The Audi AI:Trail is autonomous on‑road and driver focussed off

It’s the Audi AI:Trail and it makes its debut this week at the Frankfurt Motor Show as the newest in a quartet of Audi AI concepts that preview what Vorsprung durch Technik could stand for in the future.

If it’s like this potent all-terrain buggy we’ll have some of it for sure, but as the AI name suggests, this isn’t all about the driver. This car has been designed with artificial intelligence so it can drive itself, on road at least. In uncharted territory off-road, where even a robot would get lost, it’s down to the person behind the wheel.

There’s no performance data but with a stated weight of 1,750kg and all that instant torque at each wheel it will surely fly. It’s very compact (just 4.15m long), has virtually no body forward or aft of the huge 22-inch wheels and boasts 340mm ground clearance. On its specially developed tyres its potential to blast across rough terrain is obvious, though top speed has been pegged back to 80mph. The range is said to be good, reflecting recent improvements in battery technology. Audi reckons it will go 150 miles off-road or up to 310 miles on-road.

Four occupants should enjoy the ride thanks to a glazed bubble of a cabin based on a helicopter cockpit, providing all-round visibility. We’re not sure about the hammock back seats though. All the driver gets in the stripped-back interior are two pedals, a yoke for a steering wheel, a few buttons, and an attachment on the steering column for a smartphone where it acts as a display and control centre for vehicle functions and navigation.  

There are some barmy ideas here. Like headlights being replaced by “pathfinders” – drones fitted with powerful torches that take off from the roof and, guided by the car with autonomous control, fly ahead of the AI:Trail to light the road ahead. The drones don’t even have rotors; they generate lift the way a bladeless hand drier produces air flow. We wonder if Mr Dyson is working on that…

Audi doesn’t imagine you will buy the AI:Trail but instead lease one for a short time when you need it. You’d pre-configure your ideal machine online – right down to its colour, driving position and cabin temperature – and it would be delivered to your door, complete with your personal music library pre-loaded.