Audi
Crosslane Coupe Concept
Audi provides a glimpse of the future shape of
design, along with automotive and drive concepts, through its Audi crosslane
coupé concept car. This vehicle is an entirely new fusion of technology,
engineering and design, and provides pointers to the design language of Audi's
future Q models.
With a Multimaterial Space Frame, the vehicle
concept strikes out along entirely new paths with regard to weight, costs and
energy usage over its lifecycle, and is an evolutionary stage of Audi ultra -
the lightweight construction principle from Audi.
The combustion engine is a purpose-developed
three-cylinder TFSI with a displacement of 1.5 liters, delivering an output of 130 hp and 200 Nm of torque. The three-cylinder engine
is coupled to an electric motor (EM 1), which acts primarily as a starter and
an alternator. It develops an output of 68 hp and 210 Nm of torque. Electrical traction is provided by the second electric motor (EM 2)
developing 116 hp and 250 Nm of torque. The transmission
makes it possible to connect the combustion engine complete with alternator to the
remainder of the drivetrain by means of a claw clutch.
The plug-in hybrid drive of the Audi crosslane
coupé, which is described as a dual-mode hybrid, is as innovative as it is
efficient. It comprises a combustion engine, two electric motors and a single-stage
transmission; its system power is 177 hp. The Audi crosslane coupé
sprints from zero to 100 km/h in 8.6 seconds, and in pure electric
mode takes 9.8 seconds. The car's top speed is 182 km/h. Its
average fuel consumption is a mere 1.1 liters per 100 km and it
emits 26 grams per km of CO2. The lithium-ion battery
has an output of 17.4 kWh, sufficient for an operating range of around 86 km in the electric mode.
The Multimaterial Space Frame of the compact Audi
crosslane coupé is comprised of three materials - aluminum, carbon
fiber-reinforced polymer (CFRP), and glass fiber-reinforced polymer (GFRP). The
concept car has an unladen weight of about 1,390 kg, including
the large lithium-ion battery.
The aluminum profiles form a continuous, rigid
structure around the occupant cell. Beams beneath the front lid join the
single-frame grille, which performs a supporting function and is also made from
aluminum, with the occupant cell.
The 2+2-seater Audi crosslane coupé is 4.21 meters
long, 1.88 meters wide and 1.51 meters high,
with a wheelbase of 2.56 meters. Its body design comes across as
powerful and striking, and it already provides a foretaste of the design
language of a future generation of Audi Q models.
The interior design of the Audi crosslane coupé
continues the design language of the exterior in the geometrical clarity of its
basic shapes; instrument covers and the grilles on the air nozzles, for
example, take up the trapezoidal theme. The narrow gap dimensions and
three-dimensional surfaces reflect Audi's uncompromisingly high quality
standards.