Audi 'urbansphere' concept promises to be a lounge on wheels

MANILA: Audi has presented the Audi urbansphere concept car, aimed primarily for use in traffic of Chinese megacities. In these metropolitan areas, where personal space is in particularly short supply, the concept car offers the largest interior space of any Audi to date, the carmaker said in a release.

Audi has plugged the urbansphere to be a lounge on wheels and mobile office. To this end, the it combines the luxury of complete privacy with a comprehensive range of high-tech features on board, even during the daily rush hour.

Level 4 automated driving technology transforms the interior without a steering wheel, pedal, or display  into a mobile interactive space. 

Thanks to Audi’s own options and the ability to integrate digital services from other providers, the vehicle allows occupants to make dinner reservations or shopping online from the car. In addition, the autonomous urbansphere concept picks up its passengers at home and independently takes care of finding a parking space and charging the battery.

Customized infotainment offerings are also available, such as the seamless integration of onboard streaming from music and video providers the customer already uses. Audi will make personalized and exclusive options available in the future — concerts, cultural events, or even sporting events that customers will be invited to.

The doors of the urbansphere concept are counter-hinged at the front and the rear for easier access. Seats that swivel outward and a red carpet of light projected onto the ground next to the vehicle transform make entering the vehicle more special. 

Four individual seats in two rows offer passengers luxurious, first-class comfort. The seats in the rear offer particularly generous dimensions and a wide range of adjustment options. In Relax and Entertain modes, the backrest can be tilted up to 60 degrees while leg rests extend at the same time. 

The urbansphere seats also cater to the changing social needs of passengers. While conversing, passengers can turn to face each other on their swiveling seats. On the other hand, those who want some seclusion can conceal their head area from the person next to them using a privacy screen mounted behind the headrest.

Each seat has its own sound zone with speakers in the headrest area. Individual monitors are also built into the backs of the front seats.

When passengers want to use the infotainment system together, on the other hand, there is a large-format and transparent OLED screen that pivots vertically from the roof area into the zone between the rows of seats. Using this “cinema screen,” which occupies the entire width of the interior, the two passengers in the back row can take part in a video conference together or watch a movie. 

Inside, the Urbansphere uses wood and wool as well as synthetic textile fabrics to serve as paneling, seat coverings, and floor carpets, all of which have a high-quality feel and are pleasant to the touch.

Soft beige and gray tones structure the interior horizontally. A dark, toned-down green serves as the color of the seat shells and soothes the eye. The interior color zones become lighter from top to bottom and, together with the natural light entering the space. 

Many of the materials in the interior of the Audi urbansphere concept, such as the hornbeam veneers, come from sustainable sources. This wood makes it possible to use wood that has grown close to the site, and the entire trunk can be utilized. During processing, the manufacturers do not use any chemicals.

The front end features an innovative interpretation of the Singleframe that defines Audi’s look — it is shaped like a large octagon. Even though the grille has lost its original function as an air intake on the EV, it still remains prominently as an unmistakable signature of the brand. The digital light surface lies behind a slightly tinted, transparent visor that covers a large area of the front end. 

 

Underpinning the urbansphere is the Premium Platform Electric or PPE, which was designed exclusively for battery electric drive systems and therefore takes full advantage of all the benefits of this technology. The key element of the PPE is a battery module between the axles, which holds around 120kWh of energy. Audi has succeeded in achieving a flat layout for the battery by using almost the entire base of the vehicle between the axles.

The Urbansphere concept’s two electric motors are capable of delivering a total output of 401ps and a system torque of 690Nm, which are coursed through quattro permanent four-wheel drive.

With the 800-volt charging technology, it ensures that the battery can be charged with up to 270 kW at fast-charging stations in the shortest possible time. Just 10 minutes are enough to charge the battery to a level sufficient to power the car more than 300 kilometers. The battery, which holds more than 120 kWh, can be charged from five to 80 percent in less than 25 minutes. 

The Audi Urbansphere concept features Audi adaptive air suspension. It is a single-chamber air suspension with semi-active damper control, promising outstanding comfort not only on city highways but even on the uneven, often patched asphalt of downtown streets with no noticeable body movement.

Photos from Audi

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