Author: Chang Yan

Half a month ago, when I first learned about the Audi activesphere, I was driving on the coastal road from Los Angeles to San Francisco.

This route, located near the Audi Design Studio in Malibu, where the activesphere concept car was designed, is easy to understand the design purpose and essence of this car with its road conditions and scenery.

Because every time I come here, I choose to park by the coastline and gaze into the distance, then post a cheesy phrase to my friends: “The other side of the ocean is my home.”

After enjoying the beach for a while, you will easily fall in love with the freedom of chasing waves and sunlight. And after facing the endless sky and boundless sea for a long time, you will also easily understand the infinite potential between heaven and ocean.

Just as the skysphere and grandsphere concept cars “formed the world”, and the urbansphere found a pure land in the city, the activesphere wants to interpret the boundless meaning.

When design knows no boundaries

Maybe it’s because I have a deep affection for the Audi Avant family since I was little, I always feel that what activesphere wants to inherit is the soul of the allroad model.

Of course, the appearance of the activesphere is much bolder than that of the allroad with the same lettering.

According to Audi’s official description, it is called “the Audi activesphere concept car marks the first fusion of the design elements and technical components of the Audi allroad wagon with the liftback design of the Audi Sportback. Therefore, this new body style is also called the active Sportback, which is different from the allroad”.Of course, no one can ignore an Activesphere car.

Firstly, there is the extremely futuristic and exaggerated body size, with a length of 4.98 meters, a width of 2.07 meters, and a height of 1.60 meters. Its wheelbase is 2.97 meters long, with a short front and rear overhang, low cabin height, and a sporty roofline, like a giant beast lying on the ground.

Secondly, the legs of this beast are quite long, with 22-inch wheels and 285/55 tires, adjustable air suspension with ground clearance control, and a tilted underbody protection component. When the vehicle is raised to its highest level, there is no doubt about its off-road ability.

Finally, the design of the gull-wing doors and the cancellation of the B-pillar, makes the Activesphere seamlessly connected to the whole world when the doors are opened, and naturally has the power to confiscate all sights within its view.

With its body in motion and off-road chassis, it seems to have the inherent ability to appear in any environment.

When Space Has No Boundaries

It is said that Audi used “sphere” as a common suffix in a series of concept cars, because interior space is the core.

Audi emphatically tells us that drive systems and controls characterized by kW, km/h, or lateral acceleration are no longer the top priority in the design of a new generation of cars. Instead, it’s the interior space – the living and experiential space passengers have on a journey.

“Continuously satisfying passengers’ needs and expectations is the source of inspiration for Audi when designing interior space, vehicle structure and various functions.

In other words, the confirmation of the entire vehicle’s structure, proportion, lines, etc. is done after the design of the vehicle’s interior space.

Activesphere has not failed the creativity of its predecessors. It has the same advanced operational components that can switch between manual driving and autonomous driving, as well as the same spacious and agile interior layout.

What makes it unique is the central console that runs through the vehicle’s interior space, not only serving as a storage space for the entire vehicle and a place for passengers to interact, but also able to coordinate with AR devices for more in-car activities.

The four suspended independent seats beside it not only provide passengers with a comfortable riding experience but also appear extremely light and spacious due to their unique design.

The interior color scheme is not restrained due to consideration for off-road scenes. The seat surfaces, doors, and front decorative panels in the visual center are decorated in warm lava red, forming a sharp contrast with the black, anthracite, and dark gray elsewhere.

When you think the color scheme is already bold enough, Audi’s designers have brought an even bolder and more varied rear design.”When you need to carry more items in the vehicle, the transparent rear window of the Audi activesphere becomes almost integrated with the roof. At the same time, the lower vertical part of the rear of the vehicle can be folded horizontally and converted into a spacious open cargo compartment called “active back”. It seems that you can associate a product that looks like a sports car with the symbol of durable tools like pickups.

When Reality Has No Boundaries

The most innovative achievement of the Audi activesphere concept car is to open up a new world, the “Audi Space”, by using augmented reality (AR) technology.

Each passenger has a head-mounted display with AR function, which allows virtual content provided by the vehicle to be superimposed on the real world.

The Audi’s traditional capability of playing with lights has also been extended to the virtual world. With advanced optical accuracy, resolution, and contrast, the system can provide more accurate and colorful virtual content.

“In other words, users can view virtual content that was initially only used to provide information. But if users show interest in the content by focusing on the information, the system will display more detailed information. As long as users concentrate and participate, for example, through gesture interaction, virtual content will become active interactive elements.”

This brings two major innovations.

Firstly, the interior space of the vehicle is unprecedentedly tidy, and there is no longer the need for a large number of display devices and control panels. When needed, the controller can appear in the virtual world and be projected onto the display world. You can even get richer control content through personalized settings.

Secondly, the scene information is unprecedentedly rich, for example, in off-road mode, high-definition 3D topographic maps can be projected onto real landscapes and navigation routes, and the destination can also be displayed. Traffic safety information, such as traffic jams or slippery roads, can also be displayed.“`

Even better, you can take the headrests out of the car and continue to enjoy the space value provided by Audi in your own life.

Of course, the activesphere is also a new pure electric Audi model based on the PPE platform. We have introduced this platform many times, so we won’t go into details here. Of course, we also hope that activesphere will bring more boundless surprises in terms of three-electric standards and electric quattro, without setting any limits for itself.

The four spheres correspond to four different road dimensions and life attitudes. For most people, the activesphere, which is the most boundless, is definitely the most attractive.

After all, we have been limited and restrained for too long in the world of electric vehicles.
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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.