LA MOTOR SHOW: Audi prologue concept

Audi’s new design boss has stunned the Los Angeles motor show with a long, low two-door coupe that will point the way to the German brand’s future production cars.

Dubbed the 'prologue', the astonishing four-seat coupe is not the much-rumoured A9 concept, but rather an indulgent, sumptuous 5.1-metre long flag-in-the-ground exercise from new Audi Head of Design, Marc Lichte.

In true concept car style, the prologue runs on 22-inch alloy wheels and is a combination of curves and chiseled sections on the outside and ground-breaking technology in the cabin.

Its all-new cabin is so clever it can identify who is entering the car in each seat and adjust to their preferences all through recognising their mobile phones.

“Audi stands for sportiness, lightweight design and the quattro permanent all-wheel drive. In the prologue, we are expressing this know-how in a new form,” Lichte said.

“We have put the sportiest car in the luxury segment on wheels. Our team took new approaches in both exterior and interior design.”

Based on the original sketches of ex-Renault designer Parys Cybulski, the prologue sports a new version of the Audi single-frame grille, which is wider and lower than current production versions.

The grille is flanked by brand new, high-resolution Matrix Laser headlight, which takes lessons from the twin-spot units in Audi’s R8 LMX (which lost the race to be first into production with Laser Lights) and endows them with the ability to light up the entire width of the street.

There is a new form for the air intakes beneath the lights, too, with diamond-pattern screens that will soon be a brand signature in production cars.

Powered by a 445kW version of Audi’s 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8, the prologue is capable of hitting 100km/h in just 3.7 seconds thanks to a combination of all-wheel drive, Audi’s sports differential and an eight-speed automatic transmission.

The 750Nm prologue isn’t just a style and design leader for future Audis, though, because it also ushers in Audi’s upcoming 42-volt electrical system, which will be seen in a production Audi within two years. The system runs all the on-board electronics and is powered by a belt-driven starter motor. Audi insists it can regenerate up to 12kW under braking.

Audi claims this form of mild hybrid helps the 1980kg prologue to deliver a combined fuel economy figure of 8.6L/100km, which equates to 199g/km of CO2.

It also introduces five-link suspension systems at both ends of the car, complete with dynamic four-wheel steering, which lets the rear wheels turn by up to five degrees, enabling the big car to handle with more agility.

It also uses adaptive air suspension to vary the car’s ride height according to speed and conditions, along with torque vectoring and a six-piston front calliper set-up.

But the prologue is all about the design, both inside and out.

“When he moved to Audi, Marc Lichte launched a design offensive,” Audi’s board member in charge of development, Ulrich Hackenberg, said.

“His clear philosophy and precise understanding of Audi DNA let him develop a design strategy that is opening up entirely new perspectives for us.

“It is progressive and highly emotional; it expresses the technological competence and quality claim of the brand perfectly. The prologue is its first proponent – it is a signature car for Audi.”

At 5.1 metres long, the prologue is nearly half a metre longer than the current production A5 coupe, while its 1854mm width is about 10cm wider. At 1372mm, it is just 2cm lower than the A5, while its 2751mm wheelbase is 19cm longer.

Lichte, whose design credits include the World Car of the Year Golf 7, gave the prologue heavily flared shoulders over all four wheel-arches to bring back subliminal hints of the Ur quattro rally car.

Worked into the base architecture of the design, they look less aggressive in profile and curve over the wheels to break up the car’s lower shoulder line.

The panels and doors all show curved, muscular surfacing which will come as a shock to some Audi conservatives, and its glasshouse incorporates solid aluminium panels. Its capless fuel tank is incorporated into the aluminium C-pillar and the car introduces a new pearl paint, dubbed light diva gray.

The prologue’s rear-end sports a concave rear window and a separate bootlid rather than a liftback, while its LED tail-lights use a new 3D glass system to add definition to its functions.

Its wide rear bumper sports subtle exhaust tips on either side, while a diffuser joins them together.

“The spacious interior is like a luxurious lounge,” Lichte claimed. “It is based on Gran Turismo design and it enables both very sporty driving and relaxed touring.

“The interior marks a new design era at Audi, n which the architecture merges with the operating concept to form one unit.

“The surfaces for displays and controls are integrated into the instrument panel and the console of the centre tunnel, and the infotainment system brings driver and passenger into dialog with one another.”

Its first feature is its “butler”, which is what Audi calls its intelligent cabin software program and can identify passengers and drivers from their phones. It can make suggestions for music or routes based on the driver’s normal preferences, too.

There’s a development of Audi’s phone box, dubbed Easy Slot, beneath the centre console lids and it can not just charge them, but network all of the smartphones in the car to the infotainment system.

Its dash features a wrap-around high line and the instrument panel is uninterrupted on its way across the cabin. Integrating three touch-screen display panels, it reserves one for driving features, one for media controls and a third sits in front of the passenger to run the entertainment system.

It also debuts Organic Light Emitting Diode (OLED) film in a bendable screen in the central tunnel to control the climate system and the handwriting system for data inputs.