BEIJING MOTOR SHOW: Audi Q4 concept

It’s been teased in sketch form and spruiked as a potential new member of an expanding TT sports car ‘family’ and now the unimaginatively named ‘Audi TT offroad concept’ has been revealed.

Some reports suggest the TT-inspired five-door crossover will be badged the TT Q when it reaches showrooms, but we believe it will go by the Q4 name, given Audi’s stated plan to expand its Q-badged SUV line-up beyond the Q3, Q5, Q7 and the all-new Q1 due in 2016.

The ‘TT SUV’ is based on the same transverse-engined modular MQB platform as the Audi TT and Volkswagen Golf, and measures 4.39 metres long, 1.85 metres wide, 1.53 metres high and rides on a 2.63-metres wheelbase – making it about the same size as the Q3 but 80mm lower.

Therefore it previews a compact SUV with transverse-mounted engines driving the front or all four wheels (like the Q3 and Q5), and is most likely to morph into a direct rival for BMW’s X3-based X4 and the upcoming Mercedes-Benz GLC, based on the next-generation GLK.

Confusingly, Benz also chose the Beijing show to reveal its Concept Coupe SUV, which based on its 4.9-metre body length previews an all-new rival for BMW’s X6, for which Audi has no answer – until it releases an all-new Q6 based on the upcoming new-generation Q7.

Still, Audi’s global product development chief, Professor Ulrich Hackenberg continues to describe the TT-look SUV as “a glimpse of how we might imagine a new model in a future TT family”.

“It combines the sporty genes of the TT with the strengths of a compact Audi SUV. Its plug-in hybrid drive with the option of inductive charging is a major step toward the mobility of the future. We chose to present the Audi TT offroad concept in China, our second domestic market, because it represents the urban mobility of tomorrow: It is sustainable, dynamic, intelligent and connected.”

Whatever badge it takes into production, Audi’s newest SUV will come with a range of powertrain options, as evidenced by the 300kW/650Nm  plug-in hybrid system possessed by the concept.

Claimed to consume only 1.9L/100km and emit just 45g/km of CO2 – about half that of a Toyota Prius – show car is also said to reach 100km/h in a sports car-like 5.2 seconds on its way to a governed top speed of 250km/h.

It’s able to travel for up to 50km on electric power alone and has a total range of up to 880km, thanks to its 215kW/380Nm 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo-petrol engine.

The direct-injection  2.0 TFSI mill is linked to a slim disc-shaped 40kW/220Nm electric motor integrated into the six-speed ‘e-S tronic’ dual-clutch transmission via a separating clutch to drive the 21-inch front wheels.

A second electric motor, producing 85kW and 270Nm, is mounted on the rear axle and drives the back wheels, ahead of which is a 12kWh liquid-cooled, lithium-ion battery comprising eight modules, contributing to 54/46 front/rear weight distribution.

The concept also comes with Audi Wireless Charging technology, which is claimed to be more than 90 per cent efficient. Nor, says Audi, is it affected by weather factors such as rain, snow or ice, and its alternating field, which is only generated when a car is on the plate, is not harmful for people or animals.

Interior features of the Sonora Yellow-painted concept include Audi’s ‘virtual cockpit’ from the new TT and online traffic light recognition.