Audi has been all-in on EVs and now it is going to be showing off its vision for a self-driving future. On April 19, the German luxury carmaker will be showing off its Urbansphere autonomous concept which will be propelled by an electric powertrain. This will be the third and final concept from the sphere family of design studies. This is an addition to the Skysphere coupe and the Grandsphere sedan. This design language has always been about defining the progressive premium mobility of the future.
This car was originally scheduled to be debuted at the Beijing Auto Show which has now been canceled thanks to a recurrence of COVID cases in China. As the name suggests, Urbansphere has been designed for city use, more specifically for Chinese megacities like Beijing and Shanghai. It is actually the first Audi car that has been designed keeping in mind the preferences of Chinese consumers considering the market has become one of Audi's growth engines.
undefinedAn urban experience. Get ready to discover the next sphere from Audi's concept cars.
— Audi (@AudiOfficial) April 12, 2022
Join a Celebration of Progress on April 19, 12PM CEST, https://t.co/NkeADYrjyo.#Audi #AudiUrbansphereConcept #car #design #eMobility #FutureIsAnAttitude pic.twitter.com/UovLKhWmqO
The car is expected to have the largest interior space of any Audi, more so than the A8 as well. The teaser photo also appears to show off a minivan kind of vibe with suicide doors and two rows of seats that have generous amounts of knee room and headroom.
Audi says it has been designed to be driven on its own and the interior transforms into a mobile world of experience that has no steering wheel, pedals, and displays that get in the way. Audi has also shown a short video featuring prima ballerina Yuan Yuan Tan taking a ride in the concept car that has a lounge-like interior.
Expect more details on the autonomous capability that the Volkswagen group has managed to conjure. Right now, while its cars are catching up fast to the likes of Tesla with its electric powertrains, it remains leagues behind Tesla with ADAS tech and self-driving capability - something that companies like Waymo and Cruise have mastered over the last decade.
