Audi Skysphere: variable-wheelbase electric roadster
A couple of months ago, Audi embarked on an accelerated electrification of the model range: according to the plan, in four years the brand will introduce its latest new car with an internal combustion engine, and thus open the next chapter in its history. To show their vision of a bright electric future, the Germans built a luxurious concept roadster Audi Skysphere – this is the first project in a future series of prototypes (the two-door company will later be made up of the Grandsphere and Urbansphere models), embodying the brand's new ideology.
The main feature of the electric concept car was the variable distance between the axles, which depends on the choice of driving mode. The idea is not new – a similar idea has already been implemented by Renault on the Morphoz prototype. However, the new roadster, unlike Renault introduced a year and a half ago, will not need a visit to a special station for body transformation – Audi can open and close the section between the front fenders and doors (they, by the way, open against the move) without assistance.
In the Sport driver preset, the Audi Skysphere measures an impressive 4.94 meters from nose to tail, although the creators assure that maneuverability should not be a problem thanks to the fully steerable chassis. When switching to Grand Touring mode, the wheelbase increases by 250 millimeters, and the total body length reaches 5.19 m. combines the functions of a virtual tidy and a media system) are hidden in the bowels of the front of the cabin, and the autopilot of the fourth level takes control of the car in GT mode. Along with the wheelbase, the ground clearance also changes, however, in a much more modest range, which is only 10 mm.
The only electric motor located on the rear axle (it accounts for about 60 percent of the weight of the two-door due to the batteries located at the stern) produces 632 hp. and 750 Nm: with it, the 1800-kilogram Skysphere is gaining 100 km/h in four seconds. With a battery capacity of more than 80 kWh, the electric car will be able to travel more than 500 km according to the WLTP standard on a single charge in the Grand Touring economy mode. An adaptive suspension is responsible for the comfort in the cabin, which, using the navigation system, monitors the quality of the roadway – a task not an easy one, because the Skysphere flaunts huge wheels with a diameter of 23 inches!
The designers say that they were inspired by the classic Horch 853 convertible: they are united by a very short front overhang and a cabin shifted back, and the “stretched” Skysphere is only a few centimeters shorter than the pre-war model, which reaches a length of 5.23 meters. At the same time, the concept car is noticeably wider (200 centimeters versus 185) and half a meter lower (123 centimeters versus 177) than the Horch. The Audi Skysphere will be shown live at the Pebble Beach Contest of Elegance this weekend. Of course, such an electric car will not reach the conveyor, however, we will probably see some elements of the exterior and interior design in a slightly modified form on Audi production models in a few years.
