Autos

Audi metroproject quattro

Auto show debut: Tokyo, October
What's different about it: Tiny size; hybrid drive; big, upright grille

As the Audi grille got bigger and cars got smaller, this was bound to happen: From some angles the grille on the Audi Metroproject Quattro looks bigger than the rest of the car. In front, the two-door hatchback has a turbocharged, 1.4-liter, four-cylinder engine that produces 150 hp. Over the rear axle, it has a 41-hp electric motor that can propel the car around town at lower speeds all by itself. As a production car, this could be a Mini-fighter, but it's questionable whether sales volume would justify the expense of exporting it to the U.S. where Audi is such a small player.