The Audi Prologue concept is revealed at the L.A. Auto Show on Nov. 19, 2014.Matt Bubbers
What is it
Audi Prologue concept: A new design direction for Audi and a clear indication of what the company's new design chief Marc Lichte is going to do with the brand.
Signature feature
All of Audis main products look pretty much the same: different sizes of the same sausage. This is either great or awful, depending on who you ask. However, it looks like that era of Audi design is over.
Speaking to Marc Lichte after the unveiling, he promised us there will be more differentiation between Audi models in the future.
What else is new
Expect the concept to get diluted if it goes into production as an A9, but key design cues from the Prologue will proliferate across the lineup: the elongated single frame grille, the low shoulder line, and the flared arches over the wheels.
In the cabin, all the buttons are gone, replaced by touchscreens.
Lichte also told us we can consider the Prologue a preview for the next-generation A8, A7 and A6 models.
Under the hood
The concept has all-wheel steering, a clever system that enables a large car to handle like a smaller, nimbler one. Power comes from a 4.0-litre twin-turbo V-8, probably evolved from the unit in the RS7. But Audi is quoting even higher power figures: 605 hp and 533 lb-ft of torque. The two-tonne Prologue can do 0-100 km/h in 3.7 seconds.
When can we buy it, and for how much
Sorry, it's not for sale.
Cool quotient: 3/5
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