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AUDI AICON
This is a four-door 2+2 electric autonomous vehicle. On the inside there is no
steering wheel. No pedals. But there is an innovating seating setup for the front
passengers, as the seats are mounted on a heavily carpeted platform that allows
longitudinal movement of up to 19.7 inches fore and aft. There is also an array of
screens, interfaces and "PIA," which (who?) is described as an "empathetic electronic
vehicle assistant." Presumably, this is Siri's granddaughter.
Aicon is a D-segment sedan that is 214 inches long, 82.6 inches wide, 59 inches
high, and has a 136.6-inch wheelbase (which is 9.4 inches greater than the new A8).
The exterior design emphasizes the glass that's used in the cabin. Fender flares
emphasize Audi's quattro. (Yes, as this is a concept car, those are 26-inch wheels, and
each of the wheels is driven by electric motors.) There is no B-pillar; the back doors
are rear hinged. Notably, the front is absent any conventional headlights. Rather,
there is a light field on either side of the grille (a.k.a., "Singleframe," the inverted
hexagon shape that is going to be signature for Audi electric vehicles) an array of
more than 600 3D pixels that allow lighting to be precisely programmed for condi-
tions. There is a similar setup on the rear of the vehicle.
Rather than moving on
rails, the front seats in
the Aicon are platform
based. The platform can
be adjusted, and the
seats rotated.
DESIGN
AD&P; ∕ NOVEMBER 2017