The German automobile giant has revealed its futuristic Audi Crosslane Coupe concept at the 2012 Paris Motor Show held last month. Although this car came as a surprise from Audi; it has definitely managed to pull attention from every concept car lovers. This new concept from Audi is a fusion of a coupe, a convertible and a crossover model. Even though this car will be smaller than the Q3 crossover, it is most likely to be badged Q2 when it makes to the production version. Also the Crosslane Coupe will be the first of three sportier crossover model the company will introduce following which would be Q4 and the Q6.
Exterior
The Audi Crosslane Coupe concept is an entirely new blend of technology, engineering and design, which the company looks forward to implement in its future Q models also. From the front one can see that the concept gets a muscular power dome on the bonnet along with new type of dashing LED headlamps as well as dominating single frame grille and smooth surfaced air vents. From the sides the vehicle does get a bit of attention as well as coupe like characteristics because of its big wheel arches as well as the flat C-pillar and big doors. Finally onto the rear the tail lamps definitely have a trademark Audi design with aluminium rear diffuser that gives a bit of sporty touch to the vehicle. Overall the Crosslane coupe concept does have a distinct futuristic look which has already impressed a lot of visitors at the Paris Motor Show.
This compact Audi crosslane coupe concept is made out of three materials namely aluminium, CFRP (carbon fibre reinforced polymer) and GFRP (glass fibre reinforced polymer) which along with the multi-material spaceframe gives the vehicle new record in terms of weight, cost and energy usage in a life cycle assessment. The 2+2 seater crosslane concept measures 4.21 metres in length, 1.88 metres in width and 1.51 metres in height.
Interior
Just like the exterior, the inside of this concept is made of sharp angles and trapezoidal openings. Starting from the dashboard, this one has a very clearly tuned one towards the driver just like that of any other sports cars and the instrument cluster on it gets bright screen colour instead of traditional type. The 2+2 seats gets soft semi-aniline and velvet leather in tan and black colour that provides a well balanced ambience to the occupants. There are services like “Escape Manager” which is kind of new online service inside the car that helps the passengers to review and comment on the routes they are travelling on as well as send photos and videos recorded on the road. Apart from all these the crosslane has an interesting movable trunk space that can be pushed forward or backward to easily allow access from inside the cabin and open up space for two rear seats.
Engine & Performance
The Audi Crosslane Coupe concept is definitely one step above all the present Hybrid vehicles, thanks to the dual mode power-trian which it has. This helps the coupe to use electricity in combination with the petrol engine especially when the car is cruising at high speeds. So the main power generating source for this car is the 1.5 litre turbocharged three cylinder petrol engine that develops a power of 130 PS and a torque of 200 Nm. In addition to that there are two electric motors, the first one being EM1 which basically acts as a starter and alternator while the second one is EM2 which powers the vehicle to a total of 177 PS of power and a torque of 250 Nm. The total power system in the vehicle helps it to sprint from 0-62 mph in 8.6 seconds time while gaining a maximum speed of 113 mph.
Conclusion
It is definite that the even numbered Q models will be sportier than their siblings which are odd-numbered. Though it’s not clear but it can be expected that the production version of Audi Crosslane Coupe concept would arrive by year 2015, and at that time it would competiting against rivals like BMW’s Mini countryman and Paceman Duo.
Posts
