Audi has brought its 1,001 PS Nuvolari supercar to the United States for the first time, showing the car at Monterey Car Week just 17 days after the Q9 world premiere in New York. The 499-unit halo model also drove on American roads for the first time, on the coastal routes around Carmel-by-the-Sea. European presales open in the fourth quarter of 2026, with first deliveries planned for the first half of 2027.

Audi used Monterey Car Week to give the Nuvolari its North American debut, placing the brand’s first supercar in front of one of the most concentrated gatherings of collectors and luxury-car buyers in the world. The company presents the appearance as a statement about the strategic weight of the U.S. — by its own description the world’s second-largest car market — coming barely two and a half weeks after the Q9 was revealed in New York City.

The two launches are meant to be read together. “While the Q9 was specifically tailored to the needs of American customers, the Nuvolari serves as a technology and design flagship for the renewal of our brand. Together, these two vehicles show that we are consistently translating our strategic direction into compelling products,” says Audi CEO Gernot Döllner.

A halo car on the Monterey stage

During the week the Nuvolari was shown at two of the event’s highest-profile venues, The Quail and the Concept Lawn at the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance, alongside closed events for collectors and prospective customers. Audi says it used the week to build direct contact with opinion leaders, media and the international collector community.

“Monterey Car Week is the pinnacle premium automotive stage for Audi to showcase the brand’s first halo supercar. With the Audi Nuvolari, we’re representing what Audi stands for — progress built on substance — while further igniting, energizing, and growing the brand in the United States.” — Vito Paladino, President of Audi of America

First run on American roads

The car’s road debut in the U.S. took place on the winding routes around Carmel-by-the-Sea on the Monterey Peninsula. It follows the Nuvolari’s track debut at the 2026 Monaco Grand Prix, and marks the first time the supercar has been driven on public roads in North America. Audi notes that the vehicle shown is a near-production prototype.

The fastest production Audi so far

Audi quotes a system output of 1,001 PS (roughly 736 kW) and a top speed of more than 350 km/h (217 mph) from a high-performance hybrid powertrain, which the company says makes the Nuvolari the fastest and most powerful production vehicle it has built. The car uses a newly developed Audi Space Frame with a carbon exterior, and the manufacturer describes it as a showcase for its motorsport know-how and aerodynamics work.

Preliminary WLTP figures published with the release list combined weighted fuel consumption of 11.3 l/100 km, combined weighted power consumption of 7.8 kWh/100 km and combined weighted CO₂ emissions of 270 g/km, in CO₂ class G. With a discharged battery, consumption rises to 14.7 l/100 km. All of those numbers are marked preliminary.

What it means

The Nuvolari is Audi’s first entry into the high-performance supercar segment, which puts it in a category long held by Lamborghini, Ferrari, McLaren and Porsche’s limited-run flagships. With 499 cars worldwide, the model is less a volume play than a marker for where the brand wants to be positioned, and the Monterey appearance is aimed squarely at the buyers who tend to decide these things.

Audi says interest is already strong ahead of any order books opening, citing the response at the car’s recent public appearances. That claim is the manufacturer’s own and is not backed by published order numbers.

Facts: Audi Nuvolari

  • System output: 1,001 PS
  • Top speed: more than 350 km/h (217 mph)
  • Powertrain: high-performance hybrid
  • Body/structure: newly developed Audi Space Frame with carbon exterior
  • Fuel consumption (combined, weighted, preliminary): 11.3 l/100 km
  • Power consumption (combined, weighted, preliminary): 7.8 kWh/100 km
  • CO₂ (combined, weighted, preliminary): 270 g/km, class G
  • Production run: 499 units worldwide
  • Presales: fourth quarter of 2026 in Europe
  • First deliveries: first half of 2027

European presales begin in the fourth quarter of 2026, with the first cars due to reach customers in the first half of 2027.

Source: www.audi.com