Audi has launched its four-door design vision Audi Aicon, presenting an autonomous Audi of the future – with no steering wheel or pedals.

As a design concept, the four-door 2+2 boldly leaps ahead to show the exterior and interior design of the next decades. The technology demonstrator combines innovations relating to the drivetrain, suspension, digitalization and sustainability in a visionary manner. The Aicon, too, is designed for purely electric operation and should be able to cover distances between 700 and 800 kilometres on a single charge.

Design study, technology demonstrator, mobility concept: The Audi Aicon exploits every possibility offered by an autonomous luxury sedan of the future with unprecedented consistency. As a design study, the four-door 2+2 boldly leaps ahead to show the exterior and interior design of the next decade. The technology demonstrator combines innovations relating to the drivetrain, suspension, digitalization and sustainability in a visionary manner.

And as a mobility concept, the Audi Aicon shows the world of tomorrow, in which the advantages of door-to-door individual transportation are combined with the luxurious ambiance of a first-class airline cabin. A cabin with no steering wheel or pedals that can thus offer all the comforts of modern communications electronics and perfect ergonomics.

Conventional headlights and lighting units are absent from both the front and rear of this car. Instead there are fully digital display surfaces comprising hundreds of pixel segments.

The Audi Aicon supports its surroundings intelligently and uses animations on its display surfaces to warn pedestrians or cyclists of dangerous situations. Driving modes such as platooning, urban driving or driving at a walking pace can be visualized.

Horizontal stripes of light move from the bottom up when the car accelerates and in the opposite direction during braking. Their speed increases or decreases in sync with that of the car.

The Audi Aicon uses projector modules to illuminate the road and surroundings in high resolution and project signals onto the ground. This enables it to communicate warnings and vehicle information to passers-by with no direct line of sight to the car.

New are the variable control interfaces in the encircling door rail. Depending on the position of the seats, which can be shifted by up to 50 cm, ergonomically perfectly positioned touch and display elements are available in the digitized wrap-around. Your hand instinctively finds its way to the touch-sensitive control panels.

Passengers can set the most important settings by tapping with their fingers without having to sit up in their seats or leaning forward. Operation is also interactive. The PIA system is often one step ahead of the passenger and offers services before they actively chose them.

Even at moderate speed limits, long distances can be covered at a high constant speed of around 130 km/h. Accidents will also be a thing of the past thanks to the highly advanced sensor systems and networking.

A total of four electric motors are located in the area of the front and rear axles, which together produce a total of 260 kW and 550 Newton meters. Each drives one wheel, enabling electronically controlled, variable quattro all-wheel drive.

Maximum acceleration played a less important role in the specification than maximum efficiency and thus also range. This operating strategy is also pursued by the powertrain and electric brake units, which use recuperation to recover energy. Targeted lightweight construction and optimized aerodynamics also help the Audi Aicon to achieve ranges between 700 and 800 kilometres on a single charge.

Thanks to a high-voltage system with 800 volts, the Aicon’s battery unit can be charged to 80 percent of capacity in less than 30 minutes. It brakes primarily by way of recuperation and in so doing recharges the batteries. The car is also equipped with a unit of inductive, i.e. wireless charging. The Aicon manages both without a driver. In an AI Zone, it can pull up to a charging station on its own and charge its battery without any human assistance.

Pneumatic spring and damper units smooth out any road surface irregularities. As a fully active suspension system, it also optimizes the qualities of the adaptive air suspension and glides over even large potholes.

The Aicon will be followed by further multitalented Audi models, each with their own specialized discipline, ensuring that the vehicle range of the brand with the four rings remains as diverse as it is fascinating. – TradeArabia News Service