Two decades ago, transformed itself from a brand that competed with Subaru, at least in the eyes of consumers, to one viewed on par with BMW and Mercedes-Benz. No easy feat, as unlike those other German marques, Audi never had dedicated rear-wheel-drive platforms to work with. The company’s impressive upward mobility was owed to its industry-changing design, first applied to the stunning 2003 Le Mans Quattro concept—which eventually became the R8—then quickly followed by the Nuvolari and Pikes Peak concepts, which led to the A5 and Q7 production , respectively. The design language was so strong, inside and out, that premium automakers were suddenly on their collective back foot.

In recent years, though, the heir to the Auto Union legacy has been stumbling a bit with electrification—too ma

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