Hot on the heels of Audi’s recent Q1 announcement, the German automaker has released the first images of a new show car set to make its public debut at the Detroit auto show in January.
The as yet unnamed crossover concept, said to feature ‘pioneering design, with precise lines and taut surfaces’ will be a two door vehicle in the same vein as the Audi Crosslane Coupe concept from last year’s Paris motor show, minus the targa top.
Audi says the show car is a systematic development of the Audi design language, combining visual elements from future sports car models with the Audi-typical allroad concept and an independent ‘Shooting Brake’ body form. It is also said to feature design elements that are typical of e-tron models, such as the ribs in the singleframe grille and in the side air inlets.
Could this be departing design boss Wolfgang Egger’s last e-tron hurrah?
Measuring 4200mm (13.78 feet) in length and set on large 19-inch wheels, the show car is claimed to be a ‘compelling blend of form and function’ intended for use over all road surfaces.
With short overhangs, a low roofline and geometric surfaces, the concept retains Audi’s defining front end design through its honeycomb-structured grille and dual headlights.
E-tron or not, if we read between the lines it seems this concept could wear a quattro badge and expand the moniker’s reach into a vehicle typology previously untapped by the German carmaker.
Perhaps that was Egger’s intention all along…
