Audi says the intention is to redefine the 'sport' in sports-car with this two-door crossover show car, which will be shown for the first time at the Detroit motor show in January 2014.
Yes, it runs 19" rims and enough ground clearance to laugh off a Karoo middelmannetjie, but this is a car aimed at drivers who, like Tina Turner, never do anything 'nice and easy'.
There's a lot of A1/A3 DNA in there, mixed with an updated version of the hard-edged, almost boxy look that defined the original off-road sports-car - the Quattro.
EXTREMELY COMPACT
It's all of a piece, with short overhangs, strong horizontal lines and a low roof (made compulsory by the success of the Range Rover Evoque), while a prominent C-pillar emphasises its 'shooting brake' architecture.
But it's only 4.2 metres long overall, extremely 'compact' by American standards, and the interior sketch reveals that it is at best a 2+2 seater - but one with Allroad all-wheel drive and aluminium bash plates at both ends so you can play dirty without penalties.
While it's clearly a development of the Sport Quattro concept we saw at Frankfurt in September, is has less 'Wow' and more hard-core Grin Factor. To paraphrase Sebastian Vettel, it could be the Sport Quattro’s dirty little sister .
Audi has not released any mechanical details but, given its size and off-the-tar persona, we'd expect to see a small, hard-revving turbodiesel allied to at least one and quite possibly two electric motors for a new millennium-style hybrid all-wheel drive set-up.
As soon as we hear more details, so will you.