Tokyo motor show - Audi Metroproject Quattro

Audi has a history of showing concept cars that get turned into production cars pretty much unchanged.

So for Audi Metroproject Quattro, read Audi A1 - the car that’ll launch the brand into the lucrative premium supermini market in 2009.

At 3910mm long and 1750mm wide, it’s shorter and only slightly wider than a Ford Fiesta, but still quite a bit smaller than Audi’s small hatch favourite, the A3.

Power for the concept car comes from a combination of 150bhp turbocharged 1.4-litre petrol engine driving the front wheels, and a 41bhp electric motor providing additional acceleration via the rear wheels when required.

Both can work independently of the other, but work together when more power is needed.

This hybrid technology reduces fuel consumption by around 15% meaning an average of 57.6mpg. Emissions are super-low at only 112 g/km of CO2

A semi-automatic, clutchless, S-tronic double-clutch gearbox that pre-selects the next gear powers the front wheels, although the driver can change gear manually using paddles behind the steering wheel. The 0-62mph time is 7.8 seconds and the top speed is 124mph.

In towns and at low-speeds, the electric motor can power the car with zero emissions.

The lithium-ion battery has a range of 100km (62 miles) in pure electric mode and top speed is a reasonable 62mph.

It also benefits from a stop/start system, plus energy-regeneration systems that scan the car's route and use downhill sections to recharge the battery, although it can also be topped up from a power point.

The car benefits from the same Audi Drive Select system that can be ordered as an option on the new A4. This allows the driver to adapt the suspension, steering and transmission to suit his driving style.

The three-door, four-seater has 240 litres of luggage space despite the presence of the electric engine in the back, which can be illuminated and viewed through a glass panel in a similar fashion to the R8 supercar's engine.

Other quirks that may not go beyond the concept stage include a thermos flask station in the centre console, which features a unique warming and cooling system, and an Audi Mobile Device (AMD), which combines the features of car keys, a mobile phone, navigation unit and audio and video player into one item.

Additional features of AMD include allowing the holder to programme items such as the car's cabin temperature from inside his home, and a security system which beams images from inside the car to a screen on the unit.

The Metroproject Quattro's interior draws on Audi's TT, with round dials and jet plane-style air vents adding to the car's tidy, no-frills appearance.