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JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - Audi of America Inc. will not join the sport-utility craze. But it is offering an alternative with a production version of its "all-road quattro" concept vehicle.<p>Audi AG in Germany has approved production of this alternative to truck-based sport-utilities, said Gerd Klauss, vice president in charge of Audi of America. But where and when it will be assembled has not been decided, he said.<p>"It's very aggressive, a beefier version of our A6 Avant," Klauss said here during an interview last week. Audi of America rolled out its 1999 product lineup here for the media, including the A4 1.8 T Avant, a sport-wagon version of its A4 sedan. "Avant" is Audi's word for wagon.<p>Audi unveiled the all-road quattro in January during the 1998 North American International Auto Show in Detroit. It has an air suspension system that allows the driver to choose one of three ground clearance heights. The vehicle is maintained automatically at that height regardless of load.<p>"The all-road quattro will come," Klauss said. "It will be perfect for our market."<p>COMPLEMENTARY<p>The all-road quattro will complement Audi's current lineup of three Avant models:<p>1. A4 2.8 Avant with a 2.8-liter, 190-hp V-6 engine and standard quattro full-time, all-wheel drive.<p>2. A4 1.8 T Avant with a 1.8-liter, turbocharged, 150-hp four-cylinder engine and standard quattro.<p>3. A6 Avant with a 2.8-liter, 200-hp V-6 and standard quattro.<p>Audi added the A4 1.8 T Avant for this model year to attract buyers seeking a more affordable vehicle.<p>"We're entering Subaru territory," Klauss said.<p>The A4 1.8 T Avant is priced at $26,940, well below the $31,540 sticker of the more powerful A4 2.8 Avant. Both prices include a $500 destination charge.<p>A 1999 Subaru Outback wagon with all-weather package is $23,390, including destination.<p>While Audi likes to call it the "un-SUV strategy," Klauss is quick to emphasize that Audi is not "anti" sport-utility. Rather, Audi is ready for sport-utility owners dissatisfied with truck-based vehicles.<p>Many sport-utility owners are fed up with the "buckboard ride" of their vehicles, said Ken Moriarty, Audi of America marketing director.<p>That is where the Audi A4 and A6 Avants come in. They have the utility, all-wheel-drive, safety and comfort of a passenger car, Moriarty said.<p>Audi's quattro distributes drive power from front to back and from side to side to improve traction.<p>NOT A BOX<p>The appeal of the Avant models goes beyond traction control and utility, he said.<p>"Very key to the whole appeal of the Audi Avant concept is design," Moriarty said. "It is a good-looking automobile. It's not a traditional box station wagon."<p>The Audi strategy appears to be working. It sold 418 A4 2.8 Avants in the United States in 1997. It will sell a projected 3,100 A4 Avants - both 2.8 and 1.8 T models - during 1998.<p>The A6 Avant was introduced in June as a 1999 model. Audi expects to sell 3,000 to 4,000 units in the United States annually.<p>Audi probably can sell up to 10,000 A4 and A6 Avants annually in the United States in the near future, Klauss said.<p>Klauss, who takes over as head of Volkswagen of America Inc. on Jan. 1, estimated that sales of Audi sedans and Avants in the United States will be about 46,000 this year, up from 34,160 in 1997.<p>Audi's 1999 target is 60,000. The company's U.S. low point was 1991, when only 12,283 units were sold. <p><p>Photo/Graphic: Critical to what Audi of America chief Gerd Klauss calls the division's "un-SUV strategy" are the A4 1.8 T Avant, above, and the A6 Avant, left. Ken Moriarty, Audi's marketing director, says the vehicles will appeal to drivers who are fed up with the "buckboard ride" of sport-utilities.