Volkswagen Group: Audi Employs Ken Block, Porsche Making 718 Electric

Matt Posky
by Matt Posky

Despite being the target of a German lawsuit accusing the manufacturer of not being green enough, Volkswagen Group is probably the legacy automaker touting the merits of electrification with the most enthusiasm. While undoubtedly influenced by the diesel emissions catastrophe that cheesed off every regulator in the Western world, its brand has actively been delivering EVs and praising alternative energy automobiles whenever possible.

There was more of that this week. Porsche has reportedly decided to make the 718 to be an all-electric model by 2025 and Audi recently announced that it’s employing rally icon and Hoonigan founder Ken Block (who broke with the Ford Motor Co. earlier this year) to develop EVs.

Audi announced Block’s involvement on Tuesday by simultaneously releasing a video and interview. The video is about what you’d expect and the interview feels about as organic as a cube of polyethylene. Block is supposed to be joining the company to help develop electric cars but there isn’t much in the way of details in the interview. Instead, it served as a vehicle for the professional driver to praise Audi products (perhaps genuinely) and discuss how it shouldn’t matter what’s beneath the hood so long as the car goes fast.

In case you’ve never seen one of his videos, Ken Block likes to go fast and he mentions it with the frequency and subtlety of Sonic the Hedgehog throughout the release. As I’ve never witnessed him being verbose, this was likely the most authentic aspect of the interview. But the rest was sprinkled with enough corporate buzz terms to make it feel like he may have been coached by his new employer.

“By testing electric cars in different contexts, we want to showcase mobility and electrification in new and entertaining ways. Audi has done an incredible job of driving their vehicles into the future,” Block stated. “Hopefully, I can pick up on that and have a lot of fun with it at the same time. Audi technology has always had a huge impact on me. In the 1980s, the brand used to dominate one of my all-time favorite sports events — the World Rally Championship — in a way that truly inspired me. Over the years, I’ve always had a real fan’s appreciation for what Audi achieved in racing way back when, right up to modern-day motorsport. I have always been very impressed with their progressiveness and the fact that they are constantly looking ahead.”

This led to a statement on humanity and the ways we all need to live to create a progressive, pro-mobility future. But the overall gist from Ken’s discussion is that electric vehicles are part of that and everyone needs to get on board.

“Don’t get me wrong, I love the sound of combustion engines, especially the five-cylinder that Audi is so famous for,” he said. “That’s what I grew up with. Even so, I welcome change and whatever might make me go faster. Of course, I’ll miss the sound of the engine, but there are other ways to enjoy new technology and its sounds. The view that combustion engines are the answer because something would be missing without that growl is wrong. I have kids who haven’t grown up with those sounds for the past thirty or fifty years as I have and don’t care about them. They’re used to the idea that there are combustion engines and electric motors, each with their own sounds. To them, both are cool. We older people need to change our attitude and learn that the lack of a sound can also be very cool.”

What does all of this mean? Well, other than the fact that Audi is now paying Ken Block to say things, we’re not absolutely certain. The manufacturer has been extremely cagey on the details, only admitting that the Hoonigan executive will be helping to deliver “exclusive joint projects in the field of electric mobility” and already drove the classic Sport Quattro S1, V8 Quattro DTM, Audi RS E-Tron GT, and E-Tron Vision Gran Turismo prototype.

My guess is that this results in another gymkhana video where Block pilots an Audi-branded vehicle through tight spaces at unadvisable speeds. Perhaps there will even be a few new electrified products from the manufacturer with Ken’s signature on them — though his sitting through an entire development phase seems unlikely.

Meanwhile, Porsche is supposedly already working on a new EV that will end up replacing one of its best models. According to Car and Driver, the 718 will become a totally battery-electric vehicle for the 2025 model year. The outlet said that it ended months of speculation after Porsche unveiled the Mission R Concept (pictured) at the Munich auto show. It’s the correct shape and size to replace the 718 and will reportedly serve as the template for its successor.

From Car and Driver:

We haven’t seen the interior yet, but we are assured it will be the brand’s most futuristic yet, more forward-looking than the Taycan and a massive leap from the conservatively styled current 718 cockpit. In designing the user interface, Porsche is keeping the customer base in mind: In China, the most important market, the average age of a 718 buyer is just 31. We are told, “This will be the most modern Porsche.”

