Audi has recently presented several concept crossovers with electric or plug-in hybrid drive. Just think of the Allroad Shooting Brake or the TT Offroad . However, the latest venture, the e-tron quattro concept , is a little different. We may see it as a serial Audi Q6 as early as next year.
The five-door body with a length of 4.88 meters , a width of 1.93 meters and a height of 1.54 meters is characterized above all by its rapidly sloping roof. With this, Audi wants to stand alongside the BMW X6 and the Mercedes GLE Coupé , which currently score points in the segment of hybrid coupes and SUVs. In addition to elegance and keeping up with the biggest competition, the shape of the roof serves for a perfect coefficient of air resistance cx = 0.25 , which according to the four circles is a record in the SUV segment. Similar to the Mercedes Concept IAA presented not far from the Audi stand, the e-tron quattro has active aerodynamic elements on the hood, sides and rear, which are automatically activated at speeds above 80 km/h. The electric SUV also bets on a new concept with a radiator grille, cameras instead of rear-view mirrors (their output is displays with curved surfaces in the front of the doors) and front lights with Matrix Laser technology. At the back, there are organic OLED diodes, connected by a red strip across the entire width of the car.
The dashboard shows that the classic buttons will definitely ring soon. All the functions of the car are provided by displays, most of them use OLED technology. The Virtual cockpit curved OLED instrument panel is an evolution of already well-known devices used not only in Audi cars, but also in Volkswagen. To the right and to the left of the steering wheel, which by the way is equipped with touch surfaces, we find touch screens with black glass and a decent aluminum frame. A smaller display on the left provides control of the headlights and systems for autonomous driving, the screen of the multimedia system instead displays navigation or the audio system. Below the transmission selector lever on the console of the center tunnel are two OLED displays, showing the status of the powertrain, automatic climate control settings and freely configurable information functions. As the e-tron quattro is a four-seater concept with a 615-litre boot, rear passengers sit in separate seats from which they can control two further OLED screens on the center console. They are used to set the automatic climate control, information and entertainment functions or to exchange data with the driver. The interior also includes an LTE module for connecting to the Internet.
The powertrain consists of three electric motors – one drives the front axle, the remaining two act on the rear axle. The driver can use a total of 435 hp, which can be raised to 503 hp and 800 Nm for a short time. This power is enough for a maximum speed of 210 km/h and acceleration from 0 to 100 km/h in 4.6 seconds. The lithium-ion battery with a capacity of 95 kWh is integrated into the floor of the passenger compartment, and the large SUV can travel up to 500 kilometers with it on a single charge. The CCS system allows charging with direct current or alternating current, and it takes only 50 minutes to fully charge the battery with direct current at a charging station with a power of 150 kW. An alternative is contactless inductive charging with the Audi Wireless Charging system , cooperating with autonomous parking. This will automatically position the vehicle over the charging plate. During sunny days, large solar roof panels provide additional electrical energy for the battery. As you may have noticed, the e-tron quattro is a four-wheeler with an intelligent traction control system, controlling individual electric motors depending on the driving situation. The main goal is the maximum possible economy. The driver has a choice of different degrees of recuperation, driving modes S or D and modes of the Audi drive select system. The chassis received adaptive air suspension with electronically controlled shock absorbers. This combination reduces ground clearance at higher speeds, thereby also reducing aerodynamic drag. For better maneuverability, the concept is equipped with a swiveling rear axle.
Since Audi has recently been experimenting with autonomous driving in addition to ecological crossovers, the e-tron quattro is equipped with all the technology that Audi is developing for "unmanned" driving. These are radar sensors, a camera, ultrasonic sensors and a laser sensor, and data from them is collected in the central control unit of the zFAS assistance systems in the luggage compartment. Based on them, it calculates a complete model of the vehicle's surroundings in real time and provides this information to all assistance systems and systems for autonomous driving.
Source: Audi
