This surprisingly restrained technical study - that's Audispeak for a close-to-production concept - is the A3 e-tron, and it's on show now for the first time at the Shanghai motor show. It's a plug-in hybrid, rather than a straight battery car, based on the A3 sedan concept shown at Geneva earlier in 2011. The chassis and suspension are derived from the current RS3 Sportback and it runs on imposing 20” alloy rims wearing 245/30 rubber.
The nuts-and-bolts department comprises a 155-kW 1.4 TFSI direct-injection turbopetrol four and a 20kW electric motor. Together, they can push the car from 0-100 in 6.8sec and on to 231km/h. The 12kWh lithium-ion battery pack behind the rear seats is charged either by energy recovery (engine braking, Cyril) in normal driving or from a 220V power socket when parked.
Audi claims a range of 54km on battery power alone, which means that, for most people, the car would be emission-free in city commuting. Drive is via a seven-speed, double-clutch transmission with paddle shift to the front wheels. A drive select system gives the driver five modes from which to select the characteristics of the engine, power steering and transmission - comfort, auto, dynamic, individual and efficiency, the latter tuned for maximum economy.
The styling reflects the car's hi-tech mechanicals, with a carbon-fibre-and-aluminium single-frame grille and reverse-tapered LED headlights. The concept is 4.44m long and 1.84m wide but only 1.39m high, on a longish 2.63m wheelbase (thanks to its Sportback ancestry) that gives the two individual rear seats impressive legroom for what Audi says is a actually a compact premium sedan.
In typically Audi design language, the sheet metal comprises two-thirds of the car's height, the domed glass area only one third. Lots of carbon-fibre trim, and aluminium bonnet, doors and boot lid, keep the weight down to only 1720kg, batteries and all.
Inside, Audi has given the cyberwarriors free rein: a “power meter” replaces the conventional rev-counter, with a needle that indicates the total system output on a scale of 0 to 100 percent and a second scale divided into coloured segments. The green and orange segments show at a glance where the car is getting its motivation - electric motor, petrol engine or both - and another dial displays the charge level of the battery.
Between the main instruments, a 200mm driver info screen shows the operating states and power flows in the hybrid system in elegant, three-dimensional graphics. Even the aluminium trims around the speakers in the doors and rear parcel shelf extend a few millimetres when the system is on for a visual counterpoint to the surround-sound output.
The car is permanently connected to the internet and the cabin is a wi-fi hotspot; holders for iPads are built into the back of the front seats - the driver still has to hold his on his lap, however.