Frankfurt Motor Show: Audi nanuk quattro concept to combine high performance & offroad capabilities

By / 11 years ago / Latest News / No Comments

The two-seater nanuk – which means “polar bear” in Inuit –has been designed in collaboration with Italdesign Giugiaro (which is owned by Audi), and is built on the Audi aluminium spaceframe, with a carbonfibre-reinforced polymer body and 22-inch wheels.

Key design features include a very flat version of the hexagonal single-frame grille at the front and dynamic daytime running lights that also function as indicators. Inside, there’s a focus on just showing the essentials, with the design revolving around the instrument cluster.

The concept is powered by a newly developed 5.0-litre V10 TDI installed longitudinally in front of the rear axle. This delivers 544PS / 537bhp and 1,000Nm 738lb.ft of torque, giving a 0-62mph time of 3.8 seconds and a top speed of 305 km/h (189.52 mph) whilst offering fuel consumption of 7.8 liters per 100 kilometers (30.16 US mpg). Power is transmitted using a seven-speed S tronic located behind the engine with a specially designed quattro drivetrain.

The concept features new-generation adaptive air suspension with electronically controlled dampers that offers three levels of ride height. The system also controls the level of the body itself based on driving speed and the predictive route data supplied by the navigation system.

The concept also uses dynamic steering at the front axle, which can intervene at the cornering limit for enhanced stability, with supplemental steering for the rear wheels.

There’s also four-wheel steering, with the rear wheels able to turn in the opposite direction of the front wheels at low to medium speeds to aid manoeuvres, whilst at higher speeds the system turns the rear wheels in the same direction as the front wheels for better stability. 

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Natalie Middleton

Natalie has worked as a fleet journalist for over 20 years, previously as assistant editor on the former Company Car magazine before joining Fleet World in 2006. Prior to this, she worked on a range of B2B titles, including Insurance Age and Insurance Day.