Audi showed the Skysphere concept, which embodies the ideas of corporate design development for the next decade. The new development was shown at Monterey Car Week in Pebble Beach (California, USA).
Skysphere is a two-door Gran Turismo coupe-cabriolet with an electric motor (632 hp and 750 Nm) on the rear axle. The car weighs 1800 kg (weight distribution along the axes - 40:60, front: rear), taking into account the traction battery with a capacity of 80 kWh. "Electric train" is able to develop 0-100 km / h in four seconds and travel up to 500 km on a single battery charge.
But all these numbers mean little: the purpose of the concept is not to surprise with technical characteristics, but to show the vector of Audi's corporate identity in the next 10 years. The company does not intend to release a two-door with this exact exterior, instead it will use certain features of the Skysphere in regular models, from the A3 (it became known in July that the next generation A1 was abandoned) to the Q8.
The head of the Audi Malibu Design Studio (it was there that the concept was developed) Gael Buzin admitted that he drew inspiration from the Horch 853 roadster, which was released in 1937. For cars, even the length is the same (5.23 meters for Horch and 5.19 for Skysphere). By the way, in 2009 the Horch 853 won the famous Concours d'Elegance, which is held in Pebble Beach among classic cars.
One of the highlights of the Audi Skysphere is the variable wheelbase. Thanks to a cunning design, the front of the body can "drive" into the rear. As a result, the distance between the wheels and, therefore, the overall length of the car is reduced by 25 cm. This not only makes parking easier, but also changes the driving experience.
As for the design elements that we can see on the production models of the German brand, this is a new version of the proprietary octagonal grille with LED elements and taillights stretched across the entire width of the body.
Audi unveils Skysphere, electric sports car with variable wheelbase
