Audi reveals Q4 sketch 10 | 04 | 2014
AUDI HAS REVEALED an official sketch of its Q4 SUV concept, the car which is expected to go head-to-head with the Porsche Macan and BMW X4. The new Audi will make its public premiere at the Beijing motor show later this month.
The new five-door concept rides high off the road and shares similar design cues to the three-door Allroad Shooting Brake concept which made its debut in Detroit in January.
And in similar styling to the Allroad Shooting Brake concept, the Q4 concept — which, at around 4400mm in length and 1850mm in width, it is close to the size of the existing Q3 — has been heavily influenced by the new third generation TT.
There are the obvious Audi-family design cues, including trapezoidal-shaped headlamps with complex LED internal graphics, a prominent six-corner single frame grille, prominent wheelarch flares, clamshell-style bonnet, a high waistline and shallow glasshouse, plus a heavily-curved roof line.
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In keeping with the concept's sporty nature, it accommodates seating for four in individual seats: it also appears the rear seats fold flat to extend luggage capacity.
The Q4 concept also boasts Audi's latest-generation engine technology, powered as it is by a plug-in petrol-electric hybrid drivetrain.
Similar to that seen on the Allroad Shooting Brake, it consists of a transversely mounted turbocharged 2.0-litre four-cylinder combustion engine and a pair of electric motors – one integrated into a double clutch auto gearbox and another mounted within the rear axle. Together they provide the concept with a four-wheel-drive capability.
Naturally Audi is remaining tightlipped about specific details of the car until its unveil in Beijing, but it's understood the Q4 concept's power and torque figures are close to the 402bhp and 480lb/ft of the Allroad Shooting Brake.
However, one thing which does set the latest concept apart from the Allroad Shooting Brake, the new crossover showcases a new inductive charging system for its lithium-ion battery, alongside a traditional plug.
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Jim McGill