Audi: Does a DS series make sense?

Accoording to Audi's obvious strength in the diesel engine market, and considering the launch of great new S models lately, Fourtitude's George Achorn combined those two in his latest "Fourword" and believes that a DS series would make sense!

If you’re at all familiar with the Audi lexicon, little more than mention of the letter ‘S’ is needed to get your blood going. Audi’s range of S cars has a long and storied history at providing strong performance for those looking to go fast. However, no one ever said these cars weren’t thirsty for fuel, especially the modern examples with their plethora of cylinders. This begs the question, would it be possible for Audi to build a range of cars that might get the attention of performance freak and the environmentally concerned alike? The answer might surprise you, and there’d be no need to even mention the word ‘Hybrid’. At least there doesn’t have to be.

Look at the formula of the S-cars nowadays. Audi’s days of high-strung turbos in S-cars may be past at this point, and some may lament that fact. However, the current mix of S models remain strong GT offerings in each respective class. Drop a large displacement engine in a smaller car, add sport kit like wheels, suspension and seats and the result is what we all lust for at the Audi dealer or on the show stand.

Why couldn’t this be the same for diesel motors? Think of the S4 as it is now. However, drop Audi’s new chain-driven 4.2 TDI under the hood and badge it the ‘DS4’. The car would look and handle like the current S4, and we know by seeing the performance of the A8 4.2 TDI that performance wouldn’t be far off of the petrol S version. Even better, the larger and heavier A8 4.2 TDI gets 30 mpg, well above the S4’s North American rating of 21 mpg.