Audi has proudly unveiled its brand new Allroad quattro concept at this year's North American International Automobile Show (NAIAS) in Detroit.

This unique crossover vehicle has been developed specifically for this presentation at the most important car show in the USA and is an appropriate highlight for the brand as Audi enters the 25th anniversary of ‘quattro’ in 2005.

At the same time, this concept car serves as a spearhead in technology demonstrating innovative electronic systems destined to enter series production in just a few years. Including the world first ‘Audi road vision’, as well as ‘lane assist’ and ‘side assist’, the new technologies featured in the Allroad quattro concept are designed to keep the driver and passengers safe under all road conditions.

Through its design alone, the Audi Allroad quattro concept clearly demonstrates its versatility. The elegant sporting character of the Audi Avant is visibly linked to the functional elements of an off-roader, creating a vehicle just as much at home on the highway as on a mountain track.

The impressive size and visual appearance of the Allroad quattro concept, which measures 4.93 metres in length and 1.89 metres in width, provides a perfect match for the many new technology highlights. The powerful engine, permanent quattro all-wheel drive and highly advanced suspension are features quite natural on an Audi of this calibre.

A brand-new power unit is all set for action within the engine bay. Displacing four litres, the V8 TDI, boasting common rail fuel injection and piezo injectors is the world’s most powerful and advanced eight-cylinder self-ignition engine. Maximum output of 210 kW (286 bhp) and peak torque of 650 Newton-metres ensure the muscle and performance of a thoroughbred sports car.

The six-speed automatic transmission means the Allroad quattro concept accelerates to 100 km/h in just 6.4 seconds, with top speed limited electronically to 250 km/h. Now fitted with a particle filter, the Allroad quattro concept is the first eight-cylinder TDI to outperform the strict EU 4 European emission standard.

Audi’s permanent quattro all-wheel drive, featuring a torsen centre differential, conveys the power of the engine to all four wheels both on-road and off-road, ensuring maximum traction and lateral stability at all times - essential prerequisites for the very best in driving dynamics and motoring safety.

This drive concept has become increasingly successful over the years ever since the first Audi quattro all-wheel-drive came off the production line 25 years ago. No less than 1.8 million production Audi cars have been equipped with this technology in the meantime, not to mention countless victories on the racetrack and in rallies attributable to this supreme drive system.

The chassis and suspension of the Audi Allroad quattro concept also offer genuine all-round qualities. Adaptive air suspension, a combination of air suspension and electronically controlled dampers, offers a perfect synthesis of dynamic handling and supreme suspension comfort. Variable ground clearance adjustable from 160 to 210 millimetres enables the Audi Allroad quattro concept to tackle even rough terrain without problems.

High-tech is the name of the game not only when it comes to the dynamic talents of the Audi Allroad quattro concept. High technology in this cutting-edge vehicle goes a lot further, boasting several innovative driver assistance systems which Audi is now presenting for the first time and which will go into regular production in just a few years' time.

An outstanding world-first achievement is Audi road vision, an optical sensor system able to recognise the condition of the road and its surface, thus providing a quantum leap in terms of driving safety. The system not only informs the driver on potentially critical conditions such as gravel or black ice, but also gives the electronic stabilisation programme (ESP) and the adaptive cruise control additional, crucial parameters for even better proactive control.

Audi lane assist, a further feature of the concept car, induces vibrations on the steering wheel to inform the driver as soon as he/she inadvertently leaves the lane. Audi side assist, in turn, incorporates radar sensors monitoring the area behind and next to the car. So once the system detects vehicles approaching the Audi Allroad quattro concept or driving in the car's blind angle, the driver is informed accordingly by a warning light coming on in the exterior mirror on the appropriate side.