The future Audi A8? Very likely. At the Munich Salon, Audi presented a breathtaking concept car. The Grandsphere Concept is a 100% electric and autonomous which preludes the future of the four-ringed manufacturer in the high range segment.
With its 5;35 meters of length, its 2 meter width and its 1.39 meter height, this concept car is intimidating in size and evidently echoes Audi’s current flag bearer. In terms of style, the front explicitly evokes the current models of the brand, with the usual Singleframe radiator grill that has been stretched in order to confer additional poise. The gigantic wheelbase of 3.19 meters is a promise of a record breaking livability surface on the inside. The stern, which is also stretched out, confers a station wagon notion, with a rear hood spoiler which accentuates dynamism.
The conception of this model is all but traditional, since the engineers designed the inside before dealing with the outside of the car. This is because the primary concern of the engineers is the passengers’ well being, coming even before the feel for the road, especially since this concept car markets itself as a blueprint for autonomous cars.
The doors open in a counter-intuitive way with the help of a passenger identification system and a scanner which enables the parameters to be changed automatically; driving position, temperature, most recent program broadcasted on the electric devices’ screens… As you can see by referring to the visuals, physical commands are reduced to their simplest expression.
The Audi Grandsphere Concept is a level 4 autonomy study, allowing for pedals and wheel to be sidestored in order to free up space for front side passengers. This concept car is seen as a 2+2 model with a rear seating space that serves only as a complement. In other words, whereas one would usually sit in the back while being chauffeured around in their A8 will now sit in the front, since that is where one will be most comfortable.
Just once will do no harm; unlike the Mercedes’ signed novelties, this one does not overflow with screens. Information is directly projected onto the wooden dashboard, in front of the driver and/or the passengers. The brand even mentions a « screen detox », although the projections enable for a genuine movie screen to be projected for the passengers once the autonomous mode is activated.
This might come as secondary, but let’s not forget to mention what hides in the entrails of the concept. It relies on the PPE platform which it shares with other higher range models of the Volkswagen group. Audi’s Grandsphere Concept is equipped with an active pneumatic suspension and an integral quattro transmission, thanks to the presence of two electric engines. With an accumulated power of 530 kW (i.e. 710 horsepower) and a 960 Nm torque. The car is capable of reaching 100 km/h in less than 4 seconds.
The battery, placed between two axles, indicates a capacity of 120 kWh and offers a theoretical operating life of 750 kilometers. In regards to charging, the Grandsphere uses the 800 volt system, the same as the Porsche Taycan and Audi’s e-tron GTs, enabling it to recuperate around 300 kilometers of operating life in the space of ten minutes.
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