Following the release of the previous skysphere and grandsphere two concept cars, the third model of the Audi sphere series of concept cars - urbansphere - was also officially released. The new car is built based on the PPE platform, positioned as a luxury pure electric MPV, and adopts a 2+2 4-seat layout, and the cruising range is expected to reach 750 kilometers under WLTP conditions.
It is reported that the urbansphere concept car is the first model of the Audi brand to be built using the design process of "innovation and co-creation", that is, Audi's Chinese team is responsible for the design of the whole vehicle, and Audi's German team is responsible for the development of the whole vehicle.
The appearance of the concept car continues the design concept of the sphere series, and the front face is an Audi family-owned octagonal grille, but the size occupies a large proportion, thus forming a very exaggerated visual effect. The grille is also filled with digital strips of light, extending to both sides, blending with the huge deflector, with a strong sense of futuristic technology.
Probably in order to ensure the space inside the car, the top line of the concept car side is only slightly sunken, and the A-pillar and the roof form an arc design, making the entire body side look more smooth. The 24-inch double six-spoke wheels below are also very eye-catching, but I don't know if it will change when it is actually mass-produced.
According to the information received, the Audi urbansphere concept car has a length, width and height of 5510/2010/1780mm, and the wheelbase has reached 3400mm. Looking at such data alone, it has exceeded the vast majority of MPV models currently on sale, and if it can remain unchanged in future mass production, this car will also have a very exaggerated ride space.
Speaking of seating space, you can see that the Audi urbansphere concept car adopts a two-way door design, which is similar to the HiPhi X, but the difference is that this car does not have a B-pillar, so it will be more convenient to get on and off. In addition, when the doors are opened, a red welcome light is lit up, creating a full sense of ceremony.
The concept car tail looks round and full overall, using digital taillights that echo the front face, the brightness is gradually increased from the middle to the two sides, thus forming a gradient visual effect, and can also change different colors and combinations to form different shapes, Audi's title of "light factory" is well continued in this body.
Inside the car, the Audi urbansphere concept car adheres to the design concept of integrating space, structure and digital technology, and the physical buttons are basically invisible throughout the interior. The steering wheel is designed with an octagonal shape and is also equipped with a driving information display at the front. The center console appears to be equipped with an oversized digital display, but it is actually a projection rendered by a solid wood panel under the front windshield, and the display state can be adjusted according to different driving modes, either displaying the main or passenger side alone, or throughout the entire center console.
In the future, when the concept car is mass-produced, it will have L4 automatic driving function, and during the automatic driving process, the steering wheel, dual pedals and conventional instrument panels can be hidden, which will help further enhance the openness of the interior space.
In terms of creating a sense of luxury, the interior of the Audi urbansphere concept car is heavily made of wooden trim, and the seats and carpets are also covered with wool and synthetic textile fabrics, with gray and rose gold interior colors, restrained and atmospheric.
The car uses a 2+2 4-seat layout, thanks to the exaggerated wheelbase, the space in the second row can no longer be described as spacious. In order to ensure ride comfort, the second row of seats can be adjusted from multiple angles, with the backrest tilting up to 60 degrees, with extendable leg rests, resulting in a half-lying sitting position. In addition, the front seats are able to rotate freely 360 degrees, creating a meeting pattern with the second row.
It is worth mentioning that in addition to the conventional entertainment display embedded in the front seat back, the concept car is also equipped with a large transparent color OLED screen, which can be lowered from the roof when needed to display the in-car infotainment system.
Based on the Audi PPT platform, the urbansphere concept car is equipped with two motors in front and rear, with a comprehensive output of 295 kilowatts, a peak torque of up to 690 Nm, and a quattro electric four-wheel drive system, which can be switched to two-wheel drive or four-wheel drive mode according to the actual driving conditions, taking into account the balance of power and power consumption.
The car is matched with a battery pack capacity of 120 kWh and an estimated range of 750 km in WLTP conditions. In addition, it is equipped with 800 volt fast charging technology, which can increase the cruising range of more than 300 kilometers in 10 minutes at a charging power of 270 kilowatts, and the battery charge takes only 25 minutes from 5% to 80%.
Audi officially claims that the urbansphere concept front suspension adopts a five-link structure specially built for electric vehicles, and the rear suspension is a multi-link structure, all made of lightweight aluminum alloy, and also equipped with rear wheel steering function, with adaptive air suspension, so as to ensure the handling and riding comfort of the vehicle.
Involved in the luxury pure electric MPV market, for the Audi brand is the first time, but with people's future demand for comfort, technology travel, the prospects of this market is still relatively considerable, so Audi's advance layout is also a precaution. In recent years, the domestic MPV market has seen a certain amount of growth, but the pure electric MPV currently available models are still relatively small, from the Lantu Dreamer and Denza MPV to receive the attention, high-end pure electric MPV is still more popular with consumers. However, at present, it should take a while before the official mass production of the urbansphere concept car, and how to develop in the future is still unknown, and it will be interesting for Audi to occupy a place in this market.