Audi teases its fourth Activesphere concept, combining a luxury SUV, sports car, and pickup truck into one. Its added off-road capabilities, ensure Audi is leaving no stone unturned. With a button press, the vehicle can turn into open cargo that can fit equipment or e-bikes, etc. The trailer follows the Skysphere roadster in 2021 and the Grandsphere sedan and Urbansphere space concept in 2022.
When it comes to looks, the transparent rear window slides nearly flush with the roof as the lower vertical segment of the rear folds horizontally. It opens up ample cargo space in the bed of the “truck.” The EV is designed on Audi’s co-developed Premium Platform Electric (PPE) architecture with Porsche, featuring over 372 miles range (600 km), and 800V fast charging technology and is designed for several vehicle profiles. The concept car was designed at Audi Design Studio in Malibu by studio manager Gael Buzyn and his team. Buzyn said, “The activesphere is unique. It is a new type of crossover that cleverly combines the elegance of an Audi Sportback, the practicality of an SUV, and true offroad capabilities.” Additionally, the vehicle includes autonomous chauffering capabilities, combining physical and virtual worlds with digital content displayed for the user in real-time such as driving status and navigation.
Other features
With large 22-inch wheels and impressive ground clearance, the Activesphere is designed for offroading. However, with a typical flat Audi cabin and dynamic roof arch, the concept is reminiscent of a sports car. Like the Grandsphere, the doors of the Activesphere doors open in opposite directions with no B-pillar for a grand entrance. The inside features four individual seats, a full-length center console, and an additional console on the roof, complete with four AR headsets for the mixed-reality system. In autonomous mode, the dashboard, steering wheel, and pedals disappear into invisible storage positions.
The company described the vehicle on its website as, “As a coupé that is as elegant as it is dynamic, it features classic proportions and lines, but in just a few seconds, the car transforms into a pickup for transporting top-class sports gear – there is even enough space for two e-bikes in the cargo bed.” The concept car was conceived and designed at the Audi Design Studio in Malibu, just a stone’s throw away from the Pacific Coast Highway, the legendary coastal road. Further added, “With an electric drive and quick-charging technology from Audi’s PPE modular system, the Audi Activesphere joins the sphere family of concept vehicles. With no local emissions, a range of over 600 km, and extremely fast charging times thanks to 800-volt technology, it combines the sustainability, dynamics, and long-distance capability of state-of-the-art electric vehicles.”