Audi's Concept C Previews The Company's Next-gen Ev Aspirations

It's a move clip correct now successful nan automotive industry. Many manufacturers that antecedently pledged themselves to dive head-first into nan awesome world of electrification are now pumping their literal and metaphorical brakes connected nan idea, leaning backmost into hybrids, plug-ins, and various different transitional intends of propulsion.

Audi is 1 of those brands that has been softening its stance connected nan EV beforehand lately, pledging to proceed supporting soul combustion-powered machines truthful agelong arsenic nan marketplace demands. But its caller conception unveiled coming successful Milan gives america a striking position of a adjacent procreation of EVs — and hybrids, and others — that will deterioration 4 rings connected nan nose.

It's called nan Concept C, and it's portion of a activity Audi brass person called "the extremist next." It's meant to beryllium thing of a reboot for nan brand's creation efforts, a back-to-basics task that starts connected nan wrong pinch a dramatically simplified interior design.

While galore modern Audis characteristic 1 aliases 2 elephantine touchscreens that predominate nan dash, successful nan Concept C, there's conscionable a axenic dashboard pinch a subtle, illuminated vertical slot successful nan middle. Controls are beingness and chunky, designed to person a beardown consciousness of weight and tactility, featuring what nan car's designers picture arsenic nan "Audi click."

It's decidedly a awesome departure for Audi, but location is simply a motion to modern sensibilities pinch a 10.4-inch touchscreen. It's hidden, tucking itself down nan dashboard erstwhile not needed and quickly swiveling into position erstwhile summoned. The car besides features buttons and touch-sensitive surfaces that vanish down nan dashboard, a statement of backlit controls that only look erstwhile needed.

The extracurricular of nan car is simply a important reboot, too. In this caller concept, you'll spot immoderate similarities to nan brand's past awesome roadster, nan TT, which went retired of accumulation successful 2023. But to spot nan cardinal inspiration for nan Concept C, you person to spell backmost a small further, backmost to nan Auto Union Grand Prix machines of nan 1930s.

Specifically, Audi is referencing nan Type C, which raced from nan pre-Formula One days of 1936 to 1937. That car's style and upright grille decidedly transportation connected successful nan Concept C, but this caller roadworthy car has 1 characteristic that vintage racing machines lacked: a folding hardtop convertible.

The Concept C is really nan first Audi to athletics specified a top, giving it nan look of a coupe but nan open-air creation of a roadster. The louvered rear and simple, tapered style are dipped successful a colored overgarment meant to emulate nan subtle warmth of titanium.

One point that tapered style doesn't let is simply a rear window. Like nan Polestar 4, nan Concept C takes an utmost stance towards rearward visibility by featuring nary astatine all. That rear-view reflector you spot hanging from nan solid is digital. But, nan truth that this car moreover has a rear-view mirror, positive broadside mirrors and windshield wipers, hint that this point is astir apt adjacent to production-ready.

When it comes to nan much applicable matter of what makes it go, and for really acold and really quickly, sadly, we don't person a batch of specifications conscionable yet. Again, Audi has said that this will beryllium an EV, but that nan creation will power a caller procreation of Audis powered by each sorts of options, including hybrid and soul combustion, "as nan modulation to electrical mobility progresses."

This car, though, is astir decidedly artillery powered, though nan institution has yet to stock immoderate much specifications beyond that. Audi says it is rear-wheel drive, which would constituent to a single-motor astatine nan back, but a early type pinch Quattro all-wheel thrust seems for illustration a judge bet.

This car's predecessor, nan TT, was really based connected nan Volkswagen Golf chassis, which gave it front-wheel thrust to statesman with. However, if this caller instrumentality is to stock its foundations pinch anything, it's overmuch much apt to beryllium Porsche's upcoming electrical 718, arsenic previewed successful nan Mission R.

But for now that's conscionable speculation, and again, this is conscionable a concept. Audi isn't saying erstwhile a car for illustration this mightiness spot production, but it is simply a instrumentality that is destined to go thing you tin buy. That'll beryllium bully news to anyone who misses nan dearly departed TT. If an eventual production-based Concept C still looks this bully erstwhile it hits dealers, it very good mightiness make conscionable arsenic galore waves arsenic its predecessor.