Audi gave an excited audience the first views of its moon rover yesterday, as the German car manufacturer debuted the concept vehicle at an auto show in Detroit.
The outing marks the first public appearance since the car firm revealed its plans to develop a lunar rover last July.
The vehicle has been built with a German group of engineers, known as the Part-Time Scientists, as part of the Google Lunar XPrize contest.
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Audi gave an excited audience the first views of its moon rover (pictured) at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit this week. The outing marks the first public appearance since the car firm revealed its plans to develop a lunar rover last July
Demonstrating its capabilities on a stand at the North American International Auto Show, the Audi Lunar Quattro uses the firm’s Quattro all-wheel-drive system.
According to the engineering team behind the rover - one of only 16 remaining groups in the contest - Audi has helped it to perfect a 3D-printing process to manufacturer the vehicle from titanium and aluminium.
With a $30 million (£20.8m) prize for the winners, the Lunar XPrize competition was set up to 'incentivise space entrepreneurs to create a new era of affordable access to the moon and beyond.'
In order to scoop the prize, a privately-funded team has to place a robot on the moon's surface, explore at least 1,640ft (500 metres) and transmit high-definition video and images back to Earth.
Speaking to The Verge, Robert Böhme, boss of Part Time Scientists, said: 'It's really hard to justify a lunar mission now, even if you get it down to $30 million.’
He added: ‘We want to focus so much on science, we want to show that there is the value. There is value that you can take away from being on the surface of the moon.
'It's important to show what could be done.'
A working party of ten Audi employees from different technical departments is assisting the Part-Time Scientists.
Audi has its sights on the moon, and plans to send its Lunar-Quattro all-wheel-drive rover (picutred) to the moon as part of the $30 million (£20.8m) Google Lunar XPrize
The rover (pictured) is powered by an adjustable solar panel that captures sunlight and directs it to a lithium-ion battery. It feeds four electric wheel hub motors. A head at the front of the vehicle carries two stereoscopic cameras as well as a scientific camera that examines materials.
Audi has said that along with its knowledge of lightweight design, it has expertise about the quattro permanent all-wheel drive system and the electrical e-tron drive system.
The manufacturer states the goal is to 'further enhance performance by making additional improvements to the electric motors, power electronics and battery.'
As part of the competition, Audi plans to launch the rover in 2017 to the landing site of Apollo 17 - the last manned mission to make it to the moon.
It will travel more than 236,100 miles (380,000 km) to the moon in a trip that will take around five days.
The luxury car manufacturer added it will be able to provide experience with lightweight materials, electric mobility and piloted driving, ahead of the rover's launch.
The rover is powered by an adjustable solar panel that captures sunlight and directs it to a lithium-ion battery. It feeds four electric wheel hub motors.
The theoretical maximum speed is 2.2mph (3.6 km/h). It carries two stereoscopic cameras at the front and a scientific camera to study the surface. Overall it has a total weight of 77lbs (35kg) and is built from high-strength aluminium, with other parts made from magnesium
Double wishbone suspensions are used at all four of the wheels that can each be rotated over 360 degrees. It also carries two stereoscopic cameras at the front and a scientific camera to study the lunar surface
The theoretical maximum speed is 2.2mph (3.6 km/h).
However, more important on the rugged surface of the moon are the vehicle's off-road capabilities and ability for safe orientation.
'Double wishbone suspensions are used at all four of the wheels that can each be rotated over 360 degrees,' Audi said.
'Four wheel hub motors power the drive system - their interplay makes the rover an e-quattro.'
It carries two stereoscopic cameras at the front and a scientific camera to study the lunar surface.
Overall it has a total weight of 77lbs (35kg) and is built from high-strength aluminium, with other parts made from magnesium.
Launching the idea in July, Audi design engineer Jorge Diez, said: 'We come from the Bauhaus tradition of functional forms and technical precision.
'We have core values that people can see in each of our designs, regardless of whether it is an airplane or a piece of furniture.
'This essence will also be visible in the rover, but it will be interpreted in a very unique way.'
The Google Lunar XPrize, which started off with more than 25 teams, is currently in its final round, and a decision on funding is due to be made in 2016.
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