Audi today revealed its revolutionary new LMP1 Le Mans racer, the R18 Hybrid Quattro. Here’s some footage of its testing and development.

Audi has shown great audacity with this car. They are willing to try things that no one has yet even think of. That’s why they’ve been ruling Le Mans for years and years.

The R18 e-tron quattro is the first diesel hybrid prototype racer which also has four-wheel-drive. The rear wheels are driven by a 500+ hp V6 diesel engine, and the front wheels by an electric motor that is powered by the batteries that are topped up by the onboard KERS system.

“Audi has always consciously selected championships and categories in racing that have a close relationship to production and therefore have technical relevance for the Audi customers,” explains Head of Audi Motorsport Dr. Wolfgang Ullrich, who personally drove the new Audi R18 e-tron quattro onto the stage on Wednesday evening during its world premiere in the Audi Training Centre at Munich airport – electrically and almost silent. “quattro, TFSI and TDI are three excellent examples of how motorsport has stimulated production development. A similar tendency is apparent with the e-tron quattro: we test a completely new technology on the race track before it’s introduced to the Audi production line.”