Audi has been sharing its vision for future mobility at the Frankfurt Motorshow with three debuts.
The new Audi A8 is making its show premiere in Frankfurt. It is the first production car to permit conditional automated driving on public roads. For the first time, drivers will be able to completely turn over the task of driving in certain situations. And with the double world premiere of two concept cars, Audi is also showing how the brand intends to further develop autonomous driving in the future.
Audi Elaine is an electric-powered SUV coupe that in a few short years will make highly automated driving possible – at times even without a driver on board. The driver parks the Audi in a designated area – the “handover zone” – and exits the vehicle. From there, the car drives automatically and unoccupied into a multistory parking garage offering a variety of services, such as a car wash, a package station, a gas station or a charging post.
With the four-door design vision Audi Aicon is the autonomous Audi of the future – with no steering wheel or pedals. The technology demonstrator combines innovations relating to the drivetrain, suspension, digitalization and sustainability. The Aicon, too, is designed for purely electric operation and should be able to cover distances between 700 and 800 kilometers on a single charge.
Audi AI – intelligence and interaction
Audi ElAIne and Audi AIcon – two concept cars whose very names refer to the new, two-letter abbreviation under which Audi is bundling an entire cluster of innovative mobility technologies. Audi AI is the new cipher for a variety of innovative systems that relieve strain on drivers and simultaneously also offer them new possibilities to use the time spent in the car. To this end, Audi AI also uses strategies and technologies from the field of artificial intelligence and machine learning.
Audi AI systems are capable of learning and thinking, while also being proactive and personal. Thanks to Audi AI, models will be both intelligent and empathetic. They will be able to continually interact with their surroundings and passengers, and thus adapt themselves in a better way than ever before to the requirements of those on board.
The car looks to the future
The next step is Audi AI. In the future, the car will process the large amounts of data acquired underway by the various assistance systems faster than ever. It can synchronize and share this data with other road users nearly in real time. With Audi AI, the fully networked car can look roughly 10 seconds into the future – farther than the systems used previously. In short: The car of the future will for the first time be able to make prognoses.