Despite the concept car tag , this thing is for real: to test the water , Ingolstadt intends to sign off a batch of 999 units to be sold for Rs 7 lakh each. They will either be built in-house by the Quattro division or by an outside supplier.
Weighing just 480 kg , the outer skin of the Urban Concept is made of carbonfibre-reinforced polymer (CFRP) , while the occupant cell is a mix of CFRP monocoque and an aluminium structure. It’s 3 , 219 millimetres long , 1 , 678 mm wide – so it’s actually longer and wider than a Smart car – but considerably lower at just 1 , 189 mm tall. It is also rear-engined and rear-drive. The lithium-ion battery is mounted transversely behind the seats , weighs 90 kg and supplies 7.1 kWh to two motors located between the rear wheels and supply drive via a single-speed transmission. A full recharge on 230V mains takes about two hours , but , if you have access to a high-voltage power line , the same job can be done in less than 20 minutes.



Accelerate from zero and it’ll hit 64 km/h in six seconds , top out at 96 km/h and have a driving range that’s currently claimed to be in excess of 50 kilometres. These numbers are not yet final , because Audi are using experimental hardware borrowed from the Q5 hybrid , Sanyo R&D and their own E-tron (remember the electric R8 E-tron supercar?) think-tank.
Although the proportions and the packaging have been developed from scratch by the design team under Stefan Sielaff , the Urban Concept does share certain elements with the VW XL1 fuel miser. Among them are the front suspension , the nearly identical rear suspension (but without steering rods) , the brakes co-developed with Continental , the alloy wheels and parts of the driven rear axle.
The sunflower-yellow car seen here is dubbed Engineering Experience Module. It looks less flash in detail than the fully finished , electro-white crowd-stopper from Frankfurt and uses a conventional spring-strut suspension instead of the show car’s more elaborate pushrod design. In addition , its aluminium and carbonfibre tub is stronger , stiffer and heavier than that of the more refined stage two version and the drivetrain doubles the power output from 20 PS and 47 Nm(the show car is pegged low to demonstrate it can be operated without a full driving licence by 16-year-olds in certain EU countries like Italy , France and the UK) to approximately 41 PS and 95 Nm to better illustrate the dynamic potential of the brand-new chassis.
 

Since both the steering wheel and the pedals are fully adjustable by a clever lever and linkage system , finding a comfortable driving position is easy. More surprisingly , given its tiddly appearance , the Urban Concept boasts of enough room for two occupants: the 1+1 seating layout allows the occasional pillion to crouch behind the driver in an oddly off-set and slightly claustrophobic niche.
The cockpit is an object lesson in functional minimalism. All it contains are a push-button P/R/N/D gear-selector panel , two Audi TT-derived air vents , a hazard warning light button and a small digital instrument display panel depicting speed , distance travelled , remaining range , battery charge status and recuperation activity.
The Urban Concept makes a compelling alternative to a scooter , a Smart or a Mini. Youthful , efficient , alternative , affordable and fun to drive , the Urban Concept sends a promising message from a brand that has taken itself too seriously for far too long.
 

Specs:
Price: Rs 7 lakh (estimated , in the UK)
Engine: Two electric motors powered by lithium-ion battery , 7.1 kWh
Transmission: Single-speed transmission , rear-wheel drive
Performance: 6.0 seconds 0-64 km/h , 96 km/h , 50-km range
Weight/Made From: 480 kg/CFRP , aluminium
 

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