Vision of tomorrow

The Audi Aicon is a Level 5 Autonomous luxury car.

Last week, Audi held its biggest event ever in the South East Asian market dubbed as the Audi Brand Experience Singapore (ABES) 2018. Held from the 10th to 14th of October at Singapore’s iconic Marina Bay Sands Expo & Convention Centre with over 8,000 square meters of exhibition floor space.

Audi said it is the first of its kind to be ever held in the region at this scale.

Aside from its full range of models and variants spanning over 30 cars, the Audi Brand Experience’s futuristic theme set the tone on how future Audi cars will be like. The ABES event saw the regional unveil of Audi’s new flagship SUV the Audi Q8 and its first fully-electric Audi e-tron SUV, plus the introduction of Audi’s “cars of the future,” the Audi Aicon, Elaine and the e-tron Vision Gran Turismo.

The Audi Q8 is the brand’s flagship SUV with the sleek profile of a four-door luxury coupe but comes with the aggressive and practical versatility of a large SUV. Inside, it has all the bells and whistles in Audi’s arsenal of tech features with matching luxury accouterments and finishes.

During the press day, Audi also unveiled the Audi e-tron, a couple of weeks fresh from its world premiere in San Francisco. This is the brand’s first all-electric SUV and will soon be marketed in Singapore in early 2019. Powered by two powerful electric motors, the Audi e-tron is a new generation of Audi’s legendary Quattro drive. This new platform features an electric all-wheel drive system that ensures excellent traction and dynamics with continuous and variable regulation of the ideal distribution of drive torques between the two axles, all within a fraction of a second.

Although this SUV has a four-wheel drive platform, it is primarily meant for on-road use, the low and central location of its battery system gives it a low center of gravity, enhancing its sporty character and outstanding transverse dynamics. With more than 90 percent of all decelerations, the Audi e-tron recovers energy solely via its electric motors, tapping its maximum recuperation potential in combination with the integrated electrohydraulic brake control system that makes this vehicle ideal for long range driving. Audi is the world’s first carmaker to use such a system in an electrically powered series production vehicle. Coupled with cleverly designed aerodynamics, this also contributes significantly to its efficiency.

The Audi is not a first-mover in the premium all-electric SUV category. However, innovation plays a key role in the emerging EV market. The Audi e-tron offers the spaciousness and comfort expected in an Audi. Using high-quality materials and fine workmanship, it now makes electric mobility a premium experience. One interesting feature is its optional virtual exterior mirrors–a worldwide first in a series production model. It not only reduces aerodynamic drag, they also take digitalization in the vehicle to a whole new level.

The event delivered a clear message to the market that it aims to be a leader in urban mobility and innovator in the tech and motoring industry with Audi having integrated the concepts of digitalization, urbanization and sustainability into its latest concept cars featuring autonomous driving technologies and electric mobility. It also was the first time that the concept cars had its first-ever appearance in this part of the world, and they represent the ideas that will guide the future of mobility as the region moves towards the era of electrification as the new norm.

The Audi e-tron Vision Gran Turismo and the gaming consoles from the hugely popular “Gran Turismo” PlayStation

The Audi Aicon is a Level 5 Autonomous luxury sedan that shares the brand’s vision for the future. Inside, it’s like riding on a first class airline and the vehicle doesn’t come with any steering wheel, showcasing Audi’s vision of the future of self-driving vehicles. The Audi Elaine, on the other hand is a Level 4 autonomous SUV that also uses artificial intelligence to relieve the driver of as many operating inputs as possible while adapting itself constantly to better fit the driver’s behavioral patterns.

Lastly, born out of the Audi e-tron Vision Gran Turismo from the hugely popular “Gran Turismo” PlayStation game, the real-life Audi e-tron Vision Gran Turismo is the first concept car of its range to be deployed to real-world racetracks as a fully functional vehicle. The e-tron Vision Gran Turismo is used at various Formula E venues to give guests a vivid impression of the future of electric mobility. During the event, the “Gran Turismo Sport” PlayStation game pod has been set-up on-site for visitors to wish to virtually “drive” the car.

To experience the world of Audi or for more information, visit www.audibrandexperience.sg.

Audi showcased over 30 models and variants during the event, including its concept cars.