Re: Audi Urban Concept: Racer Meets Electric City Car?
Wednesday 10th August 2011
This is the Audi urban concept, the latest in a line of etron-themed electric vehicles. Audi is set to unveil its latest electric concept car at the Frankfurt motor show in September, but it has released these sketches and a few scant details of the car to whet our appetites.
Audi Urban Concept: Racer Meets Electric City Car?
Audi shows first sketches of radical electric concept
Looking like a cross between a single-seat racing car from the 50s, a Messerschmitt bubble car and a refugee from the set of Logan's Run, the urban concept (yes, we wish Audi had plumped for capital letters there, too) is a sporty take on the G-Wiz-style electric urban runabout.
It combines, says Audi, the "elements of a racing car, a roadster, a fun car and an urban car into one radical new concept".
What that actually means is that you get a car with a staggered '1+'1 seating layout, whose seats are integrated into the cabin architecture (the driver can adjust the wheel and pedals to get comfy), is entered via the tail gate and which has 'free-standing' wheels (of 21-inch diameter, no-less).
The body itself is constructed from carbon fibre reinforced plastic, and the whole thing is driven by a pair of electric motors to provide 'sporty' performance (though Audi has thus far given no indication into exactly how sporty this is). Oh, and Audi also says that the urban concept has an 'elaborate suspension design', but doesn't actually go on to explain how or why...
Beyond that, the boys and girls from Ingolstadt are keeping shtum - no doubt we'll find out more when the car is unveiled 'in the carbon fibre' at Frankfurt...
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Discussion
You mean this;
http://www.worldcarfans.com/111080835539/audi-city...
Add some FAT tyres and that would make a great dune buggy!
http://www.worldcarfans.com/111080835539/audi-city...
Add some FAT tyres and that would make a great dune buggy!
Edited by Hellbound on Wednesday 10th August 10:56
[quote=Mr Gear]I like it. It's a similar concept to the VW 1L, and it makes more sense as a shape than a Smart Car or Toyota IQ for a 2-seat arrangement.
Not sure how long that is and although I like passengers sat alongside one another, or even staggered seating, I really don't get on with tapered, elongated rear ends. Although width is important (...that's what she said etc etc), I think for inner city driving you can't beat a really short car for making parking and turning easier.
Not sure how long that is and although I like passengers sat alongside one another, or even staggered seating, I really don't get on with tapered, elongated rear ends. Although width is important (...that's what she said etc etc), I think for inner city driving you can't beat a really short car for making parking and turning easier.
Mr Gear said:
I like it. It's a similar concept to the VW 1L, and it makes more sense as a shape than a Smart Car or Toyota IQ for a 2-seat arrangement.
Not sure how long that is but I'd prefer a shorter car with passengers sat alongside one another, or even staggered seating. I really don't get on with tapered rears on the whole. Although width is important (...that's what she said etc etc), I think for inner city driving you can't beat a really short car for making parking and turning easier.Edited by Switch on Wednesday 10th August 10:55
Hellbound said:
Not sure how long that is but I'd prefer a shorter car with passengers sat alongside one another, or even staggered seating. I really don't get on with tapered rears on the whole. Although width is important (...that's what she said etc etc), I think for inner city driving you can't beat a really short car for making parking and turning easier.
To a certain extent that is true. But width is a big part of city congestion. Imagine the car in front of you waiting turn right was one of these... Passing it on the left would be a lot easier. And this long and low shape is much better for aerodynamics and stability, making it better for motorway cruising.Mr Gear said:
To a certain extent that is true. But width is a big part of city congestion. Imagine the car in front of you waiting turn right was one of these... Passing it on the left would be a lot easier. And this long and low shape is much better for aerodynamics and stability, making it better for motorway cruising.
I understand the whole width argument and you're right only if the gov. decided to add an extra slimmer lane or allow two skinny cars to drive next to each other in a single lane. The VW concept doesn't make sense to me because there seems to be a great deal of space taken up from the dashboard to the front bumper and also from the rear of the seats to the rear bumper. Surely in 'the future', city cars should have very small engines or motor(s) above/alongside the driven wheels and not that much need for a substantial dashboard beyond legal requirements for crash protection.EDIT: Although our arguments are null if the VW concept is designed for out of city long distance journeys where a slim, light and slippery form factor with stowage space would be beneficial for many reasons.
Edited by Hellbound on Wednesday 10th August 11:04
Hellbound said:
I understand the whole width argument and you're right only if the gov. decided to add an extra slimmer lane or allow two skinny cars to drive next to each other in a single lane. The VW concept doesn't make sense to me because there seems to be a great deal of space taken up from the dashboard to the front bumper and also from the rear of the seats to the rear bumper. Surely in 'the future', city cars should have very small engines or motor(s) above/alongside the driven wheels and not that much need for a substantial dashboard beyond legal requirements for crash protection.
There's definitely two ways to crack the same egg. But skinny concepts like the two VAG products above give better fuel economy figures, which is important I think for any new design. Imagine a world where half the cars on the road were Toyota IQs and the other half were VW 1Ls... and you have an almighty b
ks-up. 
Oddball RS said:
Slow news day then?
Come on now, be fair. It must be hard trawling the internet for tit bits and sorting out press releases and whatnot in the office. And then having to write up a couple of paragraphs for us to moan about. That's not even including the 3 coffee breaks allotted for the morning shift. 
Hellbound said:
Oddball RS said:
Slow news day then?
Come on now, be fair. It must be hard trawling the internet for tit bits and sorting out press releases and whatnot in the office. And then having to write up a couple of paragraphs for us to moan about. That's not even including the 3 coffee breaks allotted for the morning shift. . This will be one of the major cars of the Frankfurt show, so we reckon it's certainly newsworthy.And anyway we have four coffee breaks for the morning shift...
Riggers said:
Hellbound said:
Oddball RS said:
Slow news day then?
Come on now, be fair. It must be hard trawling the internet for tit bits and sorting out press releases and whatnot in the office. And then having to write up a couple of paragraphs for us to moan about. That's not even including the 3 coffee breaks allotted for the morning shift. . This will be one of the major cars of the Frankfurt show, so we reckon it's certainly newsworthy.And anyway we have four coffee breaks for the morning shift...
http://www.worldcarfans.com/111080835539/audi-city...
Hellbound said:
Add some FAT tyres and that would make a great dune buggy!
Dear lord something was lost in between design and implementation...I do agree with you on the Dune Buggy though.
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