Amid all the talk about driverless cars, Audi has just rolled out a lustworthy shooting-brake concept that can't order coffee or pilot itself through a drive-through. It's called the PB18 e-tron, and it's aimed at the wealthy attendees at this week's Pebble Beach festivities who buy fast cars and don't much care about the five levels of automation.

The PB18, designed in Audi's new studio in Malibu, California, is a Level Zero car. Audi engineers gave it that nickname, marking its contrast with all the self-driving pods that have been shown lately. With squat proportions, a nearly upright glass liftgate, and wedge-shaped doors, the PB18 blends 1970s futurism—think Marcello Gandini's Lamborghini Marzal and Pelle Petterson's Volvo 1800ES—with an electric powertrain inspired by Audi's R18 e-tron LMP1 prototype.

View Photos Davey G. Johnson Car and Driver

In a unique solution for a car designed for both street and track use, the driver's cockpit can shift from its position on the left, which allows for a passenger to be seated alongside, to a central driving position. By-wire controls allow for the ability to move the cockpit. A transparent strip projects the instruments and other critical information in front of the driver. Oh, and the PB18's cargo hold under the wagonlike rear can swallow 17 cubic feet of luggage.



The lower grille opening connects to the windshield like a seamless piece of glass and leaves the hood exposed save for a thin wing connecting the fenders. Essentially, this layout does two important things: It acts as an S-duct (as in the Ferrari 488 Pista) to funnel airflow upward and over the windshield, and it ensures the driver can see everything, including the road immediately ahead. Other design elements include elaborate LED lighting, side-view cameras, gaping air ducts, and 22-inch turbine-fan-style wheels. Behind those wheels are carbon-ceramic brakes that are 19 inches in diameter. The suspension is claimed to have been modeled largely on the system from the R18 LMP1 racer, with pushrod shocks up front and pull-rod units at the rear, both using magnetic dampers. Below the full-width taillights is a giant air outlet for the diffuser, which can angle downward for additional downforce.

View Photos Davey G. Johnson Car and Driver

The powertrain specs are commensurate with the PB18's supercar looks, but they're less earth-shattering than those of the many high-performance electric concepts that have debuted recently. A mid-mounted 95-kWh solid-state battery feeds three electric motors—one up front to power the front axle and two at the rear, one for each wheel. Total output is as much as 764 horsepower and 612 lb-ft of torque. Those numbers are only achieved during overboost; the standard output is 671 horsepower. Audi claims the PB18 can zoom to 62 mph "only marginally" slower than the R18 race car, at just over 2.0 seconds.



The battery can be recharged using an 800-volt system (as featured in the upcoming Porsche Taycan), with Audi claiming it can refill the battery in just 15 minutes. With an estimated 3417-pound curb weight, perhaps the PB18 will retain enough juice for a couple of rounds at the 'Ring.

We love the PB18's combination of a supercar-level EV powertrain and aninnovative passenger compartment. This concept's powertrain appears ready to power a future Audi sports car—we hope it will be one that retains some of this concept's style as well as its focus on "Level Zero" autonomy.

View Photos Davey G. Johnson Car and Driver

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