Audi wants to conquer the cities of the future with the Audi AI:ME

The Audi AI:ME previews what could be the urban car of the future according to Audi: compact, technological, electric, connected and with autonomous driving.

Despite its futuristic look, the Audi AI:ME presented by the brand of the four rings at the Shanghai Motor Show is a very real car. It is designed to improve mobility in large cities in the future. To do so, it comes loaded with interesting proposals.

The first “small” Audi with electric propulsion?

Using the new electric car platform developed together with the Volkswagen group, Audi has designed a compact but very spacious car. The Audi AI:ME measures 4.3 metres in length and 1.90 metres in width. Its height is 1.5 metres, with a wheelbase of 2.77 metres. It is therefore as long as an Audi A3 Sportback, but almost 12 cm wider, and 8 cm taller.

Its bodywork, of a sporty MPV type, does not resemble any current production model from Audi. It does, however, share many features with the prototypes the brand has presented recently. Above all, with the Audi AIcon, another of the brand’s concepts that anticipates new mobility technologies.

The 23-inch wheels and the door opening system, with the rear doors hinged in the opposite direction to the front ones, leaving an entrance to the cabin without a central pillar, are particularly eye-catching.

The electric motor is located at the rear and delivers a power of 125 kW (170 CV). Top speed, acceleration capacity or agility through corners are not the main priorities here. Nor is the range that its 65 kWh battery, located in the floor of the boot, would allow.

In this regard, Audi claims that for a car that will mainly be driven in the city, at speeds between 20 and 70 km/h, range is less important than the vehicle’s ability to make good use of the city.

Level 4 autonomous driving

The Audi AI:ME is conceived as a shared car. A premium mobility solution for large cities, available for use on demand. This would be done, of course, through a dedicated digital platform, with the corresponding app or through the services of the brand’s own myAudi app.

Interested users could order their individualised, made-to-measure cars, and even pick them up already set to their personal preferences regarding seat adjustment, radio stations, interior temperature, number of seats needed…

Once the booking is made, the vehicle would be waiting, parked in the designated pick-up area. And after use, the user simply parks it anywhere and the vehicle can return to its base autonomously.

Exactly, the Audi AI:ME is prepared for Level 4 autonomous driving. This means that its driving without intervention by the driver is limited to specific areas, such as motorways or zones in cities designated for this purpose. In these situations, the driver and passengers can make better use of their time inside the vehicle and enjoy the advantages offered by autonomous driving.

To this end, the Audi AI:ME is specially equipped with details such as the retractable steering wheel and pedals. The communication and interaction systems with the vehicle include eye tracking, voice commands and touch-sensitive panels built into the door panels and almost invisible. Virtual reality visors are also included to turn infotainment content into an experience never before seen in a car.

Lighting: the car that integrates with traffic

A pioneer in lighting systems applied to the car, Audi takes another 360-degree turn with the Audi AI:ME. The brand proposes 360-degree communication between the car and its surroundings, placing the front and rear lights at a very high position so that they are visible from every angle.

Here, the front LED headlights, together with micro matrix projectors, can generate symbols that are identifiable to pedestrians, which can also be projected onto the road or a wall. The car can thus indicate to pedestrians that it is giving way to them. Or the area around the doors can be illuminated so that occupants know they can get out of the vehicle safely.

The revolution comes with the ability to interpret the signals of other vehicles and amplify them. For example, the Audi AI:ME can detect a hazard warning from a vehicle travelling ahead and make it visible to other road users by amplifying it through its LED projectors on the bodywork.

Audi AI:ME image gallery