Read on after the jump for my impressions of the RS4 Cabrio and to memorize what Reil had to say about Quattro and how they came to build that car.

Gallery: Autoblog carport: 2008 Audi RS4 Cabriolet