With just the push of a button, the Audi sky sphere turns from a roadster to a long bonnet grand tourer.
Audi has unveiled the first in the line of the three upcoming concept electric vehicles – The Skysphere. It is the sort of car that blends all that we’ve seen from the development of cars in the old times with everything that we’ve dreamt of what the future would look like for them and some more.
The design of the skyscraper harkens back in parts to the old luxury vehicles with its elongated bonnet and massive grille. It also features large carriage-like doors for a grand opening for the passenger and a spacious cabin for the true autonomous experience.
Where the Skysphere sports its futuristic feel is in the cabin. Retractable steering wheels and pedals make for the ultimate self-driving experience operated by a minimalistic yet plush digital driver’s display. In terms of drivetrain,
the Audi Skysphere concept is powered by a single electric motor that is claimed to produce 624 BHP and 750 Nm of torque. According to Audi, this allows the Skysphere to achieve a 0 – 100 km/h time of under 4 seconds.
However, the most notable highlight of the new sky sphere roadster is its expandable wheelbase. With just a push of a button, it goes from a sporty roadster to a luxury saloon.
In its retracted base, the car measures in at 4.94 meters while when in full-fledged long wheel form, the sky sphere is as big as the Audi A8 topping out at 250 millimeters extra in length.
Future Of Audi EVs
“This is the first piece in how we are foreseeing the future,” – Henrik Wenders – The Audi Skyshphere unlike the Tesla roadster might not ever go into actual production but the statement from Henrick says a lot about what we would be seeing in the future.
The Skysphere concept is a peek into what Audi would be once it’s done producing its last internal combustion engine vehicle by 2026.
Gael Buzyn, head of Audi’s design studio in Malibu, says that a lot of the elements of the sky sphere concept will feature in the upcoming Audi EVs which is obvious since concept vehicles have been a way to gauge what the audience might want to see in production and what they would not.
Nevertheless, the Skyshphere is a concept that stands on its own, and as Audi said “the car will become a platform for experiences that expand horizons beyond the mere ride in just a few years”
