Sportiness in a new form – Audi is showing the Audi nanuk quattro concept show car at the IAA in Frankfurt am Main. Its crossover concept combines the dynamics of a high-performance sports car with Audi’s quattro expertise on the road, on the race track and also off-road. The V10 TDI engine sets benchmarks for power and efficiency.
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Audi developed the Audi nanuk quattro concept show car in collaboration with the designers from Italdesign Giugiaro. The result is a sports car for any stage of life and for any surface – equally at home on the race track, the highway or a winding country road as it is off-road in the sand or in the snow. It’s crossover concept combines the dynamics of a mid-engine sports car with the versatility of a sporty recreational vehicle.
The two-seater is powered by a newly developed V10 TDI installed longitudinally in front of the rear axle. The powerful 5.0-liter diesel engine produces over 544 hp and delivers 1,000 Nm of torque to the crankshaft from just 1,500 rpm. Its twin-turbo register charging unit is controlled via the Audi valvelift system (AVS). A beefed-up seven-speed S tronic located behind the engine transfers the torque to a specially designed quattro drivetrain. The Audi nanuk quattro concept has a curb weight of around 1,900 kilograms. It sprints from 0 to 100 km/h in 3.8 seconds, and the top speed is 305 km/h. The innovative thermal management with its separate cooling loops and the steplessly regulated oil pump contribute to the excellent fuel consumption of just 7.8 liters per 100 kilometers on average.
The adaptive air suspension with electronically controlled dampers features the next generation of technology from Audi. The driver can manually adjust the ground clearance of the Audi nanuk quattro concept in three stages: normal, 30 millimeters lower or 40 millimeters higher. The system also controls the level of the body itself based on driving speed and the predictive route data supplied by the navigation system. On the highway, for example, the body remains lowered even when the Audi nanuk quattro concept is moving slowly. It is automatically raised when turning onto a gravel road.
Another technological highlight of the show car is the integral steering, which resolves the classic conflict between dynamic handling and stability. When the driver steers at low to moderate speeds, the rear wheels turn up to nine degrees in the opposite direction of the front wheels. This shortens the wheelbase virtually by around 100 centimeters, reducing the turning circle to roughly 10 meters. Handling also becomes more agile. The Audi nanuk quattro concept turns in even more eagerly and is essentially neutral in corners.
At higher speeds the system turns the rear wheels by as much as 2.5 degrees in the same direction as the front wheels. This extends the wheelbase virtually by around 140 centimeters for better stability. On the highway, the show car is firmly seated on the road and masters fast corners and avoidance maneuvers with aplomb.
Components made of carbon fiber-reinforced polymer (CFRP) comprise the outer skin and are finished in Extreme Red. Dynamic daytime running lights accentuate the Audi signature when the car is started and also serve as dynamic turn signals. Particularly distinctive, however, is the switch between the low beams and high beams made possible by the new Audi Matrix LED technology. When driving with the low beams, the show car appears clean and open, but hunkered down and focused when driving with the high beams.