If there's been one car company consistently bringing interesting products to the auto shows, it's Audi. The brand with the four rings continues to impress with its creativity, innovative styling and sometimes retro-themed design throwbacks.
This week the company released information about a concept set to debut at the 2014 Detroit Auto Show. It's a coupe and a "crossover" — READ: sport-utility vehicle. While it could simply be Audi doing what it does best — keep the dialogue going — there's also a chance the automaker is slowly peeling back the curtain and showing us a glimpse of the Q1 that it just announced.
It's a bit of a reach, but it's possible.
That said, here's the full nine about the show car heading to the Motor City.
**Check out the mini gallery below with MORE sketches of Audi's upcoming show car!
Audi's press release follows:
The new Audi show car – a compact sports car in a new look
-Crossover for all roads and tracks, for everyday driving and recreational use
-Pioneering design, with precise lines and taut surfaces
-Audi to present the two-door car at the NAIAS in Detroit
Sporty, compact and versatile: With these attributes, the new Audi show car is making its debut in January 2014 at the North American International Auto Show (NAIAS) in Detroit. The two-door model with its high ground clearance is a crossover – a car for all roads and tracks, for everyday driving and sporty recreational use.
The show car is a systematic development of the Audi design language. It combines a host of visual elements from future sports car models with the Audi-typical allroad concept and independent "Shooting Brake" body form.
Measuring 4.20 meters (13.78 feet) in length, the Audi has a powerful road stance. Precise and clearly drawn lines as well as geometric surfaces are combined to create a sculptured, clear design form. It is almost as if the outer skin of the two-door car has been modeled from a solid piece, from the Singleframe grille and striking side tornado line to the taut, coupé-like rear. The overhangs are short; the roof line is low and it ends in a strong C pillar. The pronounced horizontal body line and the large 19-inch wheels emphasize the impression of concentrated energy.
The show car is a compelling blend of form and function. The characteristic allroad design features reduce the volume and underscore its offroad character. The aluminum underbody guard at front and rear emphasizes the width and protects the car off road.
Design elements that are typical of e-tron models, such as the ribs in the Singleframe grille and in the side air inlets, fit in harmoniously with the overall design concept. The dual headlights and the honeycomb-structured Singleframe grille indicate the further development of the quattro design language which Audi already presented with its Sport quattro concept show car in September of this year at the International Motor Show (IAA) in Frankfurt.