FRANKFURT — When the warm-up band is the Pet Shop Boys, the headliner had better be a knockout. The Audi Nanuk Quattro Concept was, in fact, just that.
The ultraswank coupe, revealed Monday during the Volkswagen Group’s press preview, was something of a tangent for the parent brand, which was focused on electrics and plug-in hybrids. (Did we mention that the Pet Shop Boys’ latest album is called “Electric”?)
The red Nanuk, which has style overtones of Audi’s R8 range — and, perhaps, the gullwing-doored Mercedes-Benz SLS — may be the only 544-horsepower vehicle actually designed to rough it, sort of. It’s no Land Rover, but the Nanuk uses a version of the Quattro’s all-wheel drive as well as a height adjustment system and novel four-wheel steering for moderate off-road capability. Its turbodiesel V-10 — which cranks out 738 pound-feet of torque — is supposed to achieve a zero-to-62 miles per hour time of 3.8 seconds, and a top speed of 190 m.p.h.
Audi did not discuss the Nanuk’s potential to become a real production car, although it would certainly be similar to the R8 line in terms of performance and nonaffordability.
At the other end of the spectrum, VW showed a pair of pure electric models, the e-Up! and e-Golf. The latter, built on the Golf’s seventh generation platform, looks to be a jackrabbit on the road, powered by a sprightly lithium-battery-powered motor that cranks out 115 horsepower and 199 pound-feet of torque.
VW’s commercial unit showed off the e-Load Up!, a diminutive cargo van designed for pizza deliveries and the occasional trip to Ikea, among other functions. The electric van will carry about 50 cubic feet of goods (with no back seat) and could appeal to those who yearn for the return of the Microbus.
By STEPHEN WILLIAMS,Newyorktimes
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