Compact and powerfully athletic: Audi Shooting Brake Concept

Audi is unveiling a new highlight in the sporty compact segment at the 2005 Tokyo Motor Show: the Shooting Brake Concept is a study vehicle offering a further trailblazing interpretation of Audi's current formal idiom, blending the powerful dynamism of a sports car with a new sense of spaciousness and greater functionality. With its powerful 250 bhp, 3.2-litre six-cylinder engine and quattro permanent four-wheel drive, the Shooting Brake Concept produces a quality of road behaviour that in every respect lives up to its visual impact. The study vehicle sprints from 0 to 100 km/h in just six seconds, and its top speed is electronically governed at 250 km/h.

Its front end is characterised by the striking single-frame radiator grille with dominant horizontal slats in chrome. The tapered shape at the front – further accentuated by prominent air inlets at the sides – and the dynamic cut of the clear-glass headlights give the face its decidedly forceful character. A presence that echoes the characteristic front-end design of the current A4 racing models in the DTM and the visionary Audi RSQ study.

One new element in the portfolio of design features is the upward swoop behind the rear side window. This, together with the wide C-post, accentuates the prominent rear end. This is where the visual emphasis of the Shooting Brake Concept, painted in Bionic White, pearl effect, is to be found: the flat trapezoid of the rear window and the pronounced arching, convex shape of the panel forming the luggage compartment lid are the opposite extreme to the flat nose end. They give the vehicle a crouched appearance, as if ready to leap.

As is typical of every Audi study car, in addition to its design qualities the Shooting Brake Concept features a raft of technical innovations for Tokyo. These include the adaptive damping system Audi magnetic ride, an evolutionary version of navigation system plus with touch screen monitor and character recognition, and the new LED headlight technology.

2005-10-11 Please quote Autoindex.org if You use this news article!