Audi Skysphere concept a stunning, luxurious electric vehicle roadster
Two-door convertible a glimpse into future of four-rings design
I’ve often thought that automotive concepts should not just be a “little out there,” but they should really push the bounds of design. Don’t hold back. Make them mind-blowing and don’t worry for a nanosecond if any of the wizardry being harnessed could someday cross over to assembly lines.
Let the engineers and executives worry about that stuff. You designers just sit down and create something that will leave our mouths agape. Blow us away.
I think Audi has just done that with its latest concept, a car so incredible that I’m a little worried I won’t be able to do it justice here with my mere words. Thank goodness there are photos.
A disclaimer before I begin: because of the pandemic, the media sneak preview for the Skysphere (lower-cased by Audi but capitalized moving forward here) was conducted online, so I haven’t seen it in person. What follows is based on information supplied by Audi public relations.
With that out if the way, let’s dive in. Conceived and designed at Audi’s digital design studio in Malibu, Calif., the Skysphere concept is an electric-powered two-door convertible roadster, the first in a series of new concepts that preview future Audi design intent.
Audi says the Skysphere is part of its vision for the “progressive luxury segment of the future,” that won’t just be about driving. Instead, Skysphere will serve as a “platform for captivating experiences,” with features such as an autonomous mode.
Thanks to its variable length, the Skysphere is like having two cars in one. The two modes, sport and grand touring, are differentiated by adjustable wheelbase and overall length. The adjusting is accomplished through body and frame components that slide into one another that can extend the car’s overall length by 250 mm (9.8 inches), and the ride height by 10 mm (0.4 inches).
With the touch of a button, the driver can switch between two distinct experiences. With sport, the Skysphere is 4.94 metres (16.2 feet) long, with the driver in full control of Skysphere in its e-roadster mode. Audi says the shorter wheelbase and rear-wheel steering in this mode makes Skysphere more agile for dynamic driving.
In grand touring, the wheelbase and length extend to make the Skysphere a 5.19-metre (17 feet) autonomous GT, where passengers can be chauffeured around with more room to stretch out in the cabin thanks to retractable steering wheel and pedals that are pulled into an “invisible” area, away from occupants.
Battery capacity is expected to be more than 80 kWh and will deliver a 500-plus km range in GT mode, according to Audi. The company says the skysphere will cover zero to 100 km/h in four seconds.
Exterior design
Serving as inspiration for the Skysphere is the 853 Roadster, a car built in the 1930s by Horch, a forerunner company that would eventually become Audi. Like the Horch 853, the Skysphere has a long front end and compact cabin with similar dimensions, in terms of length and width.
The Skysphere features short overhangs, with a rear end that was shaped in a wind tunnel.
Up front, the brand’s Singleframe grille has been reimagined and features an illuminated Audi four-ring logo along with white LED elements that are functional and serve as animations when the car is opened and closed. The lights also dim and produce a rhythmic, pulsating effect. When the wheelbase is changed, the front and rear LEDs cycle through a “dynamic sequence,” according to Audi.
In case you’re curious, yes, the lighting signature changes when the mode switches from Sport to GT, including the elements around the Singleframe grille.
Bottom line: the Skysphere is gorgeous.
As mentioned, the Skysphere has au- tonomous driving capability, so its cabin — like its exterior — is a tale of two modes. Incidentally, Audi says the “sphere” designation reflects the company’s decision to put the experiential space that surrounds passengers at the centre of its upcoming designs. Among these are the upcoming grandsphere and urbansphere.
At any rate, in autonomous mode (Level 4), the Skysphere’s pedals and steering wheel retract and fold away from the driver for a more spacious cabin environment. The seats are finished in microfibre fabric. Other sustainable materials used include eucalyptus wood and synthetic leather.
On the tech side, the Skysphere boasts large touch screens (56 inches wide, 7.1 inches high) on the dash and centre console to govern the car’s operation and multimedia system. In autonomous GT mode, Audi says these screens can be used for internet browsing, video conferencing or streaming movies. A highend sound system is also part of the package, and Audi claims that it delivers concert hall-level audio quality, with speakers hidden behind door panels and in the interior wall of the cabin.
In short, the Skysphere is a stunning tour de force, not only as a concept, but as representation of future design intent and technical innovation that could be applied to future Audi production cars in several interesting ways.
And there’s more to come. The Skysphere made its world debut this month at the 2021 Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance, and Audi will begin gearing up for the reveal of the grandsphere at the upcoming Frankfurt Motor Show in September and the urbansphere unveiling in the first half of 2022.