Audi AI:Trail Quattro is an electric Audi off-road concept – a ‘Could’ or a ‘Will’?

With the Frankfurt Motor Show looming, Audi gives us a first look at the Audi AI:Trail Quattro, a four-wheel drive electric off-road concept.

Audi likes an electric concept or three to show what it could do, although the ‘could‘ has always been more prevalent than the ‘will‘ in the past.

In the past we’ve had the electric Audi A2 Concept at Frankfurt in 2011, the Audi A3 e-tron in the same year – and the Audi Urban Concept EV – a couple of generations of the electric Audi R8 and more besides. None of which really went anywhere.

But more recently we’ve seen stuff that looks like it’s heading for production as Audi heads down the electric route, including the Audi AI:ME earlier this year as an electric City Car, and the electric Audi PB18 e-tron last year as what we expect is a look at the next R8.

Now we get this – the Audi AI:Trail quattro – which looks like it should be in the ‘could‘ category, rather than the ‘will‘ category, although it does look like it could be based on the AI:ME.

Audi has very little to say about the AI:Trail at this point – save to say it’s an electric off-roader – but we know from the name that it’s 4WD, and the image shows us it’s buggy-like with big off-road tyres and glass doors.

Is this Audi’s take on the electric VW ID Buggy? Is it a ‘could‘ or a ‘will‘? And if it’s a ‘will‘, is it also a ‘should‘?