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The automaker Audi has unveiled the latest concept car, in the class of open-top electric cars, elegant in appearance, with an aggressive character, which it called the Skysphere.
The new model features an adaptive wheelbase that can change size depending on driving modes, as well as a digital cockpit with a retractable steering wheel, and the car also features autonomous driving technology.
“This is what we call progressive luxury,” Audi chief Henrik Wenders said at a media event marking the car’s digital unveiling on Tuesday. “It’s not a car, it’s an experimental device.”
The concept car represents what Audi believes it can achieve, likely in the second half of this decade, as it focuses on electric and self-driving cars, company officials say.
Audi plans to offer electric cars exclusively by 2033, having introduced its last internal combustion engine vehicles in 2026.
Audi 1
Audi has said the Skysphere is designed to drive itself, but cannot at this time.
It’s also unclear how feasible a car can be, which can change sizes for a production model. According to Audi, it should have a range of around 310 miles.
Wenders explained that car brands like Audi need to think about what might be possible with electric vehicles, even if advanced technologies, such as an adjustable wheelbase, are not currently on the horizon.
Audi Skysphere
“Two vehicles in one”
Technology aside, the car signals a new direction in design for the Volkswagen-owned luxury brand. Audi’s design studio director in Malibu, Gael Buzyn, said the car’s “lots of elements” will make it production cars in the future.
Hostile ode
Audi executives said the car was essentially “two vehicles in one”. The former is an aggressively driven roadster capable of hitting 60 mph in about four seconds and delivering around 553 pound-feet of torque. The second is a larger passenger vehicle that will self-drive and stretch about 10 inches for a larger, more comfortable cabin.
For Wenders, it’s not just a design study, it’s a concept that shows us, internally and externally, what is possible. “It’s a concept that shows us how to combine a driving experience with an immersive digital experience. It’s two in one.”
Steering wheel
The car was unveiled on Tuesday during Monterey Car Week 2021 in California, a premium car festival that includes the prestigious auto show.
new notions
The Skysphere is the first in a new family of concept cars focused on Audi’s shift from cars to a ‘hardware experience’. The second car, called Grandsphere, is expected to be unveiled on September 1, followed by the Urbansphere in the first half of 2022.
car interior
The term “sphere” is intended to refer to the interior space of vehicles for drivers and passengers, according to Audi.
Automakers regularly use standard vehicle models to gauge customer interest or show the future direction of a vehicle or brand.
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