Audi TT Offroad concept debuts as a 124-mpg hybrid with wireless charging

The TT – Audi's diminutive sports car. Since production began in 1998, the two-door coupe has aged with the pugnacity of a grizzled New Yorker, but kept its small proportions. And why would it change, as the arrival of the '09 TT RS proved, adding some grit makes for a rather captivating dish. And so you'll excuse me for being puzzled by the Audi TT Offroad concept. The "off-road" part, specifically.

The TT, a singular model in the truest sense of the word (if you can count both coupe and roadster as one), verges on plurality. The TT will, it seems, spawn offspring – ones that are bigger, fatter and run off electricity.

The TT Offroad combines two electric power units with a 292-hp turbocharged four-cylinder combustion engine. A separating clutch links the lump to a 40kW electric motor, with a dual clutch transmission routing power to the front wheels. The second electric motor, sat on the rear axle independent of the other two, adds a further 199 lb.-ft. of torque to the tally. All told, the TT Offroad delivers 479 lb.-ft., along with a horsepower rating of 408.

While the electric oomph helps propel the small SUV to 62 mph in 5.2 seconds, it can travel 31 miles on all-electric power. Its fuel efficiency ranks at 124 mpg, and has a range of 546.8 miles – around 446.8 miles further than the average bladder.

To charge the 12 kWh lithium ion battery, located on the front axle to deliver a 54:46 weight distribution, you can plug the car into a traditional power source or drive it onto an innovative "plate" for wireless charging. In the curious case of the plate, an alternating magnetic field induces a 3.3 kW current across the "air gap." After inverting the current, it gets fed into the electrical system. And it won't zap you, Audi promises. The charging time rivals that of a regular plug, only it sounds about 186 times more complicated. (Side note: Did you know the all-new Toyota Camry will arrive with wireless phone charging?).

So the TT appears set to expand, both in siblings and, in the case of the Offroad, size. The German automaker has been hinting at these changes for sometime, and this latest concept from Beijing adds further certainty to its reality. But why? We have the Q3 and soon-to-be Q1, what benefit does an off-road TT hold, beyond utilizing the concept as a platform for a technological showcase, such as this.

Perhaps BMW can offer a clue: Expanding when deemed unnecessary cornerstones a German automakers' business. With Audi being very German indeed, last I checked, I guess it's taking vehicular superfluousness to heart.

Whatever. I'm down for the wireless charging thing, no matter how complicated it sounds.