What is it?
Audi Avantissimo Concept
What's special about it?
Audi brings the Avant concept to the super-luxury class with the unveiling of the Avantissimo concept wagon at the 2001 Frankfurt Motor Show. Highlights include an innovative Multi-Media Interface (MMI), a 430-horsepower V8 engine with quattro all-wheel drive, aluminum Audi Space Frame (ASF) body construction and "varilite" glass tinting technology.
Audi's innovative MMI, which links information and communications systems from audio to the Internet, is similar in concept to BMW iDrive, which also debuted in Frankfurt on the redesigned BMW 7 Series. Avantissimo includes TV screens and a DVD player for rear passengers, while a fingerprint scanner identifies the driver and adjusts the seats, stereo, mirrors and other features to that driver's preferences.
Displacing 4.2 liters, Avantissimo's twin-turbo V8 makes 430 horsepower and drives all four wheels through a six-speed automatic transmission with steering wheel-mounted shift paddles. Underpinning the Avantissimo is a sophisticated aluminum four-wheel independent suspension with continuously variable air springs at all four corners. Not only can this suspension be set to three different levels (Automatic, Sport and Comfort), but also ride height can be adjusted for extra ground clearance or to maintain a low center of gravity for high-speed driving. In case things get out of hand, Electronic Stability Program (ESP) and brake assist technology are on board to help keep the Avantissimo under control.
Avantissimo puts large wheels and tires between occupants and the road. Michelin's PAX tire technology allows the car to travel on a flat tire at moderate speed for about 50 miles without worry that the tire will separate from the rim. An air pressure monitor helps keep the driver informed about the state of tire inflation.
Bi-xenon headlights with clear glass lenses have Audi's new Advanced Lighting System (ALS), which alters the light beam pattern when the car is cornering to match the driver's viewing angle. ALS operates, in part, on information from the navigation system to predict a turn and illuminate the road properly.
Avantissimo's sandwich glass roof is equipped with photo-voltaic elements that store solar energy and operate the car's blower to keep the interior cool on hot days. The glass, through "varilite" technology, darkens automatically as ambient light increases. This "varilite" technology also allows individual passengers to darken the glass in their seating areas, and is employed for the top portion of the windshield to act as a high-tech sun visor. Indirect roof lighting illuminates the cabin after dark.
Deep-pile carpet, light-colored naturally tanned leather and dark ash wood equate to a warm, rich, inviting cabin. Classically modern interior design elements are evident in the cabin, such as curved wood seatbacks and high-contrast colors. Both front seats are power adjustable and the rear seats, on either side of a full-length center console, can be reclined and the bottom cushions can slide forward, just like the seats in an airliner's first-class cabin. When maximum cargo capacity is required, they automatically fold. All seating positions boast a massage feature. High-quality seagoing luggage inspired the trim in the cargo area, evidenced in the leather-trimmed aluminum load rails. The cargo compartment also has an underfloor drawer that can be slid out to make loading easier.
Why should you care?
Reporters and onlookers swamped this car the entire time it was on the floor at the Frankfurt Motor Show. It was beautiful, inside and out, something even we couldn't resist. With Audi preparing a new flagship Audi A8, is it possible that it really will extend the Avant lineup into the super-luxury class? The well-heeled can only hope. — Christian Wardlaw
Audi Avantissimo Concept
What's special about it?
Audi brings the Avant concept to the super-luxury class with the unveiling of the Avantissimo concept wagon at the 2001 Frankfurt Motor Show. Highlights include an innovative Multi-Media Interface (MMI), a 430-horsepower V8 engine with quattro all-wheel drive, aluminum Audi Space Frame (ASF) body construction and "varilite" glass tinting technology.
Audi's innovative MMI, which links information and communications systems from audio to the Internet, is similar in concept to BMW iDrive, which also debuted in Frankfurt on the redesigned BMW 7 Series. Avantissimo includes TV screens and a DVD player for rear passengers, while a fingerprint scanner identifies the driver and adjusts the seats, stereo, mirrors and other features to that driver's preferences.
Displacing 4.2 liters, Avantissimo's twin-turbo V8 makes 430 horsepower and drives all four wheels through a six-speed automatic transmission with steering wheel-mounted shift paddles. Underpinning the Avantissimo is a sophisticated aluminum four-wheel independent suspension with continuously variable air springs at all four corners. Not only can this suspension be set to three different levels (Automatic, Sport and Comfort), but also ride height can be adjusted for extra ground clearance or to maintain a low center of gravity for high-speed driving. In case things get out of hand, Electronic Stability Program (ESP) and brake assist technology are on board to help keep the Avantissimo under control.
Avantissimo puts large wheels and tires between occupants and the road. Michelin's PAX tire technology allows the car to travel on a flat tire at moderate speed for about 50 miles without worry that the tire will separate from the rim. An air pressure monitor helps keep the driver informed about the state of tire inflation.
Bi-xenon headlights with clear glass lenses have Audi's new Advanced Lighting System (ALS), which alters the light beam pattern when the car is cornering to match the driver's viewing angle. ALS operates, in part, on information from the navigation system to predict a turn and illuminate the road properly.
Avantissimo's sandwich glass roof is equipped with photo-voltaic elements that store solar energy and operate the car's blower to keep the interior cool on hot days. The glass, through "varilite" technology, darkens automatically as ambient light increases. This "varilite" technology also allows individual passengers to darken the glass in their seating areas, and is employed for the top portion of the windshield to act as a high-tech sun visor. Indirect roof lighting illuminates the cabin after dark.
Deep-pile carpet, light-colored naturally tanned leather and dark ash wood equate to a warm, rich, inviting cabin. Classically modern interior design elements are evident in the cabin, such as curved wood seatbacks and high-contrast colors. Both front seats are power adjustable and the rear seats, on either side of a full-length center console, can be reclined and the bottom cushions can slide forward, just like the seats in an airliner's first-class cabin. When maximum cargo capacity is required, they automatically fold. All seating positions boast a massage feature. High-quality seagoing luggage inspired the trim in the cargo area, evidenced in the leather-trimmed aluminum load rails. The cargo compartment also has an underfloor drawer that can be slid out to make loading easier.
Why should you care?
Reporters and onlookers swamped this car the entire time it was on the floor at the Frankfurt Motor Show. It was beautiful, inside and out, something even we couldn't resist. With Audi preparing a new flagship Audi A8, is it possible that it really will extend the Avant lineup into the super-luxury class? The well-heeled can only hope. — Christian Wardlaw
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