Audi has put its best foot forward to persuade people to its stand, in fact an entire hall at the 2013 Frankfurt Motor Show. The German giant recreated an entire district of Frankfurt hanging from the ceiling. The streets were replaced with mirrors as well as the outside of the building had mirrors on the bottom 4 meter to make the whole stand look like its floating in air. This entire concept was made to infinitely extend the urban landscapes and establish a relationship between the visitors and the Audi models on display.
Audi had almost its entire range of cars on display, starting from A1 all way to A8 along with their sportier S versions. The two concepts that were launched to attract attention were the Nanuk Quattro concept and Sport Quattro Concept. Along with these, the face lifted S8 and A8 also made their debut at the 2013 Frankfurt Motor Show.
The new A8 and S8 have received a modest facelift this year, with a new front bumper, a revised hood, all new matrix LED headlamps and a modified single-frame grille. The interiors are kept pretty much same with very subtle changes on offer. There are now several updated assistance systems like park assist, a head-up display and the active lane assist which makes slight steering adjustments to keep you safe on the road.
Various powertrain options are available to choose from. A hybridized 2.0-liter TFSI four-cylinder with 245 HP, a 3.0-liter TFSI V6 with 310 HP, a 4.0-liter TFSI V8 with 435 HP, a 4.0-liter TFSI V8 with 520 HP, a 6.3-liter W12 with 500 HP, a 3.0-liter TDI V6 with 258 HP, and a 4.2-liter TDI V8 with 385 HP.
There was a surprise debut in the form of the Nanuk Quattro concept. The car is a diesel powered crossover supercar that can travel on road and off it without any problems. Nanuk has been given active suspension with works in conjunction with the navigation concept to change the ride height to suit the requirements.
Powered by a 5.2 V10 diesel engine producing 744 bhp and a 1000 Nm of torque, the car can do 0-100 kmph in just 3.8 seconds, going all the way up to 305 kmph. Weighing almost 2 tonnes, the car is stopped using carbon ceramic brakes that ensures complete control over the car. On the technology front, the car comes equipped with body level control, an air suspension that has electronically-controlled dampers. The Nanuk concept also comes with integral steering system, which at low speeds turns the rear wheels up to nine degrees in the opposite direction, while at higher speeds all wheels are turned in the same direction.
The second show stopper was the Audi Sport quattro concept, which is the spiritual successor to the company’s very successful sport quattro rally car. This concept is a 700 bhp plug in hybrid that is powered by a 4.0-liter V8 engine and a disc-shaped electric motor that is located between the engine.
The styling is kept very similar to the earlier sport quattro concept with some omissions to make it more production ready. The sport quattro concept also gets the company’s new matrix LED technology based head lamps. A hexagonal single-frame grille, a carbon fiber reinforced plastic front splitter and 21-inch alloy wheels add to the sportiness of the car. The interiors are kept minimalist and driver-focused with a flat-bottomed steering wheel, racing seats and simplified controls. The concept also has a three dimensional instrument cluster, carbon fiber trim and metallic accents all around.
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