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From YourSITE.com Events Coverage That Audi showed but one new debut at the 2007 L.A. Auto Show, the Cross Cabriolet quattro Concept, might be news in and of itself. The Ingolstadt-based manufacturer has established a cadence as-of-late of numerous launches per show. That new offering was a drop-top SUV concept in a market where largely nobody is asking for or providing a drop-top SUV, which might further provide the impression that Audi missed the mark here. Look deeper though, between the lines, and it would seem that this assumption seemingly couldn’t be further from the truth.
We’re not sure what face to expect from the Q5 when it hits market. The pronounced lower grille lip nose with descending color-matched corners, bridged by a visually floating lower wing might be a bit aggressive for mainstream Q5 production models. That Audi also released several alternative design sketches with the stock press photography makes us wonder if the drawing of the silver car, with its more traditional look, might be adopted for non S-model or S-line Q5s.
Part of that distinctive nose on the concept is assuredly the large trademark Audi grille sans a central dissecting license plate bar, and made up of a new and different approach to vertical chrome strut design. We know Audi likes to design grilles distinctive between its sub brands (straight chrome struts on the S-cars, black cross-hatch on the RS, etc.). Could this be the new trademark grille for the Q-range? There were also some seriously cool details within the confines of the Cross Cabriolet, from the now-solid approach to Audi’s distinctive DRL lights to heated and cooled cupholders geared, we’re sure, for the American market. However, the even more significant pieces of kit on the concept car were those that harkened changes well beyond that of the more obvious Q5.
TDI Perhaps the most important for Audi hitting its future sales goals and CAFE standards is the 3.0 TDI found underneath the hood. The first two models likely to feature this motor are the Q7 and the A4, so it’s worth noting that the latest version of the brawny diesel powerplant meets EU6 standards good through 2014. There’s also the new 8-speed version of Audi’s Tiptronic transmission. With two more cogs comes lower revs. Pair that with the new Efficiency Mode setting for the Audi Drive Select system and this means even further optimized cruising. Each component should be compatible with all Audis having longitudinally mounted engines – from the A4 on up the range. The 8-speed offers flexibility, but Efficiency Mode also employs a high and low speed threshold to cruise control for improved fuel savings and slower cruising on long uphill grades. Audi even projects that the system will be tied into the car’s Navigation system so that it can proactively plan ahead for sharp curves on the route and plan throttle accordingly to minimize brake use. Clever.
MMI While TDI will surely proliferate to other models within the Audi lineup, it’s MMI that is headed for line-wide implementation. Given that fact, an evolved version of MMI shown in the Cross Cabriolet should be noted. Architecture and functionality more akin to your computer are the real point of interest here. The Cross Cabriolet’s MMI interface includes a touch pad similar to most laptops, allowing navigation via mouse-like movement or even recognizing letters written with the driver’s finger on the pad. Even more interesting is the implementation of Internet functionality. While being able to listen to any webcast radio station from around the world via the car’s Internet Radio is audibly gluttonous, it’s the implementation of Google Earth into the Navigation system that really shows a lot of practical potential. Like the current web-based Google Earth we’ve all played with, this means more photo realistic detail is possible on the map display, while access to Google Earth’s search function will allow a driver to find an address or even consider factors such as traffic, weather and even air quality in choosing a given route of travel.
TTS If you are dialed into all-things Audi, then you’ve probably already spotted the similarities between the floating lower wing design of the front fascia on the Cross Cabriolet and the similar nose on TTS test mules photographed lapping the Nurburgring. We hear that the nose on the TTS mules is production, meaning it’ll be much more aggressive than the S-line look. Considering that fact, those following the TTS may want to take a second look at the Cross Cabriolet. The L.A. concept car marks then the first non test-mule implementation of the floating wing nose design, and the implementation of LED foglights on that lower wing is a handsome detail we hope to see implemented on the TTS.
A5/S5 Cabriolet While notions of the Q5 and future TDI product are likely more significant to future Audi sales numbers, one shouldn’t discount the power of the Cabriolet. The USA is the #1 market for Audi drop-tops, and while an open-roof Q5 likely isn’t in the cards… convertible versions of the svelte A5 and S5 coupes certainly are. A detail we doubt will make it into the A5/S5 is the Cross Cabriolet’s unique two-tiered underbody structure that bestows the chassis with more rigidity without adding the usual (and heavy) chassis bracing found in most convertibles. It’s the tall body structure of the Q5 that Audi attributes as reason for the architecture, which leaves us doubtful about its use in lower-slung cars like the A5/S5. Other convertible-friendly elements on the Cross Cabriolet are more likely under consideration for the A5/S5 Cabriolet models. First, there’s the integrated intercom system. Intercom in and of itself sounds a bit misleading, as there’s no limo-like phone device from front to rear. Rather, it’s the intelligent Bang & Olufsen audio system combined with four microphones at each seat that automatically augments voices filtered of wind noise, broadcasting them from seat-to-seat seamlessly in order to theoretically allow for top-down conversations at speed without the need for shouting. Audi also employs the use of “air scarves”, channeling cool or warm air to the headrest of each passenger, blowing it across the exposed neck– slightly more effective than top-down cold-running with the heat on high or air-conditioning in blizzard mode on a hot day. Most significant though, is the convertible top design of the Cross Cabriolet. The new Z-fold roof design takes just 17-seconds to raise or lower. On this concept, it also allows for more SUV-like rear tailgate access. The trick design uses the top’s gas springs to lift the roof open at the rear. Combined with a hinged rear window glass, the convertible SUV concept has a load width of 45.6 inches and 41.3 inches tall. We know the A5/S5 Cabriolet will employ a fabric top, foregoing the segmented folding metal roof found on its chief competitor: the BMW 3-Series convertible. Purely speculating, we can’t help but wonder if Audi wouldn’t consider the Z-fold roof of the Cross Cabriolet for the A5/S5. Think of it. The rumored and primarily debunked A5/S5 shooting brake could be a reality with a folding convertible roof. Top-down, you have a fantastic-looking convertible. Top-up, the car could have a more functional Avant-like luggage compartment. To be clear, this is purely conjecture on our part. However, that Audi chose to showcase such clever design on a concept unlikely for production makes us think there were more reasons than the Cross Cabriolet to be so clever.
Presentation in LA Of course, the nuanced potential significance of the Cross Cabriolet to the Audi lineup wasn’t the focus in Los Angeles. That the concept is a preview of the upcoming Q5 was the main point of the presentation, though we can’t help but wonder about so many of the details and how they’ll effect other models entirely. It should be noted also that Audi’s presentation included a cameo by world-renowned architect Frank Gehry. While the celeb-factor of the iconic designer (and admitted Audi owner) may be lost in L.A. where everyone is at least almost famous, it is certainly worth a mention. No, he’s not the latest face to star opposite whoever’s hottest actor in Hollywood, but the man behind such works as the titanium-skinned Guggenheim Museum in Spain is much more significant to those enthusiasts of design. Audi and design go hand-in hand – a point that is driven home with authority when Frank Gehry shakes hands on stage with Audi execs and shares that he’s an Audi driver. Gehry’s not an obvious choice for L.A., but neither’s a convertible SUV concept. For Audi though, both the architect and the concept seem to define the brand’s current direction in some very interesting ways.
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