Audi's hybrid prologue Avant concept to debut in Geneva

A design with dynamic elegance and the latest high end technologies: Audi is presenting the new prologue Avant show car at the Geneva Motor Show, which gives another glimpse into the future of Audi design just four months after the premium manufacturer showed its visionary Audi prologue coupe concept at the L.A. Motor Show.

With a length of 5,110mm, a wheelbase of 3,040mm, a width of 1,970mm and a height of 1,400mm, the Audi prologue Avant is a little larger than the two-door coupe Audi prologue. Four individual seats, four doors and a large tailgate round off the concept.

The plug-in hybrid drive of the Audi prologue Avant is almost identical to the powertrain in the Audi Q7 e-tron quattro which will be launched in summer 2015. The 3.0-litre TDI engine installed in the Audi prologue Avant outputs a maximum of 353bhp, and a powerful electric motor integrated in the eight-speed tiptronic contributes up to 134bhp. System output is 455bhp, while system torque is 750Nm.

The eight-speed tiptronic directs power to the quattro permanent all-wheel drive ensuring superior drive characteristics in any situation. The show car accelerates from 0 to 100km/h in 5.1 seconds. Its top speed is limited to 250km/h. The Audi prologue Avant is capable of returning up to 75km/L combined according to the NEDC standard for plug-in hybrid vehicles - corresponding to carbon emissions of 43g/km. The lithium-ion battery pack in the rear storing 14.1 kWh of energy gives the car a range of 54km in pure electric drive mode.

The chassis of the Audi prologue Avant is also packed with high-end series production technology. The adaptive air suspension sport - an air suspension system with controlled damping - offers a wide spread between smooth power transmission and tight handling. Front and rear axles are lightweight five‑arm wishbone constructions. The 20-inch brake discs are made from carbon fibre ceramics.

The dynamic all-wheel drive steering system resolves the classic conflict between dynamic handling and stability. The system combines a dynamic transmission steering system on the front axle with an additional steering system for the rear wheels where an electric motor actuates two tie rods.