The Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance is now an unmissable event for some builders who no longer necessarily rely on traditional salons for real novelties. In addition to the opportunity to present exclusive, elite cars and sometimes right out of museums, it is also an event that allows brands to present the cars of the future.
This is particularly the case for Audi, which is seizing the opportunity of this elegance contest to unveil the first three concepts to announce its upcoming electric vehicles. This is the Skysphere, a large discoverable segment that predates the Great Sphere and the Urban Sphere. Not only did Audi produce a concept limited to one segment, this convertible plays the role of a “grand tourer” touring car as well as a sports car. How do ? Thanks to … a variable wheelbase, it increases the Sky Sphere’s headroom from 4.94 to 5.19 meters depending on the driving mode chosen thanks to the modular chassis system and movable body panels.
In “Sports” the shortest length is used, and in “Grand Touring” mode it is the longest. When the Sky Sphere is in its long version, the steering position (steering wheel and pedals) is “hidden” to save space thanks to autonomous driving. And in Sport mode, the all-wheel-steering system, according to Audi, makes it possible to improve the agility of a car that seems too bulky and heavy to pretend like it wants to do battle on winding roads and the most demanding circuits.
Audi announced the 1,800 kg Sky Sphere, which has only one electric motor, placed on the rear axle. This still develops a measly 632 hp and 750 Nm of torque, and theoretically allows the concept to pass 100 km/h in less than 4 seconds. The battery located behind the passenger compartment has a capacity of 80 kWh.
Inside, the Sky Sphere has two large touch screens (over 1.40 meters) for viewing, in particular, the “Grand Touring” mode and Internet content. The ‘single-frame’ grille, which has been an Audi signature for a few years now, has been redesigned, incorporating LED lighting that changes depending on the driving mode.
Aesthetically, Audi has announced that it is strongly inspired by the Horch 853 (a Horch brand that Audi is suspected of having revived to compete with the Maybach), a luxury car from the brand’s past that won the 2009 Concours d’Elegance. The Sky Sphere was also designed. in California by Malibu Design Studio, and directed by French Gael Buzyn. Remote design teams collaborated with Germany using virtual reality, which allowed my design offices to validate design phases without having to move the clay models.
