Audi AI:Trail Quattro Concept Previews Future Emission-Free Off-Roader

It’s autonomous, too.

Audi will present the fourth member of its visionary family of concept cars at the 2019 Frankfurt Motor Show. The previous three were the Aicon and PB18. The new Audi AI:Trail Quattro Concept is here! It combines serious offroad capabilities and autonomous functions.

This study is a futuristic four-door buggy-style vehicle. It features a fully-electric powertrain and four electric motors to provide an all-wheel drive that is driveshaft-free. The car measures 13.5 feet (4.15m) in length and 7.05 feet (2.15m) wide. It rides on 22-inch wheels with massive off-road tires of 33.5 inches. The vehicle’s ground clearance is 13.4 inches (33.4 centimeters), and it should be able walk through water greater than half a meter (11.6 ft).

Audi AI:Trail Quattro Concept Previews Future Emission-Free Off-Roader

The AI:Trail Quattro is lightweight at 3,858 pounds (1.750 kgs). This is remarkable considering the four electric motors as well as the large lithium-ion batteries. The range is between 248 to 310 miles (400-500 kilometers) on roads and “easy off-road terrain”, according to the WLTP. The car can cover approximately 155 miles (250km) if you go deep off-roading. This is because the car consumes more energy.

The Push to Go Electric

Each of the four motors are installed next to a wheel and drive it directly. The total system output is 429 horsepower (320 Kilowatts), with a maximum torque figure of 738 pound-feet (1,098 Newton-meters). Audi states that “often only a fraction” of this power is mobilized, which could indicate some sort of selective deactivation of one axle.

Audi AI:Trail Quattro Concept Previews Future Emission-Free Off-Roader

The rest of the family:

The show car must be capable of Level 4 autonomous driving on public roads. This is the second highest level on an international standard for increasing automation. The AI:Trail Quattro provides traditional steering and pedaling, but “automated driving in a reduced-speed Level 3 range is possible on dirt roads in rare cases and at very low speeds.”