Photo: Guido Ten Brink/SB-Medien
Audi brought two new concepts to this year's Frankfurt Motor Show, both featuring different levels of driving automatization. One of them was based on the e-tron Sportback Concept and featured a more tame Level 4 self-driving technology, while the second went all-in with Level 5. That would be Aicon Concept.
In case you're not entirely familiar with these levels, five is a car that not only can drive itself at any time and on any road, but it also does away with the human-machine interface represented by the steering wheel and pedals. The humans inside are guests, and you don't ask your guests to do any of the work.
Most similar vehicles shown by other companies so far could best be described as "futuristic-looking minivans," and that's because they aimed to maximize the interior space and allow passengers to engage in various activities. Think of the Mercedes-Benz F015 Luxury in Motion, for example.
The Audi Aicon is no minivan. Yes, it has an incredibly short hood and similarly sized overhangs, and an almost perfectly circular roofline, but it's still a great vehicle to look at. We'd actually go as far as saying it's one of the best concepts from Audi in a long time. If this is what electric Audis will look like, then, by all means, we're ready for them.
However, the electric powertrain in the Aicon is far from the vehicle's highlight. And it's not even the gorgeous exterior design. Nope, that would be the interior. With glass all around and wood-covered details that wrap around those inside, the concept feels like the cabin of a luxury yacht.
The seating configuration is said to be 2+2, but it feels more like a two-seater with the possibility of picking up two more passengers occasionally. There are two individual front seats that can slide around the interior at their will for maximum comfort, plus an upholstered rear bench that can accommodate two more people when needed. The front seats can obviously turn around to allow a bit of face-to-face chatting.
Of course, none of these would have been possible had the Aicon possessed a steering wheel and the pedals that go with it. The interior would have looked completely different. But just look at it: this is a car that just begs to be driven. What's the use of all that visual aggression if you can't be the one to wield it? Sorry, Audi, but you screwed up. You made the Aicon way too sexy.
Most similar vehicles shown by other companies so far could best be described as "futuristic-looking minivans," and that's because they aimed to maximize the interior space and allow passengers to engage in various activities. Think of the Mercedes-Benz F015 Luxury in Motion, for example.
The Audi Aicon is no minivan. Yes, it has an incredibly short hood and similarly sized overhangs, and an almost perfectly circular roofline, but it's still a great vehicle to look at. We'd actually go as far as saying it's one of the best concepts from Audi in a long time. If this is what electric Audis will look like, then, by all means, we're ready for them.
However, the electric powertrain in the Aicon is far from the vehicle's highlight. And it's not even the gorgeous exterior design. Nope, that would be the interior. With glass all around and wood-covered details that wrap around those inside, the concept feels like the cabin of a luxury yacht.
The seating configuration is said to be 2+2, but it feels more like a two-seater with the possibility of picking up two more passengers occasionally. There are two individual front seats that can slide around the interior at their will for maximum comfort, plus an upholstered rear bench that can accommodate two more people when needed. The front seats can obviously turn around to allow a bit of face-to-face chatting.
Of course, none of these would have been possible had the Aicon possessed a steering wheel and the pedals that go with it. The interior would have looked completely different. But just look at it: this is a car that just begs to be driven. What's the use of all that visual aggression if you can't be the one to wield it? Sorry, Audi, but you screwed up. You made the Aicon way too sexy.
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