mollyshannis: Audi's electric Urban Concept says that less is more, really means it

Thursday, September 15, 2011

Audi's electric Urban Concept says that less is more, really means it

You don't have to by an exotic, race-bred sportscar to get something made of carbon fiber with exposed suspension and racy looks. Thanks to Audi, you can actually go quite far to the opposite end of the spectrum. Meet the Urban Concept, a little guy with a big heart and just two seats -- offset slightly to give both driver and passenger maximum shoulder space in a decidedly slender chassis. With just 20 horsepower on tap it will hardly light your world afire, but weighing only 480kg (just over 1,000 pounds) and featuring a racy pushrod suspension, it should be quite the corner-carver.

Power comes from a 7.1kWh battery pack that's inductively charged, meaning no need to plug in at the end of the day. A 45 mile radius means you won't be getting far out of town, but Audi did call this the Urban Concept, after all. (Presumably a future "Suburban Concept" would ship would ship with bigger batteries.) Audi crafted both Sportback (with roof) and Spyder (without) versions but didn't say when -- or more importantly if -- either version will ever see production.

Gallery: Audi Urban Concept