Autonomous Audi Aicon To Hit The Road In 2021

Audi has confirmed that it will launch a fully self-driving car in 2021 based on the Aicon concept car.

The German marque took the covers off the eye-catching Aicon at the 2017 Frankfurt Auto Show but failed to confirm whether or not it would see the light of day. At its General Meeting this week, however, Audi said that the Aicon will indeed be produced.

At this stage, it is difficult to say how dramatically the production car will differ from the concept. The initial show car turned many heads, particularly thanks to its sleek flanks, curvaceous body, short front and rear overhangs, elongated windscreen, narrow side windows, and unique headlights and taillights.

Expect similar specs to the concept

Powering the Audi Aicon concept were four electric motors located on the front and rear axles. All up, they produced 348 hp and 405 lb-ft of torque. Rather than developing the electric motors and and battery pack for outright performance and nothing else, Audi opted to focus on range and the concept could theoretically travel between 343 miles (700 km) and 497 miles (800 km) on a single charge.

As we’re still three years away from seeing the production model, it could very well have an even greater range.

When the Audi Aicon launches, it will go toe-to-toe with the BMW iNEXT, a fully-autonomous and all-electric luxury four-door that’s scheduled to land in 2021.