The Audi urbansphere is the first time the Audi brand has used the "innovation and co-creation" design process to create a concept car. "It is not only a concept car, but also the core of the new strategy 'Audi China Enterprising 2030 Strategy' in China." As Wen Zeyue, president of Audi China, said, China is not only Audi's largest single market in the world, but also a bellwether for the future travel trend of the world.
As audi's largest concept car to date, the Audi urbansphere concept car is 5.51 meters long, 2.01 meters wide and 1.78 meters high. This unconventional design allows the Audi urbansphere concept car to present itself as a "third living space" on the user's way. Considering the characteristics of closed driving scenes, high interaction, and high brand added value, high-end car brands are undoubtedly very eager to promote intelligent applications in the car.
As one of the most important strategic markets for global luxury car brands, the Chinese market not only allows them to come up with eye-catching sales data, but also brings a broader space in the field of digitalization and electrification innovation.
On April 19, the Audi Urbansphere concept car made its world debut at the Audi Enterprising Ceremony and SPHERE Festival held online. It is worth mentioning that this is the first time that Chinese consumers have participated in the design process of Audi vehicles, and fully expressed their views and suggestions in the design concept of "innovation and co-creation" with Audi.
Dusman, Chairman of the Board of Management of Audi AG, which is responsible for the Chinese market, said: "In order to be closer to Chinese consumers, audi design teams in Beijing and Ingolstadt have always worked closely together to create this Audi urbansphere concept car. ”
According to him, this is also the first time that the Audi brand has adopted the "innovation and co-creation" design process to create a concept car, on the one hand, the voice of Chinese consumers and the creativity and expertise of Audi engineers and designers are integrated; on the other hand, the Audi China design team in Beijing has also played a crucial role in the design of the car.
"The Audi urbansphere concept car is not only a concept car, but also the core of the new strategy 'Audi China Enterprising 2030 Strategy' in China." As Wen Zeyue, president of Audi China, said, China is not only Audi's largest single market in the world, but also a bellwether for the future travel trend of the world.
"In areas of innovation such as smart connectivity, electrification and autonomous driving, China has always been at the forefront of the world. Here, there is also a group of discerning customers. Wen Zeyue told reporters bluntly that for Audi, the design of the final concept car of the "sphere trilogy" born in China is most appropriate.
Previously, the first model of the Audi Sphere series concept car, the electric roadster Audi Skysphere Concept, used variable wheelbase technology and could be freely switched to a sports sports car that could be driven by the driver himself. As a large 4-seater luxury sedan, the second model in the series, the Audi Grandsphere Concept, fully embodies Audi's determination to define the future of enterprising new luxury.
It is understood that the interior of the Audi urbansphere concept car is the result of the "innovation and co-creation" of Audi and Chinese consumers. As Audi's largest concept car to date, the Audi urbansphere concept car is 5.51 meters long, 2.01 meters wide and 1.78 meters high. This unconventional design allows the Audi urbansphere concept car to present itself as a "third living space" on the user's way.
"The Audi Urbansphere Concept offers a variety of options for all occupants, with a highly personalized in-car experience and unprecedented freedom. Users can either communicate or relax in the car, or switch flexibly between busy work and quiet personal private spaces. Dusman believes that the Audi urbansphere concept car has transformed from a car in the traditional sense into a "mobile experience terminal", which comes from the technological transformation of the automotive industry and the common drive of the Chinese market.
He said that to make electric travel more attractive, the design idea of the car must start from the whole and start from the needs of users. What's more, in the process of exploring new models of urban mobility, it is not only the product itself that plays a decisive role, but also the entire ecosystem, "which is more important than ever." Marked by the Audi urbansphere concept car, we are actively building a fully integrated digital ecosystem that serves the entire vehicle. ”
Some analysts believe that the current automotive intelligent technology is divided into "manufacturing time" and "consumption of time" two: high-level intelligent driving with automatic driving as the goal is "manufacturing time", the user does not have to drive the car, his time in the car is manufactured; and the intelligent cockpit access to entertainment, consumption and a series of services are "consumption time", on the basis of the realization of automatic driving, a lot of imagination space is used.
