Wednesday 11 August 2021
Ingolstadt. from the future
Audi SkySphere – In the Heavenly Realms
With a standout show car, Audi wants to show where a trip to Ingolstad should be at “Monterey Car Week” in California. But anyone who now believes that the Audi SkySphere concept will one day go into series production will be disappointed. Still, some of it will affect the future.
The first meeting leaves you speechless. A five-meter roadster in the format of a Dodge Viper, with monstrous wheels and an endlessly long hood. Is this the future of Audi? Will this car be the electric successor of the R8 Spyder? Head of design Mark Lichte vehemently denies, calling the Audi SkySphere, in the English sky field, only a show car – with no prospect of series production.
It is clear that the SkySphere will not go into series production, but elements of its style will be indispensable for future Audi electric cars.
(Photo: Audi)
But there’s one or another styling element that you’ll soon find on Audi models, at least on electric-powered ones, Lichte says. For example the digital grille, which is no longer used for air supply, but has various sensors, cameras, lasers, radar and ultrasound behind the surface.
The grill can also communicate with other drivers, pedestrians and cyclists. SkySphere has to do the same. Because the two-seater roadster can be switched to autonomy level 4 at the press of a button. In other words: a coworker’s computer takes over and the driver can put his hand on his lap. The display moves away from the driver, the steering wheel disappears under the dashboard, the seats retract and – this only applies to the show car – the SkySphere’s body is telescopically down to just 25 cm using a sophisticated mechanism. is done. Within seconds, the roadster switches from active driving mode to autonomous lounge and relax mode.
first of three show cars
The SkySphere is the first of three show cars on Audi’s agenda for the next eight months. It will be presented as part of the famous “Monterey Car Week” on the famous lawn of Pebble Beach Golf Course in California on August 13th. The SkySphere has been appropriately parked here next to Horch 853 since the 1930s. The Classic served Audi designers little as a source of inspiration, at least when it came to appearance and luxury. Twelve years earlier, Horch won the Concours d’Elegance here.
The mighty front of the Audi SkySphere is also a communication hub.
(Photo: Audi)
Grandsphere will take place at the IAA in Munich in early September. The big coupe sedan should give a glimpse of the next A8 coming in 2024, definitely fully electric and capable of Level 4 as well. Slowly, Audi will say goodbye to the internal combustion engine – that too in the luxury class.
The UrbanSphere will follow in the spring. The name already reveals its main area: the city. But one should not expect Audi to put the electric successor of the legendary A2 on the wheels. Ingolstadt doesn’t want to expose himself to criticism, with Urbansphere merely copying the idea of the BMW i3.
away from old traditions
At Audi, the interiors of the self-driving e-cars of the future have been digitized to the maximum extent possible.
(Photo: Audi)
What all three field studies have in common is the completely redesigned interior. Because Electric Level 4 vehicles break all the conventions of earlier interiors and give designers new design freedom that was previously unimaginable. “The architecture of the interior is changing more than ever in the past decades,” says Lichte, “the interior is becoming a place for relaxation, networking and active communication.”
It goes without saying that spacious displays define the cockpit. In SkySphere, the screen spans almost the entire width of the vehicle. The steering wheel is almost rectangular to make it easy to place under the dashboard. The pedals also disappear in level 4 mode. As soon as this is done, the driver can also enjoy the legroom that is otherwise only available in first class of an aircraft.
e-motor with 634 hp and a range of 500 km
Drive in the SkySphere is provided by a rear-mounted E-motor with 634 hp and 750 Nm of torque. With this the roadster should accelerate to 100 km/h in 4 seconds. Its 80 kWh battery gives a range of around 500 kms, at least in the energy-saving cruise mode.
In self-driving mode, the steering wheel and pedals disappear in the Audi SkySphere.
(Photo: Audi)
To cope with the roadster in difficult conditions, engineers installed a four-wheel steering in addition to the adjustable wheelbase. there is no longer a mechanical connection to the steering wheel; Steering is handled by a steer-by-wire system. Even different translation and steering settings can be implemented this way. Electronics also determine driving comfort. Individual wheels can be raised or lowered in a targeted manner. SkySphere should become a real glider.
We have already made it clear that Audi will not ship its Super Roadster from the Pebble Beach stage to the road. And the studies can only be rolled out, but not really observable.
It’s a shame, really. Many well-funded visitors to “Monterey Car Week” certainly won’t be averse to writing a blank check to the SkySphere to enjoy a drive along the famous No. 1 highway along the California Pacific Coast with the roof off. Either actively as self-drive or relaxing autonomously – each time accompanied by the evergreen music of “California Dreamin’, The Mamas and the Papas.”
