Alien worlds

Audi is no stranger to developing futuristic vehicles for the big screen, but the latest Audi to feature in a major film is in fact a real vehicle specifically developed to take part in an actual space mission.

The Audi lunar quattro will be seen in the coming Ridley Scott blockbuster, Alien: Covenant, the legendary film maker insisting on authenticity wherever possible in the making of the latest in the hugely successful ‘Alien’ franchise.

But while the Audi lunar quattro is a key player in Alien: Covenant, this highly specialised vehicle was developed for an actual mission to the Moon. Working with a team led by Robert Böhme, founder and CEO of ‘Part-Time Scientists’, Audi experts have supported the Berlin-based start-up, in particular with Audi’s all-wheel drive expertise (quattro technology), expertise in lightweight construction, experience in developing vehicles with electric and plug-in hybrid motors (e-tron), and with design optimisation. 

Incorporating the Audi lunar quattro into the film is part of the collaboration between Twentieth Century Fox and Audi. “The ‘Alien’ franchise is the best way for us to garner suitable attention for the moon rover developed by Audi, and to showcase Audi’s intelligent technologies in a visionary environment,” explains Giovanni Perosino, Vice President International Marketing Communication at Audi. 

Weighing just 30 kilograms, the Audi lunar quattro is 85 percent aluminium, with many components produced by the 3D metal printer at Audi’s headquarters in Ingolstadt. A pivoting solar panel supplies the rover with energy. On top of that, you have intelligent quattro drive technology and the efficient e-tron motor. While the Audi lunar quattro is used to explore what appears in Alien: Covenant to be an uncharted paradise on the other side of the galaxy, in reality the Audi lunar quattro's real mission to the Moon will soon be underway.

“Fox’s partnership with Audi on Alien: Covenant is an opportunity to bring to the forefront the innovative work Audi is doing in exploration,” says Zachary Eller, Senior Vice President Marketing Partnerships at Twentieth Century Fox. “We’re happy to continue our long relationship with Audi that has allowed our filmmakers to incorporate authentic, leading-edge technology into their futuristic worlds.” 

Alien: Covenant opens in cinemas on May 11th.