After removing the veils from the Skysphere athletics, Audi presents the grandsphere concept, the second of that triptych of prototypes that will be completed in 2022 with the debut of the Urbansphere (presumably, a more compact car). The grandsphere concept, on the other hand, speaks the same language as the four-door coupé, focusing on taut and sinuous lines, as well as on a wedge-shaped silhouette. The optical groups become light slits and “disturbing elements” such as door handles and side mirrors (replaced by cameras) disappear from the bodywork: the trapezoidal front grille remains underlining the Audi identity. While the closet doors seem a tribute to a “royal” way of conceiving the car.
Naturally, this grand tourer incorporates everything that in the automotive field defines the very concept of the future, that is, 100% electric propulsion and automatic pilot, aka advanced autonomous driving. “Minimum requirements” from motorshow: in fact, the grandsphere concept will be presented at the upcoming Munich Motor Show, anticipating the design and contents of a model with equal ambitions, arriving around 2025. The interior is minimal, elegant and well-kept; and gives the traditional dashboard and instrumentation well-served.
To tell the truth, he also retires the steering wheel and the pedal (retractable), at least when the electronic brain of the car is driving. The whole has a pleasant aftertaste of a lounge on wheels, with the main driving or entertainment info being projected onto the large curved wood-paneled dashboard. Therefore, the (autonomous) driver’s seat can be transformed into an open space or a connected office station, complete with ornamental plant and refrigerated cup holder.
The external dimensions are important: the grandsphere concept is 5.35 meters long and has a very long wheelbase of 3.19. It means that it is bigger than an A8 so to speak, the presidential berlinona of the four rings. The construction basis is the new PPE (Premium Platform Electric) electric platform, equipped with a battery with a capacity of 120 kWh, located on the bottom of the frame: it powers two electric motors, one for each axle (so that the car can count on four drive wheels), capable of delivering up to 721 hp of maximum power and a drive torque of 960 Nm, which make the car jump from 0 to 100 km / h in less than 4 seconds.
The 800 volt electrical system allows you to recharge the battery to 270 kW of power, allowing you to go from 5% to 80% of the charge in 25 minutes (and recover 300 km of travel in ten minutes). The technical equipment includes the pneumatic suspensions, independent and predictive, and the rear steering wheels, capable of optimizing agility or stability according to the driving situation.
