Audi is getting set to unveil an airplane-inspired city car concept at the upcoming Frankfurt Motor Show as part of an urban-mobility project that could breed a city car sub-brand to take on Smart and BMW’s i-cars.
Initially dubbed the Audi Urban Concept, this unconventional city runabout utilises a 1+1 seating configuration, similar to that of the Messerschmitt Kabinenroller bubble car of the late 1950s, accessible via a jetfighter-like sliding canopy that forms part of the vehicle’s flanks. The seats are arranged in a staggered formation and a plane wing-inspired facia section that forms an essential part of the car’s structure further echoes the aeronautic theme.
The Urban Concept’s architecture centres upon a carbon-fibre monocoque that supports four individual 21-inch wheels mounted outboard and covered by complex cycle guards. Although highly stylised wheels on the above design sketch would suggest the use of electric hub-mounted motors, a camouflaged test mule spotted in Berlin a few days ago featured standard (if somewhat skinny) wheels, suggesting an onboard powerplant of an as-yet undetermined nature. The only details that Audi has given with regards to the powerplant is that it will feature two electric motors drawing power from a lithium-ion battery.
Despite the Urban Concept’s oddball exterior styling, a number of signature Audi design cues are still evident; among them are the single-frame grille, trapezoidal-shaped headlamps and a “tornado” line beneath the glasshouse – although these traditional features are juxtaposed by an airplane-inspired pillarless wraparound windscreen.
Audi will also produce a couple of less radical versions of this car to gauge public opinion before possibly departing on an urban mobility project that could see a Mercedes-Smart-esque sub-brand come to the fore as an answer to the likes of both the aforementioned city-car maker and BMW’s recently-revealed i3 and i8 offerings.