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Another show, another Audi concept! After last year the German manufacturer unveiled its Audi A1 project Quattro, today, another concept inspired by the project we mentioned breaks cover: the Audi A1 Sportback Concept. The new vehicle represents a five-door seater and with its dimensions of 3.99-meter long (13.09 ft) and 1.75-meter wide (5.74 ft) it combines cutting-edge, dynamic styling with optimum economy of space and supreme quality. The new car features under the hood a 1.4-liter TSI engine delivering 150 hp, connected to the front wheels by means of the S tronic dual-clutch transmission. Beside this engine we can find an all-electric engine, integrated in the drive train, which is capable to develop 27 hp and an additional 150 Nm of torque (110.63 lb-ft) . The vehicle can use both of the engine when this accelerates, providing an impressive propulsion - A1 Sportback has a maximum torque of 400 Nm. As you expected the electric motor is capable to power the vehicle alone for zero-emission driving and has a range of 100 km or 62.14 miles. More details and photo gallery after the jump! If you ran out of energy there is no problem because you can recharge the electric engine from any power socket or simply use the 1.4-liter TSI engine. The concept features the automatic start/stop facility but also the energy regeneration! Due to this the new Audi A1 Sportback Concept reduces fuel consumption and emissions with almost 30 percent (the A1 Sportback requires only 3.9 liters of premium fuel per 100 km (60.31 US mpg); CO2 emissions are an efficient 92 g/km (148.06 g/mile)). If you thought the car has bad performances you are wrong! The car can hit 100 km/h (60 mph) in just 7.9 seconds while the top speed is limited to 200 km/h (124 mph). As we said before the vehicle is inspired by the 2007 Audi A1 Project Quattro, but this time the design lines are more masculine. The new concept measures 3.99 m long (13.09 ft) and 1.75 m wide (5.74 ft) with a wheelbase of 2.46 m (8.07 ft) and has a height of 1.40 meters (4.59 ft). At the interior we can find 4 individual seats and a surprisingly generous amount of spaciousness for this class. The dash board and center console are designed around the driver, exactly in the Audi style. The sport buckets used by the manufacturer provide a high level of comfort while the contrasting color scheme used for the interior, white and red, emphasizes the feeling of spaciousness. What is really interesting is that the possible driver of the car can use its mobile phone, of course equipped accordingly, as a car phone, address database, navigation system and audio/video player. Also it can be used as a control unit for some vehicle systems in the A1 Sportback Concept. The good news is that few phones that can do the job, are already available on the market. With the help of an additional software which Audi will provide on the internet for the driver to download and install, the systems can be adjusted from home, using a fast WLAN connection. An interesting feature is that the system offers a security function, giving the driver the possibility to monitor the current status of the vehicle, for instance whether all windows and doors are closed etc. , with the help of the WLAN. If the user sets a parking time with the device, the navigation software leads him back to the vehicle, in good time of course, allowing for the current distance from the vehicle. The MMI control unit in the vehicle is a further development of the familiar design and in terms of feel it is easier to operate, particularly while driving. The Audi A1 Sportback concept features Audi drive select, an option available on the current generation of Audi A4. What this system does, is to enable the driver to pre-select one of the two specially adapted configurations for the drivetrain, shift characteristics and for the magnetic ride shock absorbers. As we said the engine delivers its power to the front wheels due to the Audi S tronic dual-clutch gearbox, giving the driver the possibility to gear in fractions of a second without the use of a clutch pedal and with no interruption to the power flow. If the driver want to change the gears manually he can use the shift paddles mounted on the steering wheel. The main ingredient for the handling and safety is obtained with the sophisticated chassis design, comprising McPherson front suspension and four-link independent rear suspension. Also, the 18-inch alloy wheels fitted with 225/35 R18 tires increase the stability and driving pleasure. The car has to be able to stop in time and due to this, the braking system with its large-diameter discs (measuring 312 mm across (12.28 in) at the front wheels) is more than a match for the drive power.
