VW Group stops development of Audi’s 420 PS EA888

According to Autoblog, the Volkswagen Group has stopped all development of Audi’s potent 420 PS, four-cylinder engine. Back in 2014, the German carmaker wheeled out the TT quattro sport concept, which packed a heavily-modified version of the 2.0 litre TFSI EA888 engine.

At the time, it was suggested that the four-pot will enter production alongside Audi’s existing 2.5 litre five-cylinder engine. However, Audi Quattro GmbH engineering boss Stephan Reil confirmed with Autoblog that “the 400-horsepower EA888 engine is dead.”

The concept EA888 engine was the work of Freidrich Eichler, who also saw the development of the 2.0 litre turbo found in Mercedes-AMG’s models like the A45, CLA45 and GLA45 models. It was also hinted that the Audi’s EA888 could be adapted easily to the MQB platform of its smaller models, allowing them to be brought to market quickly.

In the end, Audi’s five-cylinder was preferred to the four-cylinder, which Reil says was the smarter choice from a cost standpoint. Furthermore, he suggested that the five-cylinder had more character compared to the four, and that “people love the sound of the five-cylinder engine.”

However, the four-cylinder engine has left its mark despite not entering production. Reil admitted that the new TT RS’ 2.5 litre five-cylinder shares several significant ideas from the concept car’s mill. “The bore and the stroke are the same as the old engine, but everything else in the five-cylinder is new. They don’t share a single bolt. The parts (in the five-cylinder motor) are different to the EA888 from that car, but a lot of the geometry is similar,” he said.

GALLERY: Audi TT quattro sport concept

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