Audi to unveil AI:Trail quattro electric off-roader at Frankfurt

Audi will showcase an electric off-road concept car called the AI:Trail quattro at this year’s Frankfurt motor show.

The firm has released a single teaser image of the machine, and has simply described it as “an electrically driven off-roader.” The image shows a buggy-like four-seater sitting on large off-road tyres, and with large glass elements on the side doors. The use of the quattro name confirms the machine will feature four-wheel-drive.

The machine completes a quartet of electric concepts that Audi has released, which showcase differing visions for future machines. They started with the Aicon concept car at the 2017 Frankfurt show, an autonomous machine designed for long-distance cruises between cities.

That was followed by the PB18 e-tron, a low-slung sports car that likely previews the next-gen R8. The most recent machine was the AI:ME, an autonomous ready city car that showcases a future electric hatch based on the VW Group’s MEB electric car platform.

The AI:Trail quattro appears to have compact dimensions similar to the AI:ME, and could also make use of the MEB platform. That architecture has already been used for the Volkswagen ID Buggy off-roader, showcasing the production potential for an electric version of such a machine.

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