At the 2014 LA Auto Show last week, Audi grabbed a lot of attention with the debut of the new Audi Prologue Concept, which was developed by the brand’s new Head of Design, Marc Lichte. Audi says that the new Prologue Concept hints at the new design direction for the brand while showing what we can expect to see with the new A6, A7 and A8.

“When he moved to Audi, Marc Lichte launched a design offensive,” says Prof. Dr. Ulrich Hackenberg, Board Member for Development, who brought him to Ingolstadt in 2014. “His clear philosophy and precise understanding of Audi DNA let him develop a design strategy that is opening up entirely new perspectives for us. It is progressive and highly emotional; it expresses the technological competence and quality claim of the brand perfectly. The Audi prologue is its first proponent – it is a ‘signature car’ for Audi.”

Lichte says that to him Audi stands for sportiness, lightweight design and the quattro permanent all-wheel drive. He said that the Prologue Concept expresses all of those values.

While the Audi Prologue is just a concept – it is powered by a 4.0 liter TFSI engine making 605 horsepower and 553 lb-ft of torque. 0 to 62 comes in just 3.7 seconds.

The Audi prologue is somewhat shorter and flatter than production A8 with a length of 16.7 ft, wheelbase of 9.6 ft, width of 6.4 ft and height of 4.6 ft.

The Audi Prologue is also said to hint at the production version of the much rumored A9.