The automobile of tomorrow: the Audi prologue piloted driving

With the prologue piloted driving show car, Audi is showing the world what the future of mobility looks like: The 5.10-meter-long (16.7 ft) coupé represents the brand’s new design language and displays many innovations in the areas of connectivity, infotainment and user interface. What’s more, the concept car’s laser-matrix headlights and environment sensors show how the car of the future is increasingly becoming the passengers’ assistant. The show car is also the embodiment of the very latest technology in piloted driving.

For years, the brand with the four rings has been synonymous with sportiness, lightweight construction and permanent quattro all-wheel drive.
The Audi prologue piloted driving is now offering these progressive elements in a new form. Its balanced proportions put equal emphasis on both the front and rear wheels – a strong reference to the quattro DNA of Audi. The headlights with high‑resolution matrix laser technology open up unprecedented design freedom while delivering entirely new lighting functions.

The interior: architecture and operation are unified
The architecture in the luxurious interior is perfectly unified with the new display and control concept, which completely does without switches, something entirely new. The digital instrument panel – the Audi virtual cockpit of the future – is equipped with high-resolution displays and three mirrors that convey information on a virtual stage with three levels. The front of the instrument panel encompasses three touch displays. On the console of the center tunnel, there is a fourth flexible touch display for climate control, handwriting input and other settings. This display consists of an extremely thin, bendable OLED film (OLED: organic light emitting diodes) and displays very sharp images that are rich in contrast. The front passenger faces his own widescreen display, integrated into the full surface of the instrument panel; it is used to operate the entertainment features with utmost convenience. And it also enables digital interaction with the driver. With a smartwatch app, the driver of the prologue can configure, open and start the car – and even maneuver when parking.

State of the art: technologies for piloted driving
The Audi prologue show car also embodies the very latest technology in piloted driving. A laser scanner, several video cameras, and ultrasound sensors and radar sensors mounted front and rear all interact for data capture. Based on the signals provided by the scanners, camera and sensors, the central control unit known as zFAS (zentrales Fahrerassistenzsteuergerät, central driver assistance control unit) calculates a comprehensive impression of the car’s perimeter and makes it available to all participating systems. Audi will launch its new piloted driving technologies on the market before the end of this decade. They can take control of the vehicle in certain situations if the driver desires.

The drive train: power and efficiency
The hybrid drive of the technical study impresses with its power and efficiency. The 4.0 TFSI, a biturbo V8, works together with an e-motor whose energy comes from a compact lithium-ion battery. With a combined power output of 505 kW (687 hp) and 950 Nm of torque (700.7 ft), the two-door coupé sprints from 0 to 100 km/h (62.1 mph) in 3.5 seconds. Fuel consumption as measured under the New European Driving Cycle is just 7.9 l/100 km (29.8 US mpg) on average. This is equivalent to CO₂ emissions of 186 grams per kilometer (299.3 g/mi).

Power is transferred to the quattro permanent all-wheel drive system by the eight-speed e-tiptronic gearbox. The chassis is equipped with adaptive air suspension and dynamic all-wheel steering, combining high levels of comfort, dynamic performance and stability.

Press contact

Product and Technology Communications
Silvia Saporetti
Tel: +49 841 89 44369
E-mail: silvia.saporetti@audi.de