---
title: "Audi AI:ME Hatchback EV Concept Will Drive You Around the Megacities of the Future"
description: "Audi believes that with vehicle ownership disappearing in the future, autonomous cars like the AI:ME will shuttle people around crowded cities."
date: "2019-04-16"
modified: "2019-04-16"
authors:
  - name: "Jerry Perez"
    job_title: "Deputy Editor"
    link: "https://www.thedrive.com/authors/jerry-perez"
url: "https://www.thedrive.com/news/27494/audi-aime-hatchback-ev-concept-will-drive-you-around-the-megacities-of-the-future"
categories:
  - "News"
tags:
  - "Audi"
  - "concept car"
---

# Audi AI:ME Hatchback EV Concept Will Drive You Around the Megacities of the Future

![](<https://www.thedrive.com/wp-content/uploads/images-by-url-td/content/2019/04/A194133_large.jpg>)
*\<em\>www.thedrive.com</em>*

Audi unveiled the AI:ME Concept at the 2019 Shanghai Auto Show on Monday, a sleek electric hatchback that aims to be the car for the "megacities of the future," thanks to its ability to navigate itself autonomously through crowded streets [without human input](<https://www.thedrive.com/new-cars/26252/2019-audi-a8-review-tech-packed-flagship-sedan-delivers-almost-everything-except-level-3-autonomy>).

According to Audi, there won't be as much of a need for people to own or drive a car of their own in megacities like New York, Los Angeles, or Chicago, so it's eyeing a future where vehicle sharing and subscription services may become much more prevalent. The AI:ME’s ability to drive itself and be shared plays well with this vision, as it can deliver itself to passengers waiting around town.

![message-editor%2F1555433063030-a194138\_large.jpg](<https://www.thedrive.com/wp-content/uploads/content-b/message-editor/1555433063030-a194138_large.jpg>)
**Audi**

![message-editor%2F1555433107529-a194127\_large.jpg](<https://www.thedrive.com/wp-content/uploads/content-b/message-editor/1555433107529-a194127_large.jpg>)
**Audi**

The concept is built on [Volkswagen’s MEB electric car platform](<https://www.thedrive.com/new-cars/25358/2019-audi-e-tron-first-drive-review-the-vw-groups-war-on-tesla-and-gasoline-starts-here>) and has one rear-mounted electric motor, which produces 170 horsepower and probably a decent amount of torque, but Audi didn't specify. The VW-owned automaker says the amount of horsepower is completely unnecessary, however, and that most of the operating speeds for the AI:ME (assuming it, or something like it actually reaches production) will be between 12 and 43 mph. Those numbers make perfect sense in the context of Audi’s urban runabout vision for the car. The company says low speeds, combined with the [65-kWh battery](<https://www.thedrive.com/news/24241/audi-fined-926-million-in-germany-over-diesel-cheating>), will keep the AI:ME running for long periods of time before needing a charge.

Inside, the car features a cutaway steering wheel (more like a flat “U” than a circle) and pedals that can retract when the vehicle is operating in Level 4 autonomous driving mode. The ability to operate autonomously is measured in levels, ranging from the least capable at Level 1 to fully autonomous at Level 5. The AI:ME’s Level 4 capabilities mean that it is able to operate without human input or oversight (eyes-free!), but only under predefined conditions, like on certain roads or in designated areas.

![message-editor%2F1555433137074-a194108\_large.jpg](<https://www.thedrive.com/wp-content/uploads/content-b/message-editor/1555433137074-a194108_large.jpg>)
**Audi**

Unlike the upcoming Volkswagen I.D., which will be built on the same platform, Audi says there are currently no plans to bring its concept to life. That said, the company will be hauling another concept to the Frankfurt auto show in September, and parent company [VW is hell-bent on electrifying everything](<https://www.thedrive.com/news/26903/vw-wants-to-sell-22-million-evs-in-10-years-will-launch-70-new-models-by-2028>) in its portfolio by 2030, so this is far from the last future-car we’ll see from Audi going forward.

## Author
Jerry is responsible for upholding The Drive's ethos as an audience-first, enthusiast-driven car blog that serves up industry-leading news, reviews, culture, and motorsport coverage. Overseeing a staff of writers and editors from his home base in Indianapolis, he helps curate the site's daily rundown, as well as its medium- and long-term content strategies. Jerry joined The Drive in 2018 as a writer and worked as news editor and managing editor before becoming the deputy in 2023. As a lifelong car enthusiast and racing fan, Jerry believes that all cars are cool, but the people behind the machines are even cooler. This belief often gives The Drive a slightly different focus from most other car sites, where we explore the humanity behind the machines. When he's not obsessing over the day's biggest stories or hanging out at a race track, Jerry can be found behind the wheel of a car, most likely sharing a laugh with his teenage son or daughter.

### Author social links  
[Instagram](<https://www.instagram.com/drive_jerry/>)