Shanghai show: Audi adds third prologue concept

AUDI will unveil its third Prologue concept car in Shanghai on Monday, with a high-powered Allroad version taking centre stage at the company’s motor show stand.

Joining the coupe that premiered at the Los Angeles motor show late last year, and the Avant that debuted in Geneva in March, the Concept Allroad follows the same hybrid powertrain path as its siblings, along with the same “powerful and elegant” future design language of the Ingolstadt brand.

The limousine-length wagon is the largest of the three, sitting at 5130mm long, and 77mm higher than the Avant shown in Geneva.

It rides on 22-inch rims, and all of its flaps and handles are remotely powered for a clean look. Matrix laser array lights feature prominently on the front of the car, and the familiar black sill edging speaks to the Allroad’s position in the range.

As a design study, the large, single-frame grille will undoubtedly make its way onto future production cars.

Front seat passengers can access data via a full-length OLED display that comprises three separate touchscreens, while rear seat passengers – ensconced in their own individual bucket seats – get their own OLED touchscreen to use, in combination with two more screens mounted in the front-seat headrests.

As well, a ‘butler’ – an intelligent software program – can identify passengers based on their smartphones, and will adjust seats and climate control system to suit. The system also makes suggestions for music and route planning according to the owner's preferences.

Sporting a twin-turbocharged 4.0-litre V8 – more commonly seen in the S8 and Bentley Continental GT – that’s complemented by an electric motor mounted between the petrol engine and the eight-speed dual-clutch transmission, the all-wheel-drive wagon’s projected performance is staggering Audi claims the Allroad outputs 540kW and 900Nm, for a 0-100km/h time of just 3.5 seconds.

Its fuel economy figure of 2.4 litres per 100 kilometres and CO2 emission of 56g/km is just as impressive.

A 14.1 kWh lithium-ion battery is mounted in the rear of the car, and provides a capacity for an electric range of 54km. Audi also makes mention of a wireless charging system which it says it is developing for series production, meaning the Allroad can be charged via induction.