Audi to reveal electric microcar at Frankfurt
Audi's answer to dense urban environments is a small electric two-seater that's still fun to drive.
After not-so-secretly releasing a prototype of its electric microcar into the urban wilds for testing, Audi let loose sketches of its Audi Urban Concept. The camouflaged vehicle was caught on video in Berlin, and drawings and descriptions confirm that the Audi Urban Car concept is an electric two-seater meant for dense urban environments.
The prototype seems to be Audi's more aggressive and daring answer to BMW's electric city car, the i3. With its open wheel design, narrow body, open nose cone, and retractable roof, it kind of looks like a 1960s Formula 1 car if you squint really hard.
The drawings reveal that the concept car is a 1+1, seating two passengers in a staggered formation rather than side-by-side. Its body is constructed using ultralightweight carbon-fiber-reinforced polymer, and its 21-inch wheels are freestanding and covered by protective plates with LED lights.
Although the doors appear to slide open like a minivan's, Audi's write-up of the vehicle design insists that passengers enter through the tailgate, which could be a good thing depending on your parking space. The vehicle is powered by Audi's e-tron electric power train.
Audi's Urban Concept is rumored to debut at the 2011 Frankfurt auto show. We'll let you know if it looks any better with the camo off.