Audi has revealed its Activesphere electric concept, which marks the culmination of sphere concept vehicles with the fourth model in the series. It follows the Skysphere roadster in 2021 and the Grandsphere sedan and Urbansphere space (really an MPV) concept in 2022. Check out the video on YouTube kicked off by Audi AG’s Henrik Wenders, Head of Brand, and Marc Lichte, Head of Design.

The “sphere” naming convention of the Audi concepts refers to their interiors, The brand says that “kilowatts, km/h, and lateral acceleration” are no longer at the top of the design specifications for this generation of concepts. Instead, the starting point is the occupants’ living and experience sphere while traveling. Their needs and desires shape the vehicles’ space, architecture, and functions—then the package, proportions, and lines of the exteriors were designed.

The company calls its latest sphere concept a four-door crossover coupé, its Sportback rear transforming into an open cargo “active back” pickup at the touch of a button to carry recreational equipment such as two e-bikes or water and winter sports gear. The luxury-class “sports car” has a drive system and suspension that make it equally adept both on and off road. The concept was conceived and designed in Malibu near California’s Pacific Coast Highway by a team led by Gael Buzyn, Senior Director of the Audi Design Loft.

“It is a new type of crossover that cleverly combines the elegance of an Audi Sportback, the practicality of an SUV, and true off-road capabilities,” said Buzyn.

The concept’s electric drive and quick-charging technology come from Audi’s upcoming PPE modular system.

“The sphere concept vehicles show our vision for the premium mobility of the future,” said Oliver Hoffmann, a Member of the Board of Management for Technical Development. “We are experiencing a paradigm shift, especially in the interior of our future Audi models. The interior becomes a place where the passengers feel at home and can connect to the world outside at the same time.”

The most important technical innovation in the Activesphere is the adaptation of augmented reality for mobility, he added: “Audi Dimensions creates the perfect synthesis between the surroundings and digital reality.”

An autonomous chauffeuring capability available on “suitable terrain” to give drivers and passengers a new level of freedom, using the new display and operating technology in a variety of ways. The innovative operating concept, Audi Dimensions, combines the physical and virtual worlds by displaying mixed-reality digital content in the occupants’ fields of vision in real-time. High-tech headsets provide a view of the real environment and the route, while simultaneously displaying 3D content and interactive elements individually configurable for drivers and passengers.

In the interior, headset users can see control panels and other virtual displays that remain hidden from the unaided eye in what is otherwise a minimalist design. For instance, it can display all driver-relevant information such as driving status and navigation. Mixed-reality optics give users the ability to interact precisely with invisible, touch-sensitive zones, as the headsets display and carry out functions by reacting in real-time.

 

Mixing four-door, crossover, pickup

Its dimensions of 4.98-m (196-in) length, 2.07-m (81-in) width, and 1.60-m (63-in) height place the concept in the premium segment. Its wheelbase is a generous 2.97 m (117 in), providing maximum legroom for passengers. Front and rear overhangs are short for a much more compact impression.

A “flat cabin” typical of an Audi and a dynamic roof arch give the car proportions of a sports car. However, high ground clearance and large 22-in wheels with 285/55 Pirelli tires with significant tread are big for all types of terrain including off-road use. The wheels feature movable segments that open for optimum ventilation for off-road use and close for optimum aerodynamics on road. The sideview camera mirrors are designed specifically to minimize drag.

The absence of hard edges results in smooth transitions between convex and concave surfaces throughout the body. Viewed from the side and rear, the rear wheel wells appear markedly horizontal, emphasizing the dynamic potential of the concept vehicle.

Glass surfaces make up a significant part of the vehicle’s body. The front end of the concept features the Singleframe brand-face grille designed as transparent glazing for an unobstructed view for occupants through the large frunk to the road in front of the vehicle. There are also glass surfaces on the lower doors to strengthen the connection with the natural world in off-road mode. The wide tailgate features extensive glazing for combined with the glass roof to let in plenty of daylight.

Ground clearance is variable. It can be increased by 40 mm (1.6 in) for off-road use or lowered by the same amount for driving on the road to benefit the center of gravity and aerodynamics when driving fast. Relevant for off-road driving, the approach angle is 18.9 degrees and the departure angle is 28.1 degrees.

The concept’s variable ground clearance and underride guard design elements are reminiscent of the Audi Allroad model family available since 2000, but Audi calls the new body variant “active Sportback” in contrast to the Allroad Avant body style.

Another new variation of the Allroad theme is the dark, high-gloss paint finishes on the front and rear as well as underneath the doors on the side with matte surfaces that visually juxtapose the floor assembly and cabin. Vertical body “studs” on the rocker panels deploy when the ground clearance is increased, visualizing the off-road mode.

As with the Grandsphere concept, the doors of the Activesphere are hinged to the A- and C-pillars and open in opposite directions, with no B-pillar for easier occupant entry and exit.

The narrow headlight units appear like focused eyes, the lighting units echoing the logo of the brand with the four rings by enlarging and isolating the intersection of two rings to form a pupil. The new digital light signature introduced on the Grandsphere called “the Audi eye,” with the Activesphere’s design variable with on- and off-road driving modes. Daytime running lights and rear lights use ultra-fine micro-LED technology for greater precision and contrast.

