Audi Prologue Allroad Concept gets 724bhp and previews Audi’s future. Again.

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Audi is delivering another Prologue Concept at the Shanghai Motor Show in the form of the Prologue Allroad Concept featuring a 724bhp hybrid powertrain.

Audi’s Prologue Concept outings so far include the ‘regular’ and the ‘estate’ take on Audi’s design future, and now we’re to be treated to the ‘not-quite-an-SUV-but-Rufty-Tufty-anyway’ take on Audi’s future with this, the Audi Prologue Allroad.

Audi really can’t signpost their future any more clearly than by dubbing their concepts Prologue and rolling out three of the four Audi mainstays of production as teasers (we’re only missing the Prologues SUV now – although that’s probably on the way), so we may as well take what’s on offer as serious, rather than just concept fripperies.

In design terms, the Prologue Allroad gets the new take on the Audi grill, swept-back headlights and a curvier look, together with the required Allroad cladding to add a dose of butch to the proceedings.

The Prologue Allroad’s interior comes with four individual seats, an operating system with a trio of touchscreens controlling functions in an interior that looks uncluttered (and, in the photos. a bit boring).

Under the skin, the Allroad gets the new 4.0 litre twin-turbo V8 and an electric motor integrated in to the eight-speed tiptronic gearbox which is good for a mountainous 724bhp and 664lb/ft of torque, enough to push the not exactly small (the Prologue Allroad is 18.5cm longer than an A6 Avant) Prologue to 62mph in 3.5 seconds, despite which it has fuel consumption of 117.7mpg and emissions of 56g/km.

You can take the economy and emissions figures with a big dollop of Maldon’s finest, but the performance for such a big car is impressive, and although we’re not bowled over by the interiors of the various Prologue Concepts, the design direction is appealing.

But it’s probably time Audi gave up on teasing its future and got on with building it.