AudiX for Detroit
28 December 2002: Audi will show a 6-seat crossover vehicle concept at the Detroit auto show in January. It is described as an updated version of the Volkswagen Magellan shown at Detroit a year ago, and will form the basis of a production vehicle that may go on sale as early as 2004.
The car is a mix of the VW Touareg and new Audi A8. It has Audi's new radiator grille, which is being used on the 12-cylinder version of the A8 that enters volume production in summer 2003.
The decision to launch its version of the Magellan means Audi will not build a big, high-performance luxury wagon based on the Avantissimo concept from the 2001 Frankfurt auto show. But in other moves, the company is working on a convertible version of the S4 and is bringing forward the introduction of the new A6 to autumn 2003.
The Magellan was designed in Germany under the direction of Walter de' Silva, who was named head of VW's Audi brand group in March.