Skip advert
Advertisement

Audi Aicon gives us a glimpse at the future of transportation…

… which could be an anonymous, autonomous box

Motor shows and concept cars go together like beer and salty snacks, and not wishing to be left stood at the bar with a glass of a fizzy pop and a chunk of chocolate Audi has revealed its Aicon concept car: a 2+2, four door saloon that measures over five metres long, two-metres wide and 1.5-metres high. And with it being 2017, it does of course rely on electricity for propulsion and is fully autonomous, which makes it as exciting as a pint of warm alcohol-free lager and strictly speaking not really a car.

Advertisement - Article continues below

Obviously it’s little more than a look into the future of what a self-driving car with the four-rings of Audi etched into its nose could be like. The bumpf says it combines the advantages of door-to-door individual transportation combined with the luxurious ambiance of a first-class airline cabin; hopefully not one that’s based on a budget airline’s idea of luxury travel. Like an aircraft cabin there are no pedals and no steering wheel, and like budget airline flight there is no inflight meal service, either.

> Click here to read about the latest Audi A8

Longer than a long-wheelbase version of the new A8, the Aicon resembles a glass box with 26-inch wheels and, claims Audi, has a ‘distinct edge that runs as a hard line along the side window surfaces of the Aicon back to the D-pillar – a first in automotive design.’ Which is nice. There is a tenuous link to a proper Audi road car in that the arches apparently carry the quattro DNA of old

Powered by an electronic drivetrain featuring an individual motor at each wheel that allow you to run at speeds of up to 80mph (I can’t help but think they’ve missed a trick here by not setting the speed limit of the future to 88mph…). The four-electric motors produce a combined total of 349bhp and 405lb ft and Audi predicts the Aicon could have a range of up to 497 miles. With an 800-volt charging system the solid state batteries could be charged to 80 per cent capacity within 30 minutes. With the drive units being symmetrical front-to-rear the Aicon does without any mechanical steering components, with each individual wheel capable of turning independently.

Ultimately the Aicon is a look at what we could be travelling in in the future, which on this evidence is an electric glass box with an interior that is more closely related to that of a boutique hotel than of a car as we know it today. Hopefully some more thrilling ideas will be along shortly.

Skip advert
Advertisement
Skip advert
Advertisement

Most Popular

The Nissan GT-R is finally dead after 18 years
Nissan GT-R finishes production
News

The Nissan GT-R is finally dead after 18 years

The Nissan GT-R has finally ended production, at over 48,000 units after 18 years on sale. It’ll be missed.
28 Aug 2025
Four used BMW M cars for less than a basic new 1-series
Cheap M cars
News

Four used BMW M cars for less than a basic new 1-series

£32k will buy you a bog standard 2025 120 or a 552bhp M6, and many greats besides…
29 Aug 2025
Caterham Horse prototype 2025 review – new turbo engine keeps the Seven alive
HORSE powered Caterham
Reviews

Caterham Horse prototype 2025 review – new turbo engine keeps the Seven alive

Caterham needs a replacement for Ford’s out-of-production Sigma engine. Its solution is a 1.3 turbo from Horse. We drive it
28 Aug 2025