Sphere
The Concept of a Concept Car, Do You Have It?
I love cars, but I am not fond of concept cars. They are impractical, illogical, and intended only for showmanship.
I used to think this way without any intent to perform a single rhyme.
The younger generation may not have heard of Rinspeed, but it was once regarded as the leader in the world of concept cars in my heart. Especially this zero-emission Lotus Elise that can dive underwater, it completely opened up the imaginative space for me as a young car enthusiast in terms of cars as a means of transportation.
Wow! I didn’t know cars could do this! I can drive straight to Hainan Island with it!
However, the act of turning a convertible into a submarine was clearly foolish. Until the early 2010s, such flashy concept cars had never stopped. Perhaps because cars had not undergone significant technological changes for too long, concepts embodied in concept cars were all acts of automotive design as an art form, without any focal points.
But in 2017, Rinspeed, which is always known for its funky and eccentric designs, came up with the above device. Isn’t this clearly an autonomous taxi? Isn’t it called a robotaxi?
Obviously, in these two years, the market’s perception of cars is gradually shifting from mechanical transportation vehicles to intelligent mobile terminals with internet attributes.
Therefore, the concept of autonomous driving seems to have suddenly given direction to concept cars.
Autonomous Driving and the Third Space
At the Audi “Future Summit” presentation, one aspect was viewing video using VR goggles. This experience left a great impression on me. Although the lightweight, resolution, and other performances of VR devices are not necessarily comparable to a normal screen, they provide an environment-independent viewing experience. If it weren’t for the appearance of advanced autonomous driving technology, the evolution of car interiors would also be limited.
So, I firmly believe that if a car is autonomous, then the intelligent interaction inside the car should be immersive. However, even before this type of interaction appears, the experience of the car itself is still important.
Moreover, the application of new technology should not be simply to show off or to increase the company’s value in the capital market, but should be like the atmosphere, to create a broader and freer world for customers. This world is not called the 3rd space, but the sphere. Audi is trying to redefine “Technological Luxury” through its two concept cars with L4 autonomous driving capabilities.
Skysphere
Variable wheelbase
As a futuristic pure electric convertible GT sports car, Audi’s Skysphere pays homage to the iconic product of luxury car logos of the 1930s – the Horch 853 in terms of styling. At that time, a super long hood like the one on the Horch 853 was often a symbol of luxury. Because the larger the hood, the more cylinders the engine has, and the more cylinders the engine has, the better the performance and smoother operation.
The Horch 853 at that time was equipped with a 5.0L inline eight-cylinder engine. This engine, which has disappeared from the passenger car market today, can match the V12 in terms of smoothness of operation.
As a pure electric vehicle, Skysphere does not have a large engine or a drive shaft running through the body, but it still inherits the Horch 853’s super long hood. Moreover, its battery pack is also located behind the cockpit and in the central aisle.
The freedom of space layout brought by electric drive has freed up space for a front trunk that can accommodate two golf bags, and also brought a unique feature to Skysphere: variable wheelbase.
### Scalable front end that provides 250 mm of wheelbase variation
The Audi skysphere concept car has two modes, Grand Touring and Sports. In Sports mode, it is a 4,940 mm electric sports car.
If the Grand Touring mode is selected, the vehicle body will extend to a length of 5,190 mm, which is essentially the car’s autonomous driving mode. With the help of line control technology, the steering wheel and pedals will fold to create a more comfortable environment for users.
Performance Online
The Audi skysphere electric concept car has a weight of 1.8 tons with a battery pack larger than 80 kWh and a WLTP range of 500 km enabled by material optimization.
Unlike traditional Audi models, the skysphere is a rear-wheel drive with a 40:60 weight distribution between front and rear. The 465 kW, 750 N·m rear-axle electric motor can accelerate this car to 100 km/h in just 4 seconds.
The skysphere concept car comes with a front and rear double wishbone suspension system with rear-wheel steering and three independent air chambers.
In addition to reducing air resistance by lowering the vehicle by 10mm, the benefits of having three independent air chambers are they can be closed independently during rapid acceleration to reduce pitch and the stiffness of the springs can be adjusted independently of the vehicle’s height to achieve a better balance between comfort and sportiness.
The 23-inch aerodynamic aluminum alloy rims with 285/30 flat tires enhance the low and sleek appearance of this car.
Digitalization
Enter the car filled with Art Deco flavor, and you will find that the touchscreen covering the entire dashboard is the intelligent cockpit interaction core of this car. In this interaction design, users can upload photos of the interior and surrounding scenery of the car through social media during the driving process, sharing travel experiences with friends. As for the application of L4 autonomous driving, skysphere has the function of automatically picking up passengers and independently completing pain points such as parking and charging.
