Lead
April 28,
Audi showed off its latest concept car, the UrbanSphere, in Beijing.
This car is based on volkswagen PPE platform,
Subsequently on this platform,
A range of models will emerge.
The launch of SAIC Audi Q5 e-tron, from the perspective of the car platform, comes from the Volkswagen MEB pure electric platform, but what people often overlook is the design configuration of the whole vehicle, because in the next few years, Audi pure electric SUVs and MPV products will evolve according to this configuration, which is Audi's metropolitan plan for the Chinese market.
In Audi's view, the positioning difference between urban SUVs and MPVs will become extremely blurred in the future development of the pure electricity market. Audi urbansphere concept car is like this, the design point of view is more like a full range of size evolution Q5 e-tron, at the same time thanks to Audi and Porsche jointly led the development of the PPE platform, the internal space maximization content is all through, so the urbansphere concept car displayed in front of the groundbreaking length to 5.51 meters, the overall height of 1.78 meters has made it difficult to distinguish whether this is an SUV or MPV.
In addition to the larger hardcore size, the urbansphere concept car also shows the higher-order positioning characteristics of the PPE platform, first of all, Audi calls the "Audi Light Canvas" grille that covers almost 90% of the front of the car, this system integrates the iconic "big mouth" elements of the Audi brand, and realizes the lighting echo between people and cars through various multi-beam OLED systems. Of course, the more important headlights are hidden behind the outer light segment area of the "Audi Light Canvas", and only driving at night will light up to achieve the matrix lighting effect.
Therefore, when BMW's new generation of 7 series broke the ground using a split headlamp group, Audi has come up with a deeper evolution for the new family language, the split headlight group part and the grille are fully integrated, only a separate daytime running light to meet the vehicle's demand for front styling, it can be seen that this "light factory" is holding back enough strength, that is, for mercedes-Benz, BMW for the full release of lighting needs.
Urbansphere concept car wheelbase is set to 3401mm, and due to the PPE platform for chassis redesign, urbansphere cancels the traditional model B-pillar design, while adding a gate to let the car become a distinguished courtesy, Audi in order to make the sense of ceremony more full, the traditional B-pillar below the position also lays LED and laser to create a red carpet design, which is extremely high-profile.
Dr. Wen Zeyue, President of Audi China, said that the Audi urbansphere concept car is not only a concept car, but also a perfect interpretation of the core of the new strategy 'Audi China Enterprising 2030 Strategy' in China. In terms of key internal layouts, Audi has always worked closely with the design teams in Beijing and Ingolstadt to make the Audi urbansphere concept car better meet the needs of Chinese users for high-end travel.
The Interior Design of audiurbansphere breaks with tradition, not placing as many seats, storage and functional elements as possible in a limited space, but prioritizing the user's need for spacious space and listing it as an important consideration for ride comfort.
Two rows of four separate seats provide passengers with the luxury and comfort of first class. The rear seats are particularly spacious and feature multi-faceted adjustment options. In relaxation and entertainment mode, the backrest can be tilted up to 60 degrees and the leg rest can be extended simultaneously. The central armrests on the side of the seat and the door armrests create a high degree of security.
In addition, the seats can easily meet the diverse social needs of passengers in a variety of ways. When communicating with each other, passengers can rotate their seats and talk face-to-face. Passengers who want private space can effectively isolate themselves from other passengers next to them in the upper head area through the privacy screen behind the headrest. Each seat also has a separate sound zone with speakers on the headrest. Separate displays are also available on the backrests of the front seats.
When passengers want to share an in-car infotainment system, a large transparent OLED screen drops vertically from the roof to between the two rows of seats. Through a "cinema screen" that runs through the interior of the vehicle, the two passengers in the back row can participate in video conferences or watch movies together. The large screen can also be used in split screens. When there is no need to use the large screen, passengers can see directly and clearly ahead due to its transparent design. Passengers also have the option to fold the screen up to blend in with the glass roof.
Like the Audi Grandsphere Concept, the interior of the Audi Urbansphere Concept combines space, structure and digital technology. The line design accentuates the horizontal proportions of the interior, and the open and spacious interior layout gives a unique sense of space. During autonomous driving, the steering wheel, pedals and conventional instrument panels can be hidden, greatly enhancing the sense of space and freedom in the interior space.
Many of the materials used in the interior of the Audi urbansphere concept car are sustainable raw materials, such as goose ear trim panels. This method of selecting timber allows wood to be taken directly from near the production site, making full use of the entire trunk and not adulterating any chemicals during the manufacturing process. The seat cushion is made of ECONYL material. This is a recyclable polyamide that can still be fully recycled after the car is scrapped.
Based on the new PPE platform, the urbansphere concept car is equipped with L4 autonomous driving technology. At the same time, Volkswagen's new software company CARIAD also officially established a Chinese subsidiary to support Volkswagen's self-developed operating system VW.OS for the domestic road environment, including advanced driver assistance systems and automatic driving, next-generation intelligent interconnection functions, intelligent cockpit and body design, big data and software operating system, and realize the final mass production of Audi brand L4 assisted driving.
At the charging level, the urbansphere concept car reveals that 800V charging technology will become the standard for PPE platforms. Thanks to this technology, in the fast charging station, the vehicle can reach a charging power of 270 kW, charging the battery in the shortest possible time. In this way, the charging time is as fast as that of traditional fuel vehicles, only ten minutes of charging, which is enough to increase the cruising range of more than 300 kilometers. Charge the battery from 5% to 80% in just 25 minutes.
From conception to concept car landing, Audi has demonstrated the specific details of future product hardware and software, and at a more important design level, in-depth insight into the needs of Chinese consumers, in order to establish Audi's position as the world's largest single market.