Pretend Your Audi EV Is the Prototype

Not only does the limited-edition RS e-tron GT project_513/2 feature an exterior wrap, but there are special black finished 21-inch wheels and front and rear ceramic brakes painted red.

Photo Credit: All photos by Audi

Although Audi of America had a 47% growth in its battery electric vehicle sales in 2022 compared to 2021, its third consecutive year of year double-digit growth for EVs—with a total of 16,177 units sold (among the e-tron, Q4 e-tron, e-tron Sportback, e-tron GT, and Q4 Sportback e-tron), the company is looking at ways to boost sales of its EVs.

One of the ways it is doing this is with finishing.

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And although it isn’t going to move the sale’s needle a whole lot—it is limiting sales to a total of 75 units in the U.S., and will be available only in the U.S.—the 2023 RS e-tron GT project_513/2 will unquestionably be sold out in a blink its base $179,900 MSRP notwithstanding.

Why?

Well, the fact that this two-motor vehicle that produces 637 hp can go from 0 to 60 mph in 3.1 seconds doesn’t hurt.

While prototype vehicles that are disguised with paint, wraps, canvas and other things that are meant to break up the lines or to confuse the cameras of spy photographers, with the RS e-tron GT project_513/2 Audi is using camo to its advantage—sales advantage.

But because the RS e-tron GT project_513/2 appears to be a prototype thanks to the use of a camouflage wrap that is modeled on the graphics used when the car was undergoing global prototype testing.

The wrap is applied at the factory in Brussels, Belgium, where the vehicle is built.

It is a breathable, anti-static material that has the original red and black color scheme printed on the surface.

Inside, Too

And interior finishing is changed, as well.

The project_513/2 has the first use of the color red for the four-ring Audi logo. That red is used to paint the air vents on the inside of the car.

Note how the interior surfaces, especially on the instrument panel, echo the exterior camo pattern. That IP surface includes carbon fiber, a special foil and a glass-like material.

Another exterior echo on the interior are camo graphics on the instrument panel. It includes carbon fiber inlays. There is a “partial matting” process used, which involves using a special foil to mask the base component that is then precisely (primarily) hand cut to reveal the underlying surface. Then a glass media material is applied over that in order to provide a consistent look.

Given that, somehow that $179,000 price tag doesn’t look so high, especially when you take into account things like an embossed leather armrest; ceramic brakes; carbon fiber roof, exterior door inlays, mirror caps, and door sills; and even the project_513/2 logo etched on the rear quarter glass.

The RS e-tron GT project_513/2 goes on sale this spring. Good luck trying to get one of the 75.

Gary S. Vasilash

  Gary S. Vasilash is the founding editor of Automotive Design & Production (AD&P) magazine, a publication established in 1997 by the then-Gardner Publications with the cooperation of the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE). He is responsible for the editorial management and direction of the monthly magazine. Vasilash continues to write a monthly column for AD&P and contributes several stories to each issue. Vasilash is cohost, with automotive journalist John McElroy, on a weekly webcast, “Autoline After Hours,” where they, joined by leading automotive and business journalists, interview leaders in the global auto industry. Vasilash has more than 30 years of experience writing about the automotive industry, best practices and new technologies. His work has appeared in a variety of venues, ranging from Car and Driver to Autoblog to The Wall Street Journal. He has made numerous presentations at a variety of venues ranging from the annual meeting of the Association for Manufacturing Technology (AMT) to the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago. Vasilash is one of 50 automotive journalists who is a juror for the North American Car, Truck and Utility of the Year (NACTOY) Awards. Prior to his present position, Vasilash was editor-in-chief of both Automotive Production and Production magazines—predecessors to AD&P. He joined Cincinnati, Ohio-based Gardner Publications (now Gardner Business Media) in 1987 as executive editor of Production magazine. Prior to that, Vasilash had editorial positions with the Rockford Institute and the Society of Manufacturing Engineers (SME). He earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Journalism and a Master of Arts degree from Eastern Michigan University in Ypsilanti, Michigan. He is a member of the Automotive Press Association.