THE future's electric as far as Audi is concerned and the future may come sooner than you think.
For the company is planning to launch an an all-electric, luxury-class, sports SUV in little more than 18 months time and, to prove what it is capable of, wheeled out an astonishing battery-powered concept car at the Frankfurt motor show which, the German company says, is "the company's statement about the future of electric mobility."
The Audi e-tron quattro concept is powered by three electric motors - one powering the front axle while the other two drive at the rear. Total output is 320kW which can temporarily be boosted to 370kW with over 800Nm (590lb-ft) of torque. That's good for an electronically governed top speed of 130mph with the 0 to 60mph sprint ticked-off in around 4.5seconds.
The concept car's large lithium-ion battery is integrated into the floor of the passenger compartment to provide balanced axle load distribution and a low centre of gravity.
The battery's capacity of 95kWh provides a range of more than 310 miles (500 kilometres) and can be re-charged in around 50 minutes with DC or AC electrical current.
As an alternative to mains charging, the concept is equipped with wireless charging technology for contactless induction charging and even comes with a large solar roof panel to provide electricity for the drive system battery on sunny days.
Under the skin there's adaptive air suspension which lowers the body at higher speeds to reduce drag plus all-wheel steering and, of course, Audi's acclaimed quattro all wheel drive.
The concept is a five door with a coupé-like silhouette and a drag coefficient of just 0.25 - a new best for the SUV segment, where figures are usually considerably over 0.30. The concept's slippery shape contributes considerably to its long driving range.
As you would expect from a concept design, the e-tron bristles with newly developed technology including front lights which use Matrix laser technology and what the company calls a "virtual cockpit" featuring OLED displays. Other features include digital exterior mirrors radar sensors, a video camera, ultrasonic sensors and a laser scanner.
The data these supply come together in a central driver assistance control unit in the luggage compartment. It computes a complete model of the car's surroundings in real time and makes this information available to all assistance systems and the systems for piloteddriving. These technologies are also nearly ready for use in production vehicles, says Audi.