Grandsphere
More Practical
Compared with the imaginative skysphere, grandsphere is a more practical concept car from Audi.
The line pays homage to the predecessor of R8, the Avus concept car, and grandsphere has fewer showy elements. However, according to official data, the three letters of PPE already represent a higher probability of grandsphere and its technical parameters being realized. Perhaps it is a bold prediction for the next 5-10 years from Ingolstadt, so this car is a “more practical” step for Audi towards the future.
The battery module of Audi grandsphere adopts a flat layout, with a capacity of up to 120 kWh. The electric era quattro installs an electric motor on the front and rear axles respectively, achieving all-wheel drive based on driving needs through electronic control.
The total output power of the two electric motors of grandsphere concept car is 530 kW, and the torque can reach 960 N·m. With such ability, it can provide acceleration time of more than 4 seconds for 0-100km/h. The air suspension with front and rear five-link suspension has active electromechanical lifting and lowering functions, which can judge every shock absorber to compress or rebound actively in milliseconds, thus making the wheels more compliant and the body more stable.
Based on the PPE platform, the 800-volt charging technology enables the DC charging power to reach a maximum of 270 kW, which is equivalent to an increase in range of over 300 kilometers with only a 10-minute charge. With a range of over 750 kilometers, the Audi grandsphere concept car is undoubtedly an excellent choice for long-distance travel.
Highlights
This angle should be the most perfect angle to appreciate the grandsphere. The factors that are most exciting, such as the scissor doors, the absence of a B-pillar, and the dashboard and tail, are all in view.
Its tail interprets the classic shape of the Audi Sportback in a unique way, balancing innovative and elegant qualities, and seems to help see the rear more easily on rainy days.
The absence of a B-pillar and the large glass cover of the scissor doors make the interior of the grandsphere very transparent, like an open lounge, rather than a vehicle operating space. Grandsphere adheres to the concept of low-carbon and environmentally friendly humanism and does not use any animal leather.
Like the previous car, this car is also based on L4. Like the skysphere, the steering wheel and pedals of the grandsphere are also foldable. On the basis of eliminating most of the driver’s labor and further opening up the cockpit space, what else does this car need to do? At this point, defining the functions of the cockpit becomes particularly important.
However, the grass has given us the answer. This car is a moving greenhouse that comes with its own drinks.
Even the car’s infotainment system is projected onto the wooden panel that surrounds it. When the screen is turned off, the whole car looks more like a piece of high-end designer furniture than a car.
After the driver gets in, the Audi grandsphere concept car will automatically detect the positions of the driver and passengers, adjust the comfort of each seat independently, and allow quick switching of music or navigation through the touch screen’s sensing area.
Thanks to L4 support, it will become common for drivers to lie down while riding in the car. To this end, Audi has added eye-tracking and gesture control functions to the grandsphere , which can complete most cabin operations in a non-contact state.
At the same time, the system can also understand the preferences and the common menus of different users. While completing basic commands, it provides users with customized recommendations.
One more thing…
Urbansphere
It is now known that Audi’s third sphere series concept car, the urbansphere, will be unveiled at the Beijing Auto Show in April next year. From its name and design, it should be an urban MPV.
What experience can L4 bring?
The name Skysphere is actually very well chosen. The prefix “sky” represents the sky, and the suffix “sphere” represents space. For this convertible car, its space is the entire atmosphere, where the sky is the limit.
Many people think that sports cars do not need to be intelligent, because they are only used for driving. But even if you are driving a super sports car, who can guarantee that something more important than driving will not happen? This is a car that can drive you when you are tired, a car that can drive for you when you want to flirt with your passenger, a car that can drive for you when you want to enjoy the scenery, and a car that can still make you happy when you want to drive.
Such demands do exist, but no one has implemented them well. Perhaps there are technical difficulties with the telescopic wheelbase, but making the driving process of sports cars more natural and people-oriented is definitely one of the things that Audi wants to do in the era of electric luxury vehicles.
As for grandsphere, isn’t this a reasonable idea for a luxury land personal mobile space where driving behavior becomes unimportant?
Therefore, the current concept cars are getting more and more interesting. Manufacturers no longer need to compete for the strangest design, but for understanding the scenarios under the premise of autonomous driving, and how to discover the hidden pain points.
This article is a translation by ChatGPT of a Chinese report from 42HOW. If you have any questions about it, please email bd@42how.com.