In fact, because automatic driving creates idle time and information consumption space in the car, it is possible to have more intelligent service scenarios in the car. It is understood that the Audi urbansphere concept car, like the two previous works of the "sphere trilogy" series, has automatic driving functions and can reach the level of L4 automatic driving.
In L4 autonomous driving mode, the steering wheel and pedals of the Audi urbansphere concept car can be hidden, and the interior of the car will be transformed into a mobile interactive experience space. By seamlessly connecting to the full spectrum of digital ecosystems, the car is no longer just a mobility tool, but has evolved into a terminal that delivers digital experiences.
Thanks to Audi's own services and digital services from suppliers, users can access a variety of services related to their current itinerary in their car and can also handle everyday tasks outside of travel, such as ordering food in the car or shopping online. In addition, audi urbansphere concept cars with advanced autonomous driving capabilities can automatically pick up passengers at the user's place of residence and can independently find parking lots and charging facilities.
"Advanced autonomous driving technology has also greatly promoted the transformation of vehicle interior design." For example, Wu Yunzhou, head of interior design at Audi China, said that after eliminating the traditional steering wheel, pedals and dashboard, the interior layout is more open and spacious, which is conducive to seamless access to the Audi digital ecosystem.
"Whether we can enhance the user experience, especially the sense of luxury private space, is what we as interior designers pay the most attention to." Wu Yunzhou, who worked at Audi's headquarters in Ingolstadt for 7 years and has now returned to China for 4 years, has his own analysis of the high-end urban travel needs of Chinese consumers.
"Being able to get passengers to completely relax in the car and temporarily withdraw from the outside world is a great goal. In this regard, the traditional Chinese courtyard architecture has given us design inspiration, which has a great influence on our sense of space shaping, shape and choice of color materials. You can see the modern interpretation of Chinese aesthetics on this car. Wu Yunzhou admitted that there are still many things worth learning from luxury car brand designers in the Chinese market, and it is expected to be promoted to other markets around the world.
In an in-depth exchange with Chinese customers, Stephan Fahr-Becker, head of design at Audi China, observed that Chinese consumers' perceptions of the future of high-end mobility have changed. "Traditional configurations that used to accommodate as many seats, storage space and functional elements as possible have not met the expectations of Chinese users. Because in addition to physical space, they are also looking for a spiritual space that can slow themselves down in the busy urban life. ”
"The cities of the future are people-centred. Living in a high-density community, people will be more eager to live in a private space. The car is not just a travel product, but a living product. The car becomes an extension of human life. "At this event, Ma Qingyun, an internationally renowned architect in charge of designing Shanghai Plaza 66 and Beijing Guanghua Road SOHO, said that running away in a private space is the biggest possibility for cars to bring people." Audi offers solutions that align with the people-centred urban development of the future. ”
Just like the smart phone that came out of nowhere, with the cooperation of hardware such as 3G, 4G network and smart phones, various apps operated by Internet companies have shown their magic, providing people with massive services that were unimaginable before. Considering the characteristics of closed driving scenes, high interaction, and high brand added value, high-end car brands are undoubtedly very eager to promote intelligent applications in the car. Therefore, there are predictions that high-end smart electric vehicles may become a new generation of smart terminals comparable to smartphones.
For Audi, the launch of the Audi urbansphere concept car focused on meeting the unique needs of Chinese customers at this time is enough to prove that research and development efforts in China are increasing.
"Deeply rooted in the Chinese market, we are committed to serving chinese customers who are at the forefront of the enterprising industry. In the future, Audi will become 'more Chinese'. Wen Zeyue said that from customer insights, market trends, to technological breakthroughs, the impact of the Chinese market on Audi product research and development is becoming increasingly prominent.
China Youth Daily, China Youth Network reporter Xu Yajie