ken block announced today he has signed on with audi to help develop the brand's electric portfolio. the news comes less than a year after the 53-year-old rally driver and hoonigan exec revealed his split from longtime partner ford. "audi is the brand that ignited my passion for motorsport," block said in a statement. "i am extremely excited to start this new chapter. together, we will develop innovative projects and push the boundaries of electric mobility."
in anticipation of the deal's announcement, block paid a visit to audi hq to drive an audi sport quattro s1, a dtm audi v8 quattro, and the audi e-tron vision gran turismo, according to dirtfish. "it's also about performance," said block. "i love anything that makes me go faster. electric cars can do that. and as far as sound goes, i have kids who don't care about that. they think that the sound of electric cars is just as cool as the sound of internal combustion."
neither audi nor block have revealed any specifics regarding the projects they plan to work on together, but considering the head hoonigan is involved, we expect exciting things.
"electrification is a game changer, just like quattro drive once was," audi sport managing director julius seebach said in a statement. "with ken block, we've got exciting things in store that go perfectly with our strategy."
from: road & track