At the Los Angeles Auto Show Audi revealed the Prologue concept, which features the company’s new styling direction under design Marc Lichte.
At first blush Lichte has done a good job, managing to keep the car recognisably an Audi (the single frame grille and silver paint job, help here), while also adding many details that signal a shift to something a little more emotional than the current range of vehicles.
The Prologue features a more prominent Coke bottle shape, flared rear haunches, flying buttress-style C-pillars, concave rear window, and slimmer head- and tail-lights. The single frame grille is wider and lower than it has been in the past.
On the inside, the Prologue features clean surfaces, plenty of leather, and primarily touch driven MMI system (there’s no controller knob in the centre tunnel). The OLED entertainment and navigation display that stretches from the centre all the way out to the passenger’s door trim, while the heating and ventilation controls feature on a tablet-style touchscreen ahead of the shift lever.
Audi says that the Prologue is powered by a 4-litre turbo V8 with 445kW (605hp) and 750Nm (553 lb-ft). That’s good enough for a 0 to 100km/h time of 3.7 seconds. Handling is aided by all-wheel drive and a four-wheel steering system that can steer the rear wheels up to five degrees.
The Prologue rides on 22-inch alloy wheels and weighs a total of 1,980kg. Fuel economy is helped out by a 48V battery system, which allows for an amount of regenerative braking. Audi claims fuel consumption of 8.6L/100km (27.4 US mpg).
As you can see below the Prologue is not a small car.
Dimensions (metric)
Length: 5,100mm
Width: 1,950mm
Height: 1,390mm
Wheelbase: 2,940mm
Dimensions (imperial)
Length: 200.4 inches
Width: 76.8 inches
Height: 54.7 inches
Wheelbase: 115.8 inches
