Audi RSQ e-tron breaks cover

The Audi RSQ e-tron sports car is an all-electric, fully autonomous car that will make its big screen debut in the 2019 film 'Spies in Disguise', and provides a few hints as to how Audi's next R8 sports car will be styled.

Will Smith plays Lance Sterling, a super spy who naturally requires a pretty special car and according to Audi the RSQ e-tron EV blends autonomous driving with AI and 'transformational technology'.

The fancy-looking sports car could also provide an insight to the luxury German brand's evolving design ethos. Although it's unlikely this car will be the spitting image of the next-generation Audi R8 or an upcoming high-performance EV, some of the design elements could make their way into future production models.

The sleek two-seat sports car also has a pretty fancy interior with a holographic speedometer and the steering wheel folds away when it switches to self-driving mode.

"Audi takes a digital, forward-looking approach to the design process, both in developing fictional content and in the production modeling studio," said Frank Rimili, the boss of Audi's Exterior Design Studio 3.

"At Audi Design, we combine state-of-the-art digital visualisation techniques with handmade precision. These processes enable us to implement futuristic design ideas with the same precision in the development of a fictional virtual concept vehicle such as the RSQ e-tron."

It's not clear how much Audi paid to have the fully-realised concept car inserted in the movie, but the idea behind the fantasy product placement is to promote Audi's e-tron EV brand. Audi and Smith have previously teamed up on screen, with Audi supplying the innovative RSQ concept car for the 2004 sci-fi film, 'I, Robot'.

Audi reckons that by 2025 it will have 12 different EVs wearing e-tron badges and that all of them will be sold in Australia.

The first Audi e-tron SUV will arrive in Australia in 2019 and will cost around $140,000. It will pump out 300kW of power and boast a driving range of around 400km.