What's the news?
This sleek SUV is the Audi e-tron quattro concept shown at Frankfurt, but Ingolstadt isn't being coy - a key figure for the company has said this is a preview of an all-electric, luxury vehicle slated for market in 2018. The belief is that this will become the Audi Q6.
Exterior
The body isn't just designed to look all edgy and futuristic, as befits a concept car - it's actually hugely aerodynamic, for an SUV. Where these high-riding, hefty vehicles usually have drag coefficients in excess of 0.30Cd, the e-tron manages to record 0.25Cd. This allows it to slip through the air and maximise its electric resources. That it manages to be a handsome-looking thing is a bonus.
Various electrically actuated aero elements on the bonnet, the flanks and at the rear of e-tron redirect the flow of air as needed to improve the car's performance. A bonus of good aerodynamics is reduced wind noise on-board, aided (of course) by the near-silence of the e-tron's trio of electric motors. And the lighting on the car is advanced as well - main front lamps are Matrix lasers, while Organic Light-Emitting Diode (OLED) trickery can be found in the lower front lights and the rear clusters.
Interior
More OLED technology in here, as all the displays use these diodes and that means the extremely thin films they're displayed in can be cut to all shapes. There's a curved Virtual Cockpit in front of the driver, plus two touch displays below and to either side of that, which are finished in black glass and a subtle aluminium frame. Even the steering wheel has contoured touch surfaces.
The four-seat interior sees the rear passengers benefit from OLED controls for climate and infotainment, while behind is a 615-litre boot in which there's a central driver assistance controller (zFAS, when rendered in German); that's because the e-tron quattro concept is fitted with piloted driving systems in the form of radar sensors, a video camera, ultrasonic sensors and a laser scanner. Audi says these technologies are 'nearly ready' for production vehicles.
Mechanicals
Three electric motors are split thus: one controls the front axle and the other two handle the rear. The total output of this system is a healthy 435hp, but for a limited time 'overboost' that rises to 503hp with more than 800Nm torque to back it up. This allows the e-tron Quattro concept to hit 100km/h from rest in just 4.6 seconds, before going on to an electronically limited top speed of 210km/h.
A lithium-ion battery pack is integrated into the floor of the passenger compartment to balance the weight distribution and to reduce the centre of gravity, allowing for tidy handling. The 95kWh battery allows for a range of more than 500km and can be charged by either DC or AC current - although you'll want to find a 150kW DC charging column, as with that the e-tron can be fully recharged in 50 minutes. The Audi can use piloted parking to find a wireless charging bay in suitably equipped car parks and the roof is covered in solar panels to help juice up the battery on sunny days.
Finally, the e-tron's adaptive air suspension can lower the body at high speeds to further reduce drag, while the big Audi also has four-wheel steering to improve its agility.
Anything else?
So, to confirm, Professor Dr Ulrich Hackenberg, member of the Audi board of management for Technical Development, said: "Audi will present an all-electric, luxury-class sport SUV in early 2018. The Audi e tron quattro concept provides a concrete foretaste of this. It combines driving pleasure with great range, an expressive design and excellent comfort."