Audi has released the first sketches depicting its next self-driving conceptual EV called the AI: me. The hatchback will be featured at the 2019 Auto Shanghai show beginning in mid-April.
According to Marc Lichte, Head of Design at Audi AG, the car should give us an idea about what the electric vehicles the company plans to release in the following 10 years will look like.
No technical specifications exist for the model so far. As for the self-driving system, the car will most likely end up with an SAE Level 4 autonomous driving tech. This means that it will be able to move in a mostly unattended fashion, but will still have a steering wheel and other controls for emergencies.
Audi will also unveil another concept vehicle at the 2019 Frankfurt Motor Show starting in September, but there is no further information on it.
By 2021, the company hopes to launch mass production of autonomous vehicles. The actual production start date may coincide with the 50th anniversary of Audi’s motto, “Advancement through technology”.
In 2017, Audi revealed the Aicon Concept, an experimental vehicle equipped with an SAE Level 5 self-drive system (the highest level possible). It had numerous sensors, radars, cameras and other electronic aids, and lacked the steering wheel and other controls.
Photos: Audi