Audi Concept C previews future EV sports car
The TT may be gone, but it seems Audi hasn't given up on two seat fun just yet
Audi has a long and notable history with fantastic concept cars. Think of the Le Mans, Nuvolari and Pikes Peak, which would become the R8, A5 and Q7 respectively. And who could forget the original TT? It’s continued into recent times, too, the A6 Avant e-tron concept previewing a suave EV load lugger… that didn’t quite make it to the production car, but the progression is clear to see. Now there’s an attention grabbing Audi concept that’s even more up our street; the new Concept C is a battery powered two-seat sports car, one that ‘embodies the brand’s new design philosophy and paves the way for the future.’ It’s bold enough to be exciting, yet not far fetched enough to be beyond the realms of possibility. Certainly not with the new Porsche 718 EV architecture also in the group. And with Audi suggesting that it ‘previews a future production model’...
To the tangible stuff, before we get too ahead of ourselves. A lot of the design features we can expect to see in series production Audis going forward, a new ‘Strive for Clarity’ style language underpinned by the pillars of ‘Clear’, ‘Technical’, ‘Intelligent’ and ‘Emotional’. This car is nothing less than the ‘beginning of a new design philosophy and thus a defining moment for the four rings’. So expect to see more of the proudly upright front grille, said to be inspired by the Auto Union Type C and even the 2004 A6; there’s perhaps a bit of Jaguar Type 00 to it as well. The four rings of course remain prominent, and there are some snazzy new light signatures in addition.
More exciting than all of that, though, is the fact that this Concept C represents the future of a fairly compact Audi sports car. With a removable roof, hopefully meaning the best of both coupe and cabrio worlds; the pair of roof elements are electrically retractable for the first time in Audi. And check out the rear end: the slim rear lights, defined haunches and slatted rear deck scream supercar. As per Audi concept tradition, the wheels look great, redolent of those seen on the original TT.
To these eyes the Concept C interior looks brilliant alongside, hopefully marking a return to form from Audi on driving environments after a recent blip. The fact there’s a proper steering wheel, HVAC controls and a central screen would suggest this isn’t a million miles from production reality. When the press release mentions anodised aluminum controls that boast ‘the unmistakable ‘Audi click’, you know this isn’t just for show. The Concept C bumf also suggests that the technology ‘is always close by, yet never dominant’, so the screen can fold away and the steering wheel controls don’t look like a total pain in the bum. Which definitely sounds like progress. Unrelated, but how great do the seats look as well?
“Our history is marked by bold leaps in innovation and state-of-the-art technology combined with an uncompromising focus on clarity in design,” said Audi CEO Gernot Döllner. “Our most legendary models perfectly embody this combination… “The way we design our vehicles is the way we will shape our company.” All of which would strongly suggest that something that looks like the Concept C isn’t very far away at all. And that sounds like great news to us.
The interior looks great - the door cards in particular are a work of art.
There is nothing in the renders to give a sense of size, but it looks compact, which, if true, is welcome.
A return to form by Audi.
Yeah, just a fleeting thought.
From the test mules, you can clearly see the 718 EV is 992 derived in much the same way the front half of all Boxsters and Cayman, including the platform, inner panels, inner door structure, door cards, main dash structure etc have always been shared with the 911.
Bit of a no brainer if the 718 EV is going ahead. Think the electric thing will suit Audi better than Porsche. And if they can maintain the concept car vibe into production, and Audi certainly has form there, then think it could sell well. Whether it's any good to drive.
1,700kg thing is interesting. A touch heavier than I was hoping for re the 718 EV, but not too awful.
king awful! And the interior has absolutely nothing to get the blood racing.Gassing Station | General Gassing | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff