The Audi Prologue Allroad is the third iteration of the concept to show up an auto show. They hybrid hits the stand at Auto Shanghai next week.

Audi offered up a hint of its future when it lifted the wraps off the striking Prologue concept at the L.A. Auto Show last autumn, then followed up with a second take at the Geneva Motor Show last month in the form of the Prologue Avant. A third iteration will make its debut at Auto Shanghai next week, and like the two earlier concepts, it is expected to offer a glimpse of the future for the German luxury brand.

Dubbed the Audi Prologue Allroad, it is meant to show how the maker’s current soft-roader is set to evolve. And that’s not just from a design standpoint. The new model also gets a 724-horsepower plug-in hybrid drivetrain, and a wide variety of high-tech safety, comfort and convenience features.

Calling it, “a car combining the comfort and dynamics of the luxury class with maximum variability and masterful off-road capability,” Audi says the Prologue Allroad concept “reflects a fresh interpretation of the typical Allroad themes, providing a clear glimpse into the brand’s design future. The design of the Audi Prologue Allroad accentuates the elegance and uniqueness of the Allroad concept.”

The basic design cues of the Allroad version pick up on what we’ve seen with the earlier Prologue concepts. Up front, the show car adopts what Audi describes as an “organically integrated” version of its familiar Singleframe grille. It’s both lower and wider than what’s used on current models, with cross ribs of brushed aluminum intended to pick up on the cues first seen on Audi’s e-Tron models.

The Prologue Allroad uses a hybrid powertrain to put out 724 horsepower and a zero-to-62.5 mph time of 3.5 seconds.

The car features wide, wedge-shaped headlamps using high-powered Matrix Laser technology that significantly boosts range over traditional lights. Audi introduced the use of LED daytime running lamps, something that has become almost a cliché in today’s designs. It hopes to take the lead again using additional light guides that accent the Prologue Avant’s air inlets to give the concept what it dubs “a new light signature.”

The rear of the Audi Prologue Allroad is canted forward, like “a yacht,” the maker suggests, “giving the show car a dynamic appearance even when standing still.” A narrow strip of LED lamps link the larger LED taillights, meanwhile.

While Audi hasn’t yet released interior images, it’s expected to follow a design form similar to what we’ve already seen on the earlier Prologue concepts, with a roomy and well-lit cabin. The long center console and front seats are meant to give the impression that they are floating. A wraparound trim panel circles the entire cabin and luggage compartment.

The instrument panel integrates three touchscreen displays, those behind the steering wheel framed in aluminum. A third, widescreen panel can be operated by the passenger and its images can be sent to the driver’s two displays.

Rear passengers, meanwhile, get their own individual seats, as well as an OLED display on the center console.

(Audi readying all-electric, 300-mile e-tron SUV. For more, Click Here.)

One of the more intriguing features has been dubbed, “the butler,” and goes far beyond the basic functions of the iPhone Siri.

“The “butler”… identifies the passengers as they get in based on their smartphones and adjusts the seats and climate control system according to their preferences,” notes Audi. “The system also makes suggestions for music and route planning according to the owner’s preferences. The Easy Slot system in the centre console connects the phones with the onboard infotainment system and charges them inductively.”

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As for the drivetrain, Audi paired a 4.0-liter twin-turbo V-8 with an electric motor integrated into an eight-speed tiptronic gearbox. The system produces 734 PS – 724-hp – and 664 pound-feet of torque which can be directed to all four wheels through a modified Quattro system.

That’s enough to launch the show car from zero to 100 kmh, or zero  to 62.5 mph, in just 3.5 seconds. Even so, Audi claims it would get 117 mpg using the European test cycle, while its 14.1 kWh lithium-ion battery would deliver enough power to run 33 miles in electric mode.

(To see the Prologue that Audi showed at the Geneva Motor Show, Click Here.)

Audi officials promised that the original version of the Prologue would strongly influence future models such as the A6. The Prologue Allroad is all but certain to have an influence on the next version of that Audi product line, as well.