Audi has turned a classic car from one of its predecessors into a speedy concept electric car.
Revealed Saturday, the concept updates and electrifies an NSU Prinz 4, which entered production in 1961. Dubbed the EP4 (Electric Prinz 4), the project was made by learners. at Audi’s factory in Neckarsulm, Germany, to mark 150 years of production at the site. .
Audi didn’t exist 150 years ago, but NSU started sewing machines at the site, then moved on to manufacturing bicycles and motorcycles. Car production began in 1905. NSU is perhaps best known in modern automotive history for developing the Wankel rotary engine, Mazda then took and popularized. It’s because of living in MX-30 R-EV as a small range extender.
Audi EP4 concept based on NSU Prinz 4
NSU was acquired by the Volkswagen group in the late 1960s and merged with Auto Union, a property of the VW Group. The merged entity later became Audi, retaining the four-ring logo of Auto Union. The previous incarnation of Audi was one of the four brands that founded Auto Union.
The Prinz 4 was produced until 1973, making it one of the last vehicles to carry the NSU brand. The EP4 concept increases output dramatically, from 30hp to 236hp, by replacing the original air-cooled, rear-mounted 2-cylinder engine with an electric motor from an E-Tron SUV (now Q8 E-Tron). The battery pack comes from a plug-in hybrid variant of the Q7 sold overseas and sits where the fuel tank is normally located.
The Prinz 4’s body rests on a modified Audi A1 floor, with state-of-the-art brakes and axles to handle the extra power. The interior receives custom tools and displays, with 3D printing used for many of the disposable parts.
Audi EP4 concept based on NSU Prinz 4
The EP4 is a one-off electric revision, but it serves as a good thought exercise in how compact cars can go electric in a more interesting way without having to get too tall. Overall, even with the extra weight of the battery, it’s incredibly fast acceleration; Audi has yet to reveal any chronograph results.
Audi is developing a smaller car, all-electric A2 city car a decade ago, but it boxed that project, and since then, the brand has focused its development efforts primarily on the high-end market. That includes Premium Platform Electric (PPE) set to launch in the electric version of porsche macan.
Meanwhile, the smallest electric Audi for the US is Q4 E-Trona model that prioritizes practicality and is priced lower than other premium EVs of its size.
