Audi Urban concept Spyder concept car (2011) news
Audi Urban concept (2011) CAR review
Audi has only teased us so far with sketches of its new city car duo, the Urban Concept and its open-top sister, the Urban Spider Concept. Now it’s lifted the lid and issued these first photos of its 2011 Frankfurt motor show debutants.
They’re tiny electric runabouts, with two seats and an electric powertrain. Kind of gives us an idea of what a sub-Audi A1 city car could be in future.
So the Urban Concept is Audi’s Megacity Vehicle?
Sort of, although there is no production intent as yet.
Tellingly, though, parent company Volkswagen is set to show a single-seat electric project at the 2011 Frankfurt motor show, as we reported this week.
They look tiny – how big are they?
They’re bijou, stretching to 3200mm long, 1700mm wide and just 1200mm tall. These cars are a showcase for Audi’s lightweight knowhow, and they make use of carbonfibre reinforced plastic for a sub-500kg kerbweight, although the exact mass has not yet been disclosed.
Seating is in a staggered 1+1 layout, not unlike the Caparo T1 sports car.
Could Audi build such a thing? Until recently, we might have dismissed such an idea as idle dreaming. But in an age when Renault is launching a Twizy and other manufacturers are scrabbling into new urban solutions, we wouldn’t bet against such a prospect in the long run.
Powering the Audi Urban Concepts
A pair of electric motors is driven by lithium ion batteries and Audi claims a 40-mile range for their city car pair.
The Audi Urban Concepts will be revealed in full at the 2011 Frankfurt motor show on 13 September.