Or at least, that’s how we see it.
At the just-opened Auto Shanghai motor show, German marque Audi has introduced a new-mobility concept that they say is designed for “the megacities of the future.” It’s called the AI:ME and it’s a rather-gorgeous compact car with a fully-electric powertrain, as well as other nifty bits and pieces under its skin.
First up is the battery, which is rated as a 65kWh unit. There’s a 125kW electric motor mounted between the rear wheels which, according to Audi, doesn’t really need to publicise its acceleration performance stats as this is an urban cruiser. What’s more important is that it’s very good at travelling between 20km/h and 70km/h, otherwise known as ‘city speeds.’
It’s a small car this, with overall dimensions reported as 4.3m in length, 1.9m in width, and 1.52m in height. There’s 2.77m between the wheels, and interior space has been maximised thanks to very, very short overhangs front and rear.
Like any new concept car, AI:ME is very much an autonomous car. But unlike the Audi Aicon Concept, the AI:ME will only offer up to Level 4 autonomy, meaning that manual-piloting remains an option, so the steering wheel and pedals that we’re familiar with remain a fixture in the cabin. The cabin itself is headlined (wait for it) by a wooden-trellis on the ceiling (get it). Despite that fixture, thanks to very thin A-, B-, and C-pillars, the AI:ME remains surprisingly light and airy inside.
In a future-thinking interpretation of today’s technology, the AI:ME deploys Audi’s Matrix LED system a bit differently than it’s used now. The Matrix LED system here not only illuminates, but also communicates, to other drivers, pedestrians, and cyclists. This is particularly important for when the car is set into its fully-autonomous mode. The face of the car integrates lots of LEDs across the darkened part of its face while at the rear, the ‘taillights’ are instead made out as a light-bar that stretches across the rear windscreen.
Evaluating the aesthetics of the AI:ME in a more traditional manner, it’s quite a looker. The face of the compact German proposition marries elements like the Singleframe grille beatifully with the slim headlights and pronounced aerodynamic addenda, while the profile of the AI:ME emphasises the muscularity of the the urban concept without compromising interior practicality.
The AI:ME is not marketed or described as a precursor to any kind of production car, but instead serves as a platform to display how Audi intends to tackle the mobility question in the high-tech metropolises of tomorrow. That said, some of the design features seen here could be adapted onto production cars later on and, with the majority of observers liking the cut of its jib, we’d certainly hope to see bits of AI:ME on Audi’s of the very near future.
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