Audi Avantissimo
The Audi Avantissimo was a concept car by the German automobile manufacturer Audi. The car debuted at the 2001 Frankfurt Motor Show. It also appeared at the 2002 North American International Auto Show in Detroit. Audi planned the car to be luxurious and distinguished, but also very fast. Many of its styling cues are visible on the 2004 Audi A8.
| Audi Avantissimo | |
|---|---|
| Overview | |
| Manufacturer | Audi AG |
| Production | 2001 |
| Body and chassis | |
| Class | Concept car, Station wagon |
| Body style | 5-door Avant |
| Layout | Front-engine design, quattro permanent four-wheel drive |
| Powertrain | |
| Engine | 4.2 L V8 twin-turbo |
| Transmission | 6-speed Automatic transmission |
| Dimensions | |
| Length | 5,060 mm (199 in) |
| Width | 1,910 mm (75 in) |
| Height | 1,430 mm (56 in) |
| Chronology | |
| Successor | Audi A6 Avant |
The Avantissimo had a 4.2 L V8 engine equipped with twin turbochargers. This engine developed about 430 PS (316 kW; 424 hp) and 600 lb⋅ft (813 N⋅m) of torque. The car had a six-speed automatic transmission and quattro permanent four-wheel drive. It also featured an electrochromic roof.
This concept introduced much of the technology later available on the series production A8 D3, including: Multi Media Interface, 6-speed automatic transmission with shift paddles, V8 biturbo engine (similar to C5 RS6), self-levelling adaptive air suspension with continuously controlled damping, electric park brake, bi-xenon headlights with static Adaptive Front Lighting System (AFS) curve headlights, dashboard, driver identification systems with fingerprint scanner.
