Only a few weeks have passed since the introduction of the innovative Audi Skysphere electric concept, and the carmaker, with the start of the Munich Motor Show, showed the second in a series of three-sphere concepts to outline the direction it will take in the new era of electromobility. The new Audi Grandsphere study is a vision of a private road jet.
The Audi Skysphere and Audi Grandsphere studies are introduced shortly after each other, but apart from the close exterior features, each is an example of a different car of the future. While the Skysphere is a grand tourer with a removable roof, the newer Grandsphere is a four-door sedan. However, both concepts are combined with a view of the brand's future with purely electric drives, a modern interior, and autonomous 4th level control.
Audi bases its sphere concepts on a timelessly elegant look and calls the new Grandsphere a private jet on the road. The optically long and flat study is an example of a very successful design and it certainly wins over the entire current model line of the brand. In addition, the designer's goal was to develop the Grandsphere to look the best and most exclusive from Audi.
The front part with the characteristic Singleframe mask is based on current Audi trends, but the rest of the concept design is completely unique. With ultra-thin headlights and a large mask, it has an aggressive look, the body overhangs are short and the side profile is particularly impressive in the fastback-style rear with thin taillights and the red-lit Audi logo.
Only by opening the inverted door will the absence of the B-pillar be revealed and the passengers enter the first-class interior. Even before that, however, the Audi Grandsphere identifies them thanks to gait recognition technology, welcomes them individually, and automatically adjusts, for example, individual seats, and air conditioning according to pre-selected settings and infotainment.
The cabin does not lack first-class materials such as wood, wool, aluminum, and glass, the screens of the MMI multimedia system are a thing of the past. Grandsphere projects everything on the wooden surface of the dashboard and displays navigation and other functions such as audio and volume control. With level 4 autonomous control activated, the steering wheel with pedals is then retracted into the dashboard for a full driverless driving experience. For this reason, the center console is equipped with glasses and a specially designed bottle for drinks.
The basis of the Audi Grandsphere concept is the new top electric platform of the Premium Group Electric of the Volkswagen Group, which will enter series production with the Audi A6 E-Tron, Audi Q6, and Porsche Macan EV. The 120 kWh battery is stored on the floor and with two electric motors, the Grandsphere concept has a maximum output of 710 hp (530 kW) and a torque of 960 Nm, giving it the ability to accelerate from 0 to 100 km / h in approximately 4 seconds.
Audi says the Grandsphere can travel up to 750 kilometers on a single WLTP charge, and thanks to its 270-kilowatt charge capacity, it charges energy for 300 kilometers in just 10 minutes. Charging from 5 to 85 percent of the battery then takes 25 minutes.
If the Audi Grandsphere concept ever hits the road, all-car steering and adaptive air suspension will be standard on all cars, adjusting the stiffness setting in milliseconds to reduce body roll. The front camera, which monitors the condition of the road in front of the car, even helps to proactively adapt the adaptive chassis.
At present, however, the Audi Grandsphere is still only a concept, although the carmaker states that together with the sportier Skysphere it shows the future of the brand's electric cars. Now we can only wait for everything from it to find its way to serial production. The last concept in the sphere series will be the Audi Urbansphere, which will be introduced in 2022.
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