Sports-car fans have been concerned that an electric 718 could become excessively heavy; a Taycan, after all, comes in between 4,568 pounds for the entry-level model with the small battery and 5,199 pounds for the Turbo S Cross Turismo, despite its not-exactly-spacious package. The 718, on the other hand, will be almost a miracle of lightweight technology: The internal target weight is under 3,650 pounds.

Weight is one thing but the car also needs to be useable. If the Porsche Taycan taught us anything, it’s that diminished range can severely undermine what’s an otherwise desirable automobile. We’re also slightly concerned that future 718 models won’t be a cost-conscious alternative to the 911, but its main competition. The iconic 911 is said to remain internal-combustion-focused until at least 2030. Though an all-electric 718 will probably be able to match its acceleration before the speedometer reaches blistering speeds. Assuming there remains a divide between EV and ICE fans, this might not be a big issue and the same goes if Porsche can keep pricing below the $83,000 it charges for the Taycan.

However, it doesn’t really matter what the consumer wants or what it’s going to cost. Europe’s restrictive Euro 7 regulations have effectively painted all manufacturers into a corner. The European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association has claimed the proposed rules would basically kill their ability to continue developing internal-combustion engines, especially since regulators are considering real-world emission monitoring over the entire lifetime of a vehicle. Assuming Porsche still wants to build high-performance vehicles with juicy spec sheets inside the EU, they’ll have to be electric.

[Images: Volkswagen Group]

Matt Posky
Matt Posky

A staunch consumer advocate tracking industry trends and regulation. Before joining TTAC, Matt spent a decade working for marketing and research firms based in NYC. Clients included several of the world’s largest automakers, global tire brands, and aftermarket part suppliers. Dissatisfied with the corporate world and resentful of having to wear suits everyday, he pivoted to writing about cars. Since then, that man has become an ardent supporter of the right-to-repair movement, been interviewed on the auto industry by national radio broadcasts, driven more rental cars than anyone ever should, participated in amateur rallying events, and received the requisite minimum training as sanctioned by the SCCA. Handy with a wrench, Matt grew up surrounded by Detroit auto workers and managed to get a pizza delivery job before he was legally eligible. He later found himself driving box trucks through Manhattan, guaranteeing future sympathy for actual truckers. He continues to conduct research pertaining to the automotive sector as an independent contractor and has since moved back to his native Michigan, closer to where the cars are born. A contrarian, Matt claims to prefer understeer — stating that front and all-wheel drive vehicles cater best to his driving style.

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  • Mcs Mcs on Sep 22, 2021

    "Assuming there remains a divide between EV and ICE fans, this might not be a big issue " That issue is resolved with 20k+ RPM carbon-wrapped motors already in production and Porsche is already using a 2-speed in the Taycan. There is no problem for EVs to have every bit oif top speed and as an ICE and pull even harder on acceleration. That is here now. My best guess is that the high-end 911s will get the Bugatti-Rimac 4 motor system with the 718 getting only 2 or 3 motors.

  • Conundrum Conundrum on Sep 22, 2021

    Who is Ken Block and why should I care?

    • See 2 previous
    • Lou_BC Lou_BC on Sep 23, 2021

      @conundrum - He's a Rally Racer, drifter, gymkhana racer. He had some very cool cars like the "Hoonicorn". He is very popular with young men my son's age. A shift to Audi/VW would indicate that they want to appeal to a younger demographic.

  • AZFelix Hilux technical, preferably with a swivel mount.
  • ToolGuy This is the kind of thing you get when you give people faster internet.
  • ToolGuy North America is already the greatest country on the planet, and I have learned to be careful about what I wish for in terms of making changes. I mean, if Greenland wants to buy JDM vehicles, isn't that for the Danes to decide?
  • ToolGuy Once again my home did not catch on fire and my fire extinguisher(s) stayed in the closet, unused. I guess I threw my money away on fire extinguishers.(And by fire extinguishers I mean nuclear missiles.)
  • Carson D The UAW has succeeded in organizing a US VW plant before. There's a reason they don't teach history in the schools any longer. People wouldn't make the same mistakes.
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