The new Audi urbansphere concept is the third take on the future premium mobility sphere concept series after the skysphere and grandsphere.
Taking a bold step forward for more autonomous luxurious personal mobility solutions, the Ingolstadt brand has shown their third sphere concept that will act as a multi-utility vehicle of a different kind. Space, comfort, refinement and flexibility are at the heart of the design of the Audi urbansphere concept.
The motive is simply to take the owner out of the bustling, loud and noisy city life and into a cocoon of luxury. One of the truly spectacular features on the new Audi urbansphere concept is the “digital light canvas”, the front grille comprised of several light units. The light patterns they create emulate a series of informative symbols, such as turn indicators, or emergency stopping, among others.
The drivetrain is entirely electric and will house a large battery in the floor. This serves multiple purposes: it keeps the weight low down, improving the centre of gravity for a more planted feel, as well as allowing for longer driving range. With a capacity of more than 120 kWh, a range of around 750 km is possible. The permanently-excited electric traction motors mounted at the front and the rear serve up 295 kW (401 hp) and 690 Nm, and offer quattro-like four-wheel driveability for increased acceleration and stability, with potential for torque vectoring and enhanced assistance. These sphere models are all focused on improving life in busy cities and metropolitan areas.
The models will all eventually see production in some form or another. Will this be the first A8 Avant e-tron, or will it be better as a production Q7 e-tron, or even, perhaps, a Q9 e-tron? Planned production dates aren’t set for until 2025 or later, for a full-electric car based on the grandsphere, but one of the next key series-production e-tron models will be the A6 Avant e-tron, shown recently.
