For a sneak peek at their brand-new Skysphere concept, which will be displayed at Pebble Beach this week, Audi welcomed us out to Los Angeles. While still merely a concept, the car offers a look at what Audi design and engineering may look like in the future, and we couldn’t be more excited.
Audi had sounded a little coy when we first learned about the Skysphere. They informed us it was an autonomous sports car while also calling it a sports car. It nearly appeared as though they were having trouble telling the truth. So it makes sense now. Yes, both.
The Skysphere’s two driving “modes, Grand Touring and Sports mode, are its key distinguishing characteristic.
The first setting, Grand Touring, is reminiscent of the grand touring cars from the 1930s and features a low, two-seater roadster configuration with a long wheelbase, long hood, and luxurious interiors. All of these features were designed for high performance, but were primarily intended for long trips on rural roads. People actually began to like driving during this time period just to see where the road would lead them.
The second, known as Sports mode, provides a more competitive and sporting ride with improved handling and a more in control and present driver.
Driving modes, however, have been seen previously. They don’t matter much. They frequently only alter the vehicle’s ride height, throttle programming, or a few other small features, which is kind of dumb.
So what makes the Audi concept unique? Significant form changes occur across the entire vehicle. Look at this:
Grand touring automobiles were always sporty, but they were also a compromise because of their lengthy wheelbase and emphasis on comfort. As a result, some of these cars’ performance driving characteristics were limited, and they felt less responsive than a smaller, roadster-style sportscar.
Thus, Audi’s concept was to create a vehicle that could be used flawlessly as either a grand tourer or a sports car without having to choose between the two.
The Skysphere concept car’s adjustable wheelbase enables it to combine the advantages of both types of vehicles. The Skysphere is 201 inches (5.19 meters) long in Grand Touring mode and roughly 10 inches shorter in Sports mode (250mm).
However, modifications continue after then. Grand Touring mode offers level 4 autonomous driving thanks to the steering wheel, pedals, and gear shifter that disappear into the dashboard. This is meant to be a mode where the driver and passenger may enjoy the scenery without having to pay attention to the road.
In order to give a more connected driving experience, the interior moves to a more driver-focused design in Sports mode, offsetting the driver and passenger seat and moving the dash display closer to the driver. Above the steering wheel, there is even a little glove box that is just big enough to hold a pair of driving gloves.
When creating the Skysphere concept, Audi drew inspiration from the vintage Horch 853 Roadster, but they only wanted to use a small portion of it. This is what Audi refers to as “reverence without retro,” a nod to the grand touring automobiles of the past while utilizing contemporary technology to create a brand-new design in the same vein. The car has a tall bonnet that is reminiscent of some of these vintage grand tourers, but instead of a huge engine, it has a trunk big enough to fit two golf bags.
Variable lighting on the car’s grille could eventually be used to convey to other drivers that the vehicle is operating independently of the driver.
The vehicle only has rear-wheel drive, which is unusual for EVs. One 623hp (465kW) motor located between the rear wheels propels the vehicle from 0 to 62 mph (100 km/h) in only four seconds. The 285mm-wide rear tires’ outstanding traction is helped by the battery weight, which should result in a very grounded sense when accelerating.
This battery is not located where it is typically found in an electric vehicle, which is on the floor. The Skysphere gains a lower, more aggressive seating posture while the battery location somewhat reduces center of gravity. Furthermore, a car with an adjustable wheelbase wouldn’t actually function effectively with a battery strapped to the bottom. As a result, the batteries were positioned in the rear of the vehicle, which is sufficient for a rear-wheel drive vehicle (see the Tesla Roadster, which placed batteries in the same location).
Audi developed a novel method to create the Skysphere by developing the vehicle in virtual reality. The COVID-19 epidemic, which made designers work from home, was a contributing factor, but it also resulted in lower prices and quicker iterations than with more conventional design methods like clay modeling, fabric swatches, etc.
The files were sent to Germany for production after being designed in Audi’s Malibu Design Loft, and the designers didn’t see their vehicle until it was brought back to California ahead of its introduction.
Audi is moving in a new direction as a result of this change in design technique. The Grand Sphere and Urban Sphere concepts, which will be unveiled in the approaching months, as well as the current Skysphere concept, according to Audi, are intended to establish the direction for the company’s future. They are all meant to be level 4 autonomous vehicles with stowable steering wheels and pedals.
In This Article...
Audi Sky Sphere: Is it real?
The car displayed is a concept car that isn’t offered in a production version.
Premium mobility redefined
The first of a line of Audi concept cars is the skysphere concept1. The vehicles were created with the sole intention of creating an interactive space and experience device for the future of transportation. The electric two-door roadster blends the idea of automated2 driving with a completely connected digital ecosystem and a brand-new interior design.
Highlights from the World Premiere of the Audi skysphere concept1
The intriguing confluence of design and experience that is the Audi skysphere idea was created through both virtual and actual interaction between the designers and developers in Ingolstadt and the Audi Design Loft in Malibu, California. The “Celebration of Progress” now combines both worlds. View the presentation of the first of three new concept cars from the brand by Hildegard Wortmann, Member of the Board of Management, Henrik Wenders, Head of Brand AUDI AG, and Gael Buzyn, Senior Director of the Audi Design Loft in Malibu.
