Earlier this year in Geneva, Italdesign Giugiaro stole the show with its striking Parcour studies. Audi seems to have liked the Parcour’s styling so much that it decided to use it on one of its own concept cars. Being the owner of Italdesign Giugiaro means Audi can do that legally, with the result being called the Nanuk Quattro Concept.
Developed in collaboration with Italdesign Giugiaro, the crossover concept “combines the dynamics of a high-performance sports car with Audi’s quattro expertise on the road, on the race track and also off-road,” in Audi’s own words.
Powered by a 5.0-liter V10 TDI engine and fitted with all-wheel-drive and integral steering, the Nanuk study is seen by Audi as a car equally at home on any kind of road surface, as well as off-road, in the sand or in the snow.
The two-seater study features a newly developed V10 TDI mounted longitudinally in front of the rear axle. Producing 536hp (544PS) and 1,000 Nm (737.56 lb-ft) of torque available from as low as 1,500 rpm, the engine is linked to a seven-speed S-tronic gearbox located behind it. Despite weighing around 1,900 kg (4,189lbs), the Nanuk Quattro study boasts supercar-levels of performance: 0-100 km/h (62 mph) takes 3.8 seconds and top speed is 305 km/h (189.52 mph).
It doesn’t burn much fuel either, with combined fuel consumption being 7.8 l/100 km (30.16 mpg US). Other technical highlights are the carbon fiber-ceramic brake discs, the adaptive air suspension with electronically controlled dampers featuring three levels of ground clearance (normal, 30mm/1.18in lower or 40mm/1.57in higher and integral steering. When the driver steers at low to moderate speeds, the rear wheels turn up to nine degrees in the opposite direction of the front wheels, thus virtually shortening the wheelbase by around 100mm (39.37in) and reducing the turning circle to around 10 meters (32.81 ft).
At higher speeds, the rear wheels are turned by as much as 2.5 degrees in the same direction as the front wheels, extending the wheelbase (in theory) by around 140mm (55.12 in) for better stability.
The car is 4,541mm (178.78 in) long, 1,990mm (78.35 in) wide and 1,337mm (52.64 in) tall, while the wheelbase is 2,710mm (106.69 in).
As our title suggests, the Nanuk looks very much like the Italdesign Giugiaro Parcour coupe concept. The proportions are very similar, with only brand-specific details like the flattened single-frame, large air intakes or the R8-style sideblades being different. The doors open upward and reveal a minimalist cabin that revolves around the instrument cluster.
The Nanuk Quattro Concept will be revealed tomorrow at the Frankfurt Motor Show.
By Dan Mihalascu
PHOTO GALLERY