To transport bulky gear, the rear window slides over and is almost flush with the roof, the lower vertical segment hinges horizontally, and a motorized bulkhead deploys behind the rear seats to isolate the cabin from the elements, forming a pickup-truck-like cargo bed. The lateral surfaces of the C-pillars remain in position to maintain the concept’s side silhouette. A ski rack in the center of the roof that is completely flush when not in use extends if required.

 

Mixed reality inside

A simple design is intended to be the first impression for passengers as they climb into the interior of the concept through the wide door opening. The interior zones feature horizontal contrasting coloring, with the centerpieces being the seating surfaces, doors, and front paneling in lava red. Above and below this central zone, dark colors dominate.

Each of the four individual seats is an extension of the high, full-length center console, with its shell inner side forming an armrest. The architecture and sense of space inside are largely determined by the high, full-length floor console. Instead of a driveline, the console offers space for storage and an onboard heated or cooled bar. Its top is transparent, which provides a view of the bottle and glasses, but also emphasizes a sense of space inside. A second console in the roof above the floor console stores four AR headsets for the concept’s mixed-reality system. The seat, back, and shoulder of each “lounge chair” are formed from three separate, circumferential shells.

When the concept is in autonomous driving mode, the dashboard, steering wheel, and pedals retract, opening up more space for the first seat row of seats and providing a clearer view of the road in front through the fully glazed Singleframe grille. If the driver wants to take over the wheel, the dashboard, along with the steering wheel, swivels out from its flush position below the windshield. The “dashboard” works like a large soundbar and a smart, full-width air vent in both the deployed and stowed position.

The centerpiece of the Audi Dimensions mixed-reality system is the headset available for each occupant, providing access to Audi’s digital ecosystem. The augmented reality superimposes virtual content over the real-world view.

“Information can now be distributed, interfaces become more dynamic, and interactions are available at your fingertips, creating an immersive spatial interface with you in the center,” said Sid Odedra, Head of UI/UX Design at Audi AG.

The Audi concept is said to be the first to use a pioneering generation of the technology with unprecedented optical precision, the highest resolution, and excellent contrast. The system brings control surfaces and displays, invisible to the unaided eye, into the user’s field of vision.

The user can view virtual content at a high level initially, but then a more extended stare signals further interest, the system displaying more detailed information. The content becomes even more interactive if the user engages more, for instance with gestures.

The hand can follow the user’s gaze to control car functions while the virtual display in the headset reacts to changes in real-time like a conventional control. The virtual control moves towards the user so that he/she can interact comfortably with it regardless of sitting position.

Only when a user needs an element does it appear. The controls can be located directly over the features for which they relate.

Interior control examples are the AC control superimposed over the air vent and the entertainment and sound interactive panel visible over the speaker. In off-road mode, high-resolution 3D topography graphics can be projected onto the real landscape, and information on navigation and the destination can be displayed. Traffic safety information, such as alerts for traffic jams or slippery roads, can be displayed for the driver. Information about the car, the battery range, and the nearest charging stations could be accessed inside and outside the vehicle.

The connection between the headset user and car, along with its ecosystem, offers other possibilities when outside the car. In the future, mixed reality technology and the headset could be the only hardware required for navigation routes and vehicle maintenance. Activesphere passengers could take their headsets out of the car and onto the ski slope to help navigate a trail or find the ideal descent when skiing downhill.

 

Driven by PPE

The Activesphere, like the related Grandsphere and Urbansphere concept vehicles, uses Audi’s most innovative electric drive platform called the Premium Platform Electric (PPE). The modular system, being developed by Audi and Porsche AG, will be presented on the first Audi production vehicle before the end of 2023.

The PPE is designed exclusively for a battery-electric drive to take full advantage of all the benefits of the technology for better driving characteristics, economy, and packaging options. As a result, Audi can expand the range of EVs in its portfolio with PPE-based high-volume B- and C-segments instead of parent Volkswagen’s more basic MEB platform. So, PPE economies of scale will allow luxury-class technology and more model versions in a wider-ranging lineup of models in the premium market.

These include SUVs and CUVs with high ground clearance as well as cars with lower profile core products such as the A6 series, whose external dimensions and wheelbase are almost identical to the concept.

The key element of the future PPE fleet is a battery module between the axles. In the Activesphere, it holds around 100 kW·h of energy and uses the entire car width between the axles for a relatively flat layout. Its range with that pack is said to be well over 600 km (373 mi).

Electric motors on the front and rear axles of the all-wheel-drive concept deliver total outputs of 325 kW and 720 N·m (531 lb·ft). The front and rear wheels are located by five-link adaptive air suspensions with adaptive dampers.

All future PPE models will have 800-V electrical drive systems like the one in the current E-tron GT Quattro production model so they can be charged at up to 270 kW at fast-charging stations. Audi says that the technology will enter the high-volume mid-range and luxury segments with the PPE for the first time. (Ed note: Hyundai Group’s mid-range E-GMP models have 800-V systems.)

With the PPE, Audi promises charging times that come close to a conventional refueling stop for an internal combustion engine car. It cites 10 min of charging for more than 300 km (186 mi) or range and less than 25 min for the 100-kW·h battery to charge from 5% to 80%.