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Up till this level, the electrical automobile revolution has been about as thrilling as taking part in Centipede in your Tesla whereas ready for it to cost. Certain, they’re quick in a straight line and save the polar bears, however most EVs have all of the visible attraction of a fridge that somebody stretched right into a car-like silhouette. They’re sensible, environment friendly, and soul-crushingly boring.
Which is why Audi’s new Idea C has pulled me from drowning in a sea of bland EV SUVs.
For the primary time in years — possibly ever — an automaker has created an electrical automobile that doesn’t apologize for being electrical. The Idea C doesn’t disguise behind pretend grilles or faux to be one thing it’s not. As a substitute, it embraces what EVs will be: glossy, minimalist, and refreshingly trustworthy about their electrical nature.
The Loss of life of the Boring EV Field
Thank God. Audi isn’t giving us one other crossover. In an automotive panorama the place every thing has been SUV-ified into oblivion, somebody lastly remembered that vehicles will be low, glossy, and designed to slice by air moderately than haul soccer gear and grocery baggage. The Idea C is a correct sports activities automobile: a two-seater with an electrically retractable roof that will make a Miata jealous.
At 178 inches lengthy and simply 50.3 inches tall, this factor seems prefer it was carved by the wind. Examine that to the bloated proportions of most EVs, which appear designed by committee conferences about “shopper preferences” and “cargo house necessities.” The Idea C says overlook all that — let’s make one thing lovely.
The automotive business has been treating electrical propulsion like a crucial evil, one thing to be hidden behind conventional styling cues and traditional pondering. However electrical energy provides design freedom that inside combustion by no means may. No engine bay to accommodate. No transmission tunnel. No exhaust pipes to route. EVs ought to look totally different as a result of they’re basically totally different.
Audi lastly will get this. The Idea C’s “radical simplicity” philosophy strips away the visible litter that has plagued fashionable automobile design. These three horizontal slats the place a rear window could be? That’s not simply styling: it’s a press release that this automobile doesn’t must comply with outdated guidelines.
Inside, the minimalist method continues with what Audi calls “shy tech.” The infotainment display can fold away into the dashboard like a well mannered houseguest, leaving you with precise bodily controls comprised of actual supplies. Revolutionary idea, apparently: buttons that yow will discover with out taking your eyes off the street.
However right here’s the factor that may actually excite fans: this isn’t simply one other fairly face with golf cart efficiency. At 3,726 kilos, the Idea C weighs about the identical as a gas-powered Porsche 718 Cayman. That’s genuinely spectacular for an EV, which usually pack on kilos like vacationers at an all-you-can-eat buffet. The 800-volt electrical system guarantees ultra-fast charging, addressing one of many few remaining reputable issues about electrical sports activities vehicles.
The platform helps each rear-wheel and all-wheel drive configurations, that means Audi may provide every thing from a purist’s rear-drive particular to an all-weather monster that will embarrass most supercars within the snow.
The Sports activities Automotive Revival We Want
Maybe most significantly, the Idea C represents hope that EVs would possibly lastly develop some character. For too lengthy, electrical automobiles have been targeted on being environment friendly, accountable, and fully forgettable. The identical LED gentle strip headlights. The featureless, boxy physique. They’ve been designed for individuals who see vehicles as home equipment moderately than objects of need.
However sports activities vehicles have all the time been about greater than transportation. They’re concerning the relationship between human and machine, concerning the pleasure of driving for its personal sake. The truth that Audi selected to showcase their new design language with a sports activities automobile moderately than one other SUV suggests they perceive this elementary fact.
The manufacturing model arrives in 2027, and Audi guarantees it can look practically similar to this idea. In the event that they comply with by, it may mark a turning level: the second when EVs stopped being penance for our environmental sins and began being genuinely fascinating objects. Whereas EVs are sometimes seen as extra about creature comforts and expertise than the expertise of driving, the Idea C may bridge that hole, proving you possibly can really feel engaged and alive in a automobile that’s powered by a battery. Actually, it might provide the spark you’ve been needing.
