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Hybrid Audi Prologue Avant Concept Electrifies the Geneva Motor Show 2015

Amongst the world premieres that the Volkswagen Group prepared for tonights show we could also spot the brand new hybrid Audi Prologue concept, this time in Avant guise. After they showed us the stunning Prologue in 2-door coupe build in Los Angeles last year, it’s time to take a look at a more practical approach.
Audi Prologue Avant Concept at Geneva 37 photos
Photo: S. Baldauf / R. Kah
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The Avant is also packed with new powertrain setup, one that has 455 HP and 750 Nm (553 lb-ft) of torque and that promises the world to us. It’s all looking ravishing but the crowd didn’t react too enthusiastically to its unveiling.

Maybe it was due to the fact that the internet was filled with info and photos of the new car well ahead of tonight’s show or maybe it was due to the other model we got to admire, like the Lamborghini Aventador SV or the Volkswagen Sport Coupe Concept.

All we know is this thing looks dressed to kill. It features a similar design to the coupe with the obvious exception of the rear end. The stretched roof and flat D-Pillars will appeal to those that like wagons.

Up front the Singleframe is imposing and dominates the fascia with cross ribs made of brushed aluminum, a material that can be found throughout this car as Audi’s engineers tried to keep things light.

How light? Well, keep in mind that this thing is built atop a new platform that should be even better than the MQB that is already impressive. Rumor has it that the same underpinnings will be used on the future Porsche Panamera so you know it’s going to be good, to say the least.

With a length of 5.11 meters (201.1 inches), a wheelbase of 3.04 meters (119.6 inches), a width of 1.97 meters (77.5 inches) and height of 1.4 meters (55.1 inches) this thing has four individual seats that should be more than comfortable for longer trips.

The interior aims at comfort

The dash of this concept is made up of three displays that offer touch-sensitive controls. The passengers in the meantime can also control essential features of the infotainment via another set of two OLED displays. However, these are removable and can double as tablets.

Using these two passengers can exchange data with the driver and the car’s infotainment system detects its occupants using their smartphones and adjusts everything inside according to their preferences. And we do mean everything.

From the seat adjustment to the climate control and even audio/video parameters everything is setup exactly as you like it, seamlessly. For example, song suggestions are made to the passengers depending on their preferences, since the Prologue also has internet connectivity.

The powertrain is close to production

As we said in the beginning, this is a plug-in hybrid and it’s made up of a similar layout as on the Audi Q7 e-tron quattro. That means it has a 3-liter V6 TDI engine with an output of 353 HP that works synchronously with an electric motor integrated in the 8-speed automatic gearbox that’s good for 136 HP. In total, the system puts out 455 HP and the torque figure rises to 750 Nm (553 lb-ft).

Of course, this being an Audi, the quattro all-wheel drive system is included sending power to all four wheels at all time. This allows the Prologue Avant to reach 100 km/h (62 mph) from a standstill in 5.1 seconds and then proceed to a limited top speed of 155 mph (250 km/h).

Audi claims that this thing can go up to 176 mpg (1.3 l/100 km) and emit only 43 grams of CO2 per kilometer, numbers that are simply too good to be true. At the same time, the 14.1 kWh battery installed on board should provide 33.6 miles (54 km) of pure electric range. Charging it will be done wirelessly but we don’t have an official charging time just yet.
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