The Future of Audi: Three Audi Sphere Concept Cars Together at Pebble Beach
The Audi Sphere consists of the Grandsphere, Skysphere, and Urbansphere and for the first time we see them all together.
Most concept cars when they debut look futuristic and almost unbelievable. But we are not sure if anyone does concept cars quite like Audi. They certainly lean towards the future and look fantastic. But at the same time, they are totally believable as viable road cars. Albeit not like any road car we have for sale today. There are currently three Audi Sphere concept vehicles making the rounds. The Grandsphere, Skysphere, and Urbansphere make up the set. At Pebble Beach recently all three of them were together for the first time. Thanks to a video recently upload to the AutoTrader YouTube channel we get to see them up close.
The Grandsphere could be the future luxury sedan from Audi to replace the current generation A8/S8. The Skysphere is a concept that hints at what a future sportscar or grand touring machine might be like. And finally we have the Urbansphere which is a minivan concept. And while a minivan concept might not sound as exciting as the others the Urbansphere is different. It is designed to carry up to six passengers autonomously. So, you just chill in the back with your mates and the Urbansphere takes care of the mundane driving duties. That might be a minivan worth getting excited about. Let’s take a closer look at all the Audi Sphere concepts.
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Grandsphere
This luxury liner concept is the most production ready of the three. The exterior is sharp, clean, progressive and emotional. Just like you would expect from an Audi design. But if this is to replace the current A8/S8 the concept is clearly much more aggressive than the current cars. And we love that. No reason that a luxury liner has to look boring. On the inside is where things really get special. This does not look like a car so much as it looks like some sort of high-end home theater system. You will also notice there is no steering wheel or pedals. Well, this is designed as an autonomous car. But you can take manual control at which point the pedals and steering wheel reveal themselves. Very cool.
Skysphere
The next Audi Spere ride we get the see is the Skysphere. This is the sportiest of the three concepts we see here. So, for the folks that like to actually drive instead of the car driving for you. This is the vehicle for you. And what a vehicle it is. The car is actually capable of expanding or contracting depending on what driving mode you are in. For maximum sport you shrink the wheelbase as much as possible. Want a comfortable cruise and you can expand it for more room and a better ride. Like most concept cars today the inside is wall to wall screen. No physical buttons or gauges of any kind. There are even screens on the door arm rests. In the future we will be spending a lot of time wiping off fingerprints.
Urbansphere
The minivan you might actually want to buy. Today when a family gets large enough that a minivan makes sense all hope of driving joy is tossed to the curb in the name of practicality. Well, this minivan may not perform like the Skysphere but you will be in for a whole different kind of driving pleasure. Actually, riding pleasure. This vehicle is autonomous like the others but is the one most likely to be in that mode most often. And you won’t mind a bit because you will be able to relax with your friends and family in a luxurious and technology packed environment. You have everything at your disposal from TV screens to a personal water fountain. You will always arrive refreshed in the Urbansphere.
Audi Sphere
What do these vehicles tell us? Well, like all concepts there are many things that won’t make it to production. But the overall style of these vehicles could be close to a production version. And while some of the technology may seem far in the future it is not as far out as you might think. Look at the current Audi e-tron GT. Could you have imagined that car just ten years ago? The future is going to be very exciting in the land of Audi.
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