From idea to concept car: how the Audi skysphere concept1 came about
The Audi skysphere concept1 was developed using a combination of conventional and digital design. The documentation provides details on the innovative interior design and engineering of a concept car that is both a sports car and a sedan, and it demonstrates how 3D technology was used to advance the design process, which was carried out over a distance of thousands of miles between the Audi Design Loft in Malibu and the team in Ingolstadt, Germany.
The Audi Sky Sphere: Will it be produced?
Although a production Audi Skysphere is unlikely, elements of it should be seen in next Audi vehicles. In the meantime, Audi will also unveil two further designs for an autonomous future in the upcoming months: the Grandsphere and the Urbansphere.
Audi has how many sky spheres?
Perhaps Audi wants us to think that the Transformers have arrived. This seems to be supported by the recently released Audi Skysphere concept. Convertibles are undoubtedly something you’ve seen before, but not like this! By adjusting its wheelbase and the way the driver engages with it, the Audi Skysphere can transform into both a grand tourer and a high-end sports vehicle. This automobile has two personalities, talk about a car with personality!
The GT mode conceals the steering wheel, pedals, and gear shifter while enabling Level 4 autonomous driving.
The Horch 853 roadster from the 1930s served as the basis for the Audi Skysphere concept, which was created at the Audi Design Studio in Malibu. When we said that this car physically alters itself, we weren’t joking. With the push of a button, the Audi Skysphere’s variable wheelbase function, as its name implies, lets you lengthen the vehicle’s wheelbase and overall length by 250mm while simultaneously adjusting the ground clearance by up to 10mm. With the use of the “GT” and “Sports” modes, the Audi Skysphere’s driver can transform the vehicle into either a grand tourer or a sportscar.
The GT mode activates level 4 autonomous driving, which retracts the steering wheels and pedals from the interiors, allowing the driver and passenger to unwind and enjoy the scenery while also using the infotainment system, which is accessed via two touchscreen monitors on the dashboard and the upper part of the center console, to browse the internet or stream movies. While this is happening, the Sports mode shortens the wheelbase and converts the cabin into a real driving cockpit, enabling the driver to take the wheel and experience the #ThrillOfDriving.
The Audi Skysphere concept car’s main selling point is its variable wheelbase.
A.G. Audi
The Audi Skysphere is a rear-wheel-drive electric vehicle that already has an electric motor mounted on the axle and a battery pack that is anticipated to have a capacity greater than 80 kWh. With a 60% weight bias in the rear and a 623bhp and 750Nm electric motor, the Skysphere can accelerate from 0 to 100 kilometers per hour in just 4 seconds. According to the WLTP cycle, the GT mode, which is described as the more economical mode, should have a range of 500 kilometers.
When in GT mode, the Audi Skysphere is 5190mm long and 4940mm long when in Sports mode. Its overall width is 2000mm.
Because the steering is not mechanically connected to the front axle, the driver can change the steering settings and steering ratios with a steer-by-wire steering system. The Audi Skysphere also has a rear-axle steering system and an adjustable suspension with three independent air chambers.
The Grandsphere will be unveiled later this year, while the Urbansphere won’t be until 2022. The Skysphere is the first of three “sphere” ideas. On August 13 at Monterey Car Week, where the Honda NSX Type S will also be made public, the Audi Skysphere concept makes its official debut. Future Audis will likely take design cues from the Skysphere, though we are unsure if it will ever appear in production form. Can an automobile that changes its “personality” ever become a reality? This query can only be resolved with time.
How quickly does the Audi sky sphere move?
Performance. An electric motor positioned at the back of the Skysphere generates 632 horsepower and 553 lb-ft of torque. With a range of 310 miles, Audi promises a 0-60 mph pace of 4 seconds.
Does Apple own a vehicle?
Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo predicts that an Apple Car won’t be ready for release until 2025 to 2027 at the earliest, contrary to Reuters’ assertion that the company plans to start producing cars in 2024. Kuo stated that he wouldn’t be shocked to see the launch window pushed back to 2028 or later.
Apple is aiming for a 2025 launch, but work on the Apple Car is still in its early phases, according to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman.
Why don’t electrified convertibles exist?
The incentive for automakers to develop a convertible car with an all-electric or hybrid motor has decreased for reasons other than cultural trends. There are also technical factors at work. Specs are everything.
Vehicles fueled by electricity in general are heavier than those using conventional gas engines. Their heavier battery packs and electric motor systems are the cause of this higher curb weight.
Additionally, convertibles with a hard top or a soft top have always weighed more than those with a fixed roof.
Engineers must therefore add weight to a car that is already heavy when designing an electric convertible.
Electric car powertrains have undergone decades of research to become viable and effective on today’s roadways. However, engineers have yet to produce in large quantities an electric convertible that appeals to modern drivers and is effective enough to fulfill all of the drivers’ desires for an electric vehicle.