Audi Crossover Concept revealed; a new member to Q-Series?

The German luxury carmaker has revealed the first set of pictures of the Audi Crossover concept, which is scheduled to make its debut at the 2014 Detroit Motor Show. The company had teased the sketches of the concept in December and with this latest set of images, it is being speculated to be the Audi's upcoming Q1 crossover.

 The crossover will be an electric hybrid as it features an 'e-tron' emblem. The front facade looks aggressive, thanks to its sharp headlights and a prominent Audi grille with horizontal slats. At the rear, a roof spoiler on the tailgate and a twin exhaust adds sportiness to the two door concept. With a wheelbase of 2.51 meters (8.23 ft), the show car − painted in Ice Blue − is 4.20 meters (13.78 ft) long, 1.85 meters (6.07 ft) wide and 1.41 meters (4.63 ft) tall. The vehicle gets plastic cladding all-around, sporty wheel arches and 19-inch alloy wheels.

Inside the cabin, the Crossover Concept has plenty of room for four passengers. In front, the narrow sport seats give the driver and front passenger optimal body support; they feature highly contoured lateral panels and integrated head restraints, while cushioned pads support the thighs in quick driving through curves. An easy entry function makes it easier to enter the rear seating area. When the rear seatback is folded down, a cargo area with a level cargo floor is created, in which there is space for rather large sports equipment.

The dashboard of the concept looks identical to the 'Virtual Cockpit' of the 2015 Audi TT. The steering wheel and digital instrument cluster lie in a single direct line of sight. It features a TFT display with its 12.3-inch screen, which gives all key information in top quality 3D graphics and offers a variety of modes. In the classic view, the power-meter for the plug-in hybrid drive system and the speedometer are in the foreground, while in Infotainment mode elements such as the large navigation map dominate, and in Sport mode the tachometer is prominently displayed. Another forward-looking feature in the show car is the Audi phone box, which links the driver's cell phone to the vehicle electrical system and can inductively charge it as necessary.

Under the hood, the Audi Show Car gets the 2.0-litre TFSI engine that churns out a maximum power output of 292bhp and 380Nm of peak torque. It operates together with a disc-shaped electric motor via a decoupling clutch; the electric motor develops 53.6bhp of power and 270Nm of torque. Power is transmitted to the front wheels via a six-speed e-S tronic dual clutch transmission.

There is a second electric motor, which is a separate from this drive unit, is mounted to the rear axle. It supplies propulsive power at low and moderate vehicle speeds with its maximum power of 113bhp and 270Nm of torque. It can also be operated in tandem with the motor and engine at the front axle if the hybrid management system decides that all-wheel drive makes sense.