"Science fiction" exists only in the past, not in the future.
There is a passage in the movie "Mechanical Enemy" (aka "I, Robot", a 2004 American science fiction film starring Will Smith):
Will Smith's Audi RSQ sports car was driving autonomously in the tunnel, and then he was hit by two cars and immediately pressed a button in front of the left side of the center control, at this time, the retractable steering wheel originally hidden inside the center console quickly slid out of the home, and the vehicle transitioned from automatic driving to manual driving.
This scene was called "science fiction" more than a decade ago, but now, Audi is gradually turning them into reality. Recently, an unprecedented "Audi Future Festival" showed us what the "future of high-end travel" looks like?
With the acceleration of electric mobility, digitalization and autonomous driving in all dimensions, a new offensive of Audi has begun
Pure electric drive; L4 autonomous driving; variable wheelbase technology; e-quattro four-wheel drive system; 800V super fast charging technology; holographic projection display; and a combination of operation using eye tracking, voice and gesture control...
At the "Audi Future Festival", skysphere and grandsphere two concept cars ushered in their domestic debuts, and with a series of cool, very futuristic design and technology, strongly impact people's eyeballs.
Skysphere concept car
As the saying goes, the layman looks at the bustle, and the insider looks at the doorway.
Behind the charm of the two sphere concept cars, Audi actively responds to the development trend of the times and begins to strike hard in core areas such as electric mobility, digitalization, and automatic driving. A series of advanced design concepts and technical blessings show us Audi's latest thinking on the future of high-end travel.
The Audi Grandsphere Concept is designed with a four-door GT model, with the elimination of the B-pillar and the doors opening in the opposite direction, leaving the entire interior space open to passengers. It is worth mentioning that in the L4 autopilot mode, the steering wheel and pedals will be hidden, making the interior space more open. Not only that, but the vehicle in this mode has a bumpy road condition recognition function, which can incorporate terrain data such as corner radius, slope and slope into the navigation system prediction, and then actively control the vehicle in advance.
Grandsphere concept car
In addition, the Audi Grandsphere Concept has created a natural and streamlined interior design, with interiors, seat covers and carpets made from sustainable or reused raw materials such as wood, wool and synthetic textile fabrics. This is Audi's efforts to pursue the sustainability of development and a new understanding of luxury.
In addition to the powerful electric drive system and e-quattro technology, the Grandsphere concept car is also equipped with 800V charging technology and advanced intelligent interactive experience.
Among them, the DC charging power of 800V charging technology can reach up to 270kW, and only 10 minutes of charging can increase the cruising range of the vehicle by more than 300 kilometers. In 25 minutes, a 120kWh battery can be charged from 5% to 80%. This, combined with a range of over 750 km, makes the Audi Grandsphere Concept an excellent choice for long-distance travel.
In terms of intelligent interaction, the Audi Grandsphere concept car is equipped with an MMI non-touch response element that can touch the rotation ring and buttons to select various function menus. In addition to gesture or voice control, it can also be operated with eye tracking, which is fast and convenient. Not only that, but there are also VR glasses in the car, which can be used with infotainment systems for an immersive, interactive experience.
The Audi Skysphere Concept is also stunning with four seats, especially its unique "variable axle technology", which enables the frame structure to achieve 25 cm telescopic sliding. When the vehicle is in Sport mode, the wheelbase of the vehicle is shortened, transforming into a sports sports car with a length of 4.94 meters, plus a rear wheel steering function, making the body more responsive and the driving control more fun.
If you choose grand touring mode, the vehicle is transformed into a 5.19-meter-long GT model, with the steering wheel and pedals hidden, allowing users to enjoy more spacious and comfortable space areas. In other words, with "variable axle technology", users can switch freely between an electric sports car that is more enjoyable to drive and a more spacious and warm GT model, and the vehicle can still find the perfect balance in the face of long-distance travel or horizontal and vertical driving.
In addition, the Audi Skysphere concept car also has 1 cm of ground clearance adjustment space. This is thanks to the latest adaptive air suspension, which has three independent air chambers and can independently close certain air chambers during rapid acceleration, thereby changing the characteristics of the springs and minimizing the roll and pitch of the vehicle for a more dynamic and comfortable ride.
In my opinion, the real popularization of "variable axis technology" comparable to Transformers will take some time, but it can be regarded as one of the most anticipated and subversive forward-looking technologies in the future.
The two sphere concept cars use a series of advanced forward-looking technologies to evoke our boundless vision of the future of mobility, and this is just the tip of the iceberg of Audi's more than 23,000 patents (single patents and patent applications) worldwide. Audi's strong technical reserves seem to need more time and more products to be slowly released.
