Audi has for many years been at the forefront of plush and savvy car design. Long gone are the boxy days of the 80's Audi 80s and 100s with their functional and muted design. Nowadays, Audi are seen as the slightly more sophisticated choice of the German executive set, occupying a clever middle ground between the caddishness of BMW and the sturdy suaveness of Mercedes Benz. In fact, Audi has even managed to poach a few of the proud, independent "free thinkers" who would traditionally have just bought another Saab.

The cohesive designs of modern Audi cars are constantly tweaked and refreshed to preserve the image of stylish modernity that has become the manufacturer's trademark. The marque's design concepts draw considerable attention at motor shows and are a clue to the future contents of the four ringed stable. However, it is the independent scribbling of a Spanish designer called Daniel Garcia that has given us this year's most striking image of Audi's motoring future, with his 'A9 Hybrid Sports Saloon Concept'.

So what's it all about?

The imaginatively named A9 is designed to sit above the current flagship A8 in Audis line-up. It is a four door luxury sports saloon, not unlike the Porsche Panamera and Aston Martin Rapide who would be the cars natural competition were it to be produced today. The car's exterior draws influences from the architecture of Garcia's home town of Santiago Calatrava in Spain and has impressive flowing lines with innovative design details to titillate the eye. This isn't the whole story, however. Hybrid propulsion would be the chosen method to power the car along the autobahn but unlike current hybrid power plants, which have a traditional petrol engine and a large electric motor to make up the grunt; the A9 is powered by an electric motor housed in each of the four wheels in addition to an internal combustion unit.

Sounds like cutting edge stuff

This may sound pretty advanced, but it is nothing when you consider Garcia's proposals for the exterior of the car. The single-piece windscreen and roof is made from a nanotechnology material that would actually repair itself in the event of a crack or blemish. The driver could also adjust the opacity and colour at the touch of a button to suit their mood, which would presumably be fear considering the car exhibits tendencies of self preservation like Hal in 2001. This "Electronic Painting" system could also be applied to the rest of the car which could have considerable benefits for people with short attention spans, or those who are trying to evade the law. Think of it as an electronic evolution of TVR's cascade paint options which changed colour in differing lights.

So are they going to make it?

The answer to this question ranges from 'unlikely' to 'definitely not'. The A9 was not commissioned by Audi and is in fact a wholly independent design project. This is not to say that Audi wouldn't consider taking the project on, but I would look to their own A7 concept for a real insight into what is around the corner. Also - and this is a rather large fly in the ointment - the nanotechnology that Garcia has included in the car's construction doesn't actually exist at the moment. Despite a tenuous scientific grounding it is something of a flight of fancy on the part of the designer himself. There are paints currently available that appear to change colour depending on the angle you view them and there is viable technology that uses an electrical charge to change the colour of a surface (just look at LCD televisions), but self healing windscreens are a long way off.

I don't need to worry about my job at Autoglass then? No. Not yet anyway, but never underestimate man's ability to realise a concept.

Written by Haydn Thorne