On the same stage where it unveiled, for example, the RS7 Sportback, Audi also made known its vision for the future of off-road vehicles: the AI:TRAIL quattro.
Fourth member of a “family of prototypes designed to envision the mobility of the future (and of which the Aicon, AI:ME and AI:RACE prototypes are part), there is no doubt that the AI:TRAIL quattro is the most radical of them all. .
Despite having a length close to that of Q2 (measuring 4.15 m) the AI:TRAIL quattro measures 2.15 m in width (much more than the 1.97 m presented by the much larger Q7). Also on the outside, there are huge 22” wheels, the absence of bumpers, the high ground clearance (34 cm) and the large glass surface that give this prototype the air of a… helicopter.
Engines, Engines Everywhere
Bringing life to the AI:TRAIL quattro we find not one, not two, but four electric motors, each of which transmits power to just one wheel, thus ensuring that the Audi prototype has all-wheel drive and allowing the traditional differentials and respective locks.
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In addition to the AI:TRAIL quattro, Audi took the Aicon to Frankfurt…
Despite having a maximum combined power of 350 kW (476 hp) and 1000 Nm torque , the AI:TRAIL quattro has a top speed of just 130 km/h. This is because its main objective is not performance on the road, but off it, and for that it is necessary to conserve battery power and increase autonomy.
Marc Lichte, Head of Design at AudiIn the future, we will no longer own and will only access one car
Speaking of autonomy, according to Audi, on asphalt or light off-road situations, the AI:TRAIL quattro is capable of traveling between 400 and 500 km between shipments . In more demanding all-terrain situations, however, autonomy is limited to 250 km , all these values are already in accordance with the WLTP cycle.
Technology doesn't lack
Obviously, since this is a prototype, if there is one thing that the AI:TRAIL quattro does not lack, it is technology. For a start, the Audi prototype is capable of level 4 autonomous driving on asphalt (on all terrain the driver takes control, this even though the AI:TRAIL quattro is capable of level 3 autonomous driving on some dirt roads ).
Simplicity is the watchword inside the AI:TRAIL quattro.
In addition, the AI:TRAIL quattro also has drones on the roof equipped with lights that can be launched to light the way when driving off-road (the Audi Light Pathfinders).
This technological bet is confirmed in the interior, where the rule was to simplify as much as possible, reaching the point where the typical display that appears in front of the driver is… his smartphone (without which it is not even possible to use AI:TRAIL quattro). Also inside, the highlight is the rear seats that can be removed from inside the Audi prototype.