While most European car manufacturers are surprisingly holding back at the Monterey Autoweek this year, Audi is going all out and showing the study of its open electric roadster called Skysphere in Pebble Beach.
The open two-seater was created as the first of a total of three concept vehicles from the Sphere series in the Audi design studio in Malibu, a stone’s throw from the beach and the legendary Pacific Coast Highway. The roadster with the four rings is not intended to indicate a new series model, but rather to give a design outlook on the future design language of the Ingolstadt-based company. The front and rear, with their pithy light units and short overhangs, are just as self-confident as they are impressive. The real show, however, is the variably changeable wheelbase of the electric sun worshiper. With normal driving, the Audi Skysphere is already as long as a current sports model of the RS5 Sportback at an impressive 4.94 meters. If the wheelbase extends electrically, the Californian electric model extends to an impressive 5.19 meters and thus to the dimensions of a current A8 L.
It cannot be assumed that the extended technology of the variable wheelbase has a series reference; rather, the atmospheric accordion effect serves to highlight the two driving modes in addition to the new Audi design language of future models. With a short wheelbase, the electric roadster is extremely active while the driver takes control of the steering wheel himself. Accordingly, the occupants can be chauffeured open or under the closed hard-shell roof with the electric assistance of the driver assistance systems. In automatic mode, however, not only does the wheelbase increase by an impressive 25 centimeters, the 1.8-ton Skysphere also moves up one centimeter with its variable air suspension for greater travel comfort. At the push of a button, not only does the wheelbase change, but the steering wheel and pedals disappear under the dashboard, which with its continuous, 1.41-meter-wide display of the future is no longer such a thing. In touring mode you can watch films or just enjoy the surroundings with the roof open.
In addition to the low center of gravity, the rear-wheel steering and a weight distribution of 40:60 in favor of the rear axle should ensure corresponding agility, with a double wishbone axle installed at the front and rear. For a decidedly flat seating position, unlike most production models, the battery packs are not located in the underbody, but behind the two occupants and in the center tunnel. The thought game that has become real is driven by an electric motor on the rear axle, the 465 kW / 631 PS / 750 Nm. It goes from zero to 100 km / h in four seconds. The battery pack with a capacity of 80 kWh is supposed to provide a range of 500 kilometers.
So that the open dream interpreter fits even better with the Monterey Autoweek and the final event of the Concours d ‘Elegance on the Pebble Beach golf course, the Audi Skysphere Concept has a traditional ancestor, the Horch 853, as one of the most exclusive convertibles of the pre-war period. With a similar length of 5.23 to 5.19 meters, the differences are not only evident in width (2.00 to 1.85 meters) and height (1.77 to 1.23 meters), but also in the drive. The dream car of yore, however, is similarly dimensioned and powered by a five-liter eight-cylinder rather than an electric motor.
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