Behind the explosion of technology is the continuous investment of a large amount of real money and silver.
According to the plan, by 2025, Audi will invest 35 billion euros, about 17 billion euros in technology, and about 15 billion euros in electric and hybrid mobility. By 2025, Audi will offer about 30 electric models; from 2026, Audi's new models will be all pure electric models; in 2033, Audi will phase out the last batch of internal combustion engine models.
Today, Audi's purpose is very clear, to comprehensively accelerate the transformation of electrification, to devote itself to the forefront of the industrial revolution, and to seize the commanding heights of emerging technologies. The forward-looking R & D layout and strong technical reserves are the basis for Audi to accelerate the future into reality.
The "concept" has arrived, but is the "future" still far away?
Audi's big show of technology muscles has brought us a visual feast facing Audi's forward-looking technology, making people eager to move the two sphere concept cars into real life immediately. However, now that the "concept" has come, is the "future" still far away?
In fact, in today's increasingly fierce new technological revolutions such as electrification, digitalization, and intelligence, many future technologies on the two sphere concept cars have been or are being illuminated into reality.
Taking the e-tron series of electric vehicles that Audi is currently building as an example, it integrates Audi's latest electric drive technology, e-quattro four-wheel drive technology, adaptive active air suspension system, augmented reality head-up display system and other advanced technologies.
At the just-concluded Guangzhou Auto Show, the Audi RS e-tron GT, which positioned itself as a high-performance pure electric coupe, surprised the four seats. In addition to the avant-garde and stylish appearance and powerful performance, the car has been equipped with the 800V fast charging technology on the sphere concept car.
Not only that, the Audi RS e-tron GT uses low-carbon and environmentally friendly sustainable materials (such as carpets made of 100% recycled Econyl) on more interior materials, which fulfills the environmental mission in the production and assembly process, making it a high-performance model truly oriented to the era of clean energy.
Audi RS e-tron GT
Faw-Audi Q4 e-tron, the first compact luxury pure electric SUV based on the MEB platform, which was launched at the Guangzhou Auto Show and will be pre-sold in China in the first half of 2022, brings the future of high-end travel one step closer.
On this car, Audi's latest e-quattro four-wheel drive technology, a new augmented reality head-up display, and fast-charging technology that can increase the battery level from 5% to 80% in 38 minutes have all been realized.
The FAW-Audi Q4 e-tron is a microcosm of Audi's comprehensive electrification battle and accelerating the domestic electrification layout. Including the upcoming Q6 e-tron, and even the future Q7 e-tron, Q8 e-tron... The horn has long been blown, and next, wait for FAW-Audi to land more dreams step by step. It can be said that the e-tron series models that are coming one after another provide us with "first-hand information" for us to experience the latest scientific and technological achievements of Audi.
Audi Q4 e-tron
At present, Audi continues to promote the digital transformation of products and innovate the user experience in many cutting-edge technologies such as digital lighting systems, 5G communication modules, MIB 3+ infotainment systems, digital ecological services, and multi-perception autonomous driving.
Among them, the FAW-Audi A6L will be one of the first models to be equipped with a 5G communication module. The new automotive wireless communication technology (V2X) based on the 5G communication standard further upgrades the vehicle's autonomous driving experience. Such as: sensing pedestrians and vehicles outside the driver's line of sight and automatically decelerating, automatically changing lanes for emergency vehicles, and dynamic V2I traffic light functions, etc., so that vehicles can warn in advance and avoid possible risks and hidden dangers in advance during the driving process.
Audi V2X technology demonstration
Obviously, Audi has begun to apply many "concept" technologies, and the future of travel similar to the two sphere concept cars is accelerating.
So, as a luxury car brand with a century-old history and still standing at the top of the industry pyramid, we don't need to doubt whether Audi has kept up with the pace of development of the times, but just need to be curious: what new surprises can it create for us at the moment of great changes? The two sphere concept cars and the e-tron series are another example of Audi's continuous leading future technology layout with innovative technology on the new track.
As the theme of the "Audi Future Festival": Future is an attitude.
In the face of the "unprecedented changes in the automotive industry" with electric mobility, digitalization, and automatic driving as the core, this is Audi's attitude to actively lead rather than passively transform.
epilogue:
When the legendary "Horch 853" first appeared in the 1930s, it was a dream car in the hearts of many people, and now, the Audi skysphere concept car (including the grandsphere concept car) has become a new imagination for the future of travel, and the e-tron series is accelerating the dream into reality.
All of this seems to tell people: a good travel life, Audi is always with us.