Audi activesphere concept revealed

The Audi ‘-sphere’ series of concept cars have, over the past few years, each been targeted at a different specific niche within which automobiles find use today. The Audi activesphere completes this quadruplet of cars and sets its sights westward, seemingly invoking the type of outdoorsy lifestyle one might expect from a young couple from the Pacific Northwest. There are a variety of features the activesphere provides, some we have seen before and others completely new to not just Audi vehicles, but concept cars as a whole. One of the first things a more detail-oriented onlooker may notice about the activesphere is its split tailgate, a feature that is completely new to Audi and allows the vehicle emulate a pick-up to carry larger items like sbicycles. Whether detail-oriented or not, another thing that is abundantly clear by looking at the activesphere is that Audi’s styling department are still at the absolute top of their game when it comes to balancing form, practicality, and a striking visual presentation. While many crossovers struggle to find a balance between looking like chunky sedans and sized-down SUVs, the activesphere has been styled from the ground up for the form factor and looks all the better for it.

Another key visual feature of the activesphere are the lugs seen under the pillarless doors that allow the vehicle to adjust its ride height by 40mm in either direction while maintaining the sort of rugged structural integrity one would expect from a car suited to exploring the outdoors. Speaking of nature, the activesphere falls in line with Audi’s vision of the future of eco-conscious electric vehicles by utilizing a Quattro variant of a new electric drive system developed in conjunction with the engineers over at Porsche AG. This “PPE” (Premium Platform Electric) drive system is the next step in Audi’s march towards a complete line of electric vehicles and can be expected to be seen in production vehicles by the end of 2023 according to the Automaker. One of the most striking statistics in line with this PPE system is its charging ability, with the Ingolstadt outfit claiming it will take just 10 minutes of its new 800 volt fast charging to be able to run for over 300km. While the extent of this charging infrastructure remains to be seen, such statistics certainly seem to indicate that in the not-too-distant future car charging will be no more time-consuming than filling up at the pump while hopefully being easier on both the polar bears and our wallets.

The drivetrain is not the only thing to be making use of power on the activesphere, however, as Audi have equipped the vehicle with a variety of computer driven features. One of the more expected offerings is that of a self-driving system. When in Level IV self-driving mode the activesphere folds the steering console into the ‘footwell’ for the driver and passengers to fully take in not just their external surroundings, but also Audi’s masterful work on the crimson red interior styling. In lieu of a traditional dashboard with controls and the like, Audi has instead placed these functions in a virtualized AR (alternate reality) space within the cabin of the car which can be viewed and interacted with via AR glasses in the car while maintaining full natural visibility of your surroundings, something impossible with earlier VR technology from which AR is derived.