Claiming to be the world's first crossover cabriolet, Audi's latest concept car, unveiled at the LA Auto Show in Dec '07, initially seems to be a confusing mixture of messages. But after sitting down with the design team, we were able to make sense of this extraordinary vehicle.
There's little secret that the Audi Cross Cabriolet quattro represents the closest indication of what the new Audi Q5 will look like. According to Jae Min, chief designer at the Audi Design Center California (which they share with VW), it's a little shorter than the production car (because it's a coupe) but the proportions are the same. You will see the shape of the concept's grille, head- and tail lights carried over to the Q5, but don't expect to see either the cabrio roof or two-door bodyshell in the showrooms anytime soon.
Perhaps our initial confusion with the concept is that it's sending so many messages. It's the "world's first cabriolet crossover," it's also a two-door coupe, plus it has quattro AWD and bulging quattro-esque fenders, yet it's also a turbo-diesel to herald the return of 50 state oil-burners to the USA. On top of that, you may remember there was a previous Cross Coupe concept launched earlier in '07, which had a coupe-style roofline and four cylinder TDI engine. But according to Executive Design Director, Claus Potthoff, "that vehicle used a completely different platform and was also a different size. The only similarity was the name."
Classic OffroaderThe Cross Cabriolet's project manager, Steve Lewis, was on hand to demystify the concept. He pointed out that this was the first such concept to be designed and built entirely in North America and that its cabrio roof was a direct consequence of this. He explained how soft-tops are very important to the US market, particularly in California. Claus also explained, "Every manufacturer is looking for a new niche and so a convertible crossover was an interesting idea. But if you think about it, the earliest offroaders were open [think of the original Jeep], so we decided to create a classic soft-top cabriolet because we feel the fabric roof can still exist among all these metal-roofed convertibles."
Jae also stated that a cabrio "makes more sense when driving offroad since it gives you greater visibility to both enjoy the countryside and navigate difficult terrain."
For this reason, the concept was always going to be quattro. It wouldn't be an Audi without it and AWD is de rigueur in this market sector. However, we were curious about how the design team approached the issue of safety. Some early SUVs had a reputation for rollovers, so how did a roofless crossover protect its occupants?
"We have pop-up pillars behind the rear seats and strengthened A-pillars in the event of a rollover," Steve explained. "We also have air suspension like the Q7 that allows you to get the best setting for the conditions."
In addition, the crossover has a wide track, thanks to those quattro-style fenders, that lends a sporty element but also helps to disguise the dimensions of the car.
Each fender is filled with 21" wheels carrying special 265/35 Michelin tires. The wheels have an almost imperceptible two-piece construction that gave the designers flexibility when creating the centers. The wheels were then finished in a tinted chrome, which is also used on the bodywork and interior. "We wanted to add the brightness of chrome, but without the pimpiness," Steve told us.
"We developed a clearcoat in the design studio that is used on the trim pieces," Claus continued. "Audi is a premium product and we try to convey that in the details."
"And so all the exterior trim is actually aluminum," Jae added, "but we treated it with our tinted clearcoat to give it the quality we wanted."
Behind the wheels are ceramic brake rotors that reduce weight, increase service life and withstand high temps. They're 380mm on the front, clamped by six-piston calipers, with 356mm rear rotors.