In 2010, Spanish designer Daniel Garcia imagined a four-door sports coupe concept for the Audi lineup that has come to redefine the future of luxury automobiles. The Audi A9 concept was originally designed as a possible replacement for Audi’s current flagship model, the A8, and was meant to be a shock to the relatively dull and repetitive line of Audi’s luxury automobiles. Using Audi’s traditional design styles and a bit of futuristic innovation, the Audi A9–priced at an estimated $140,000–is a luxury sports sedan meant to compete with the likes of the Porsche Panamera, the Lamborghini Estorque, the Maserati Quattroporte, and the Aston Martin Rapide and Vanquish. Garcia said that he drew inspiration for the design from the modern architectural stylings of Santiago Calatrava that are displayed throughout Garcia’s hometown of Valencia. Being the futuristic concept car that it is, the Audi A9 features the utilization of some currently undiscovered nanotechnology, including a single-piece windscreen/roof made of a self-repairing material that can change color and opacity and the potential ability to change the A9’s sleek exterior appearance with an “electronic painting” system the changes the vehicle’s color at the touch of a button. The car also features an advanced hybrid system consisting of an internal combustion engine working in conjunction with four electric motors in the wheels for an output of 500 horsepower.
Realistically, the Audi A9 that is rumored to be unveiled at next month’s Los Angeles Auto Show and hit the marketplace in 2016 will look nothing like Garcia’s concept and won’t feature its futuristic technologies. However, according to the Audi teaser photo shown here, the company’s new design language and its introduction of the Audi A9 concept will most definitely provide a revolutionary remastering of Audi’s luxury line of automobiles. The Los Angeles Auto Show is scheduled to open its doors on November 18, 2014 (tickets can be purchased here). Audi AG, founded in 1909 by August Horch, is a German automobile manufacturer that designs, engineers, produces, markets, and distributes automobiles. A majority owned subsidiary of Volkswagen Group since 1966, Audi is a member of the “German Big Three” luxury automakers–along with BMW and Mercedes-Benz–which are the three best-selling luxury automakers in the world.
Scroll down to view photos of the Daniel Garcia-designed Audi A9 concept coupe and visit audi.com for more information.
Photos by Daniel Garcia & TopSpeed.com
