Audi urbansphere concept: luxury reinvented

With the new Audi urbansphere concept, presented at the Beijing Motor Show 2022, the brand of the four rings completes its “sphere” prototype saga, giving us a glimpse of how premium mobility will look in a future that does not seem too far away. A mobility in which Audi puts the focus on the on-board experience. If you are curious, you can review the two previous instalments with us:

• Audi skysphere
• Audi grandsphere

But as you can imagine, we have a lot to tell you about the Audi urbansphere. A car in which everything surprises: its size, its silhouette, its interior… And, above all, the fact that Audi defines it as a vehicle designed mainly for traffic in large Chinese cities, when in terms of size, power or range, we could be looking at a true “business class” car for any kind of journey. Let us take a closer look.

The exterior design of the Audi urbansphere

Wherever you look, the urbansphere is the largest in the family, by far. Its MPV-style silhouette somewhat masks its exterior dimensions, but the reality is that we are looking at a car measuring no less than 5.51 metres in length. No other car with the four rings on its grille reaches this figure. The width is 2.01 metres, while the height is 1.78 metres. And as is usual in the new generation of electric cars, the platforms of these vehicles allow for unusual wheelbase figures. In the urbansphere it reaches 3.40 metres, pushing the wheels as far as possible towards the corners. By the way, here too we are dealing with dimensions that set new standards, with 24-inch wheels.

Beyond its impressive silhouette, another distinctive aspect of the urbansphere’s design once again comes from the lighting system. Audi are masters at innovating in many fields, but especially in lighting technologies, where they seem to be leading the way. And in the urbansphere, which although I have not yet mentioned it -but I am sure you had already imagined it- is an electric-powered car, the fact that the huge Singleframe grille does not have to perform its traditional function of letting in cooling air for the engine opens up an enormous world of possibilities.

Here, the entire grille can display light effects that go far beyond the merely decorative. For example, to indicate that the car is accelerating, to show the intention to turn or start an overtaking manoeuvre, or to warn of an emergency situation. The same applies to the matrix LED surface that brings the rear light clusters to life. The main headlights, very slim and mounted high, can change the car’s appearance using different daytime running light signatures, even adapting to traffic conditions.

As a “cherry on top”, and for the benefit of the crowds -remember that we are looking at a “show car”- Audi has incorporated a very special accessory: the Audi Light Umbrella. It is an umbrella with a design inspired by traditional Chinese umbrellas which, according to the brand, uses high-tech materials such as reflective materials, all kinds of sensors and artificial intelligence, to protect and at the same time illuminate users on their way from the car to their final destination. Among many other things, this umbrella can, for example, activate a warning flash within its own light cone under its canopy if it detects a dangerous situation when crossing a street.

The interior of the Audi urbansphere: level 4 autonomous driving

Like the previous Audi sphere prototypes, the urbansphere also features level 4 autonomous driving. And its interior has been designed around this feature, accessed through enormous doors, with rear doors opening in the opposite direction to the front ones, made possible by the absence of a central pillar. A red light carpet projected onto the floor already signals that we are entering a new dimension of on-board luxury, where the uncluttered cabin, in which many of the materials used are eco-friendly (such as bamboo, Econyl or carpe wood), is striking for its spaciousness.

That the Audi urbansphere is designed to convey first-class luxury and comfort is clear from its configuration, with four individual seats in which you can choose the “Relax” or “Entertain” modes, which practically says it all. The backrests can recline up to 60 degrees and feature extendable footrests. Furthermore, they can swivel and have their own built-in speakers; behind the front seatbacks, two screens are integrated. There is even a stress recognition system, which uses facial scanners and voice analysis to read the mood of the passengers and offer individual ways to relax, using sound, screen images, the seat massage function… Of course, the steering wheel, dashboard and pedals retract and become hidden when automated driving is activated.

In fact, practically the entire dashboard is a screen that comes to life with just a touch of the surface. There are practically no buttons; everything is controlled through an integrated sensor bar. However, the doors do house the controls known as MMI touchless response, which allow passengers seated in the back to navigate menus or activate functions haptically through a rotary controller and buttons, or use gesture control when reclining.

Electric propulsion: 295 kW and up to 750 km of range

Based on the so-called Premium Electric Platform, developed in collaboration with Porsche, the urbansphere uses two electric motors (one on each axle) with a total system output of 295 kW (400 CV) and a maximum torque of 690 Nm. These are not exactly figures for a car designed for urban journeys, although Audi seem to have a very clear idea of what premium mobility will look like in the megacities of the future.

The propulsion system, with a 120 kWh battery and 800-volt technology, allows a range of up to 750 kilometres to be announced, with the possibility of high-power charging of up to 270 kW. This makes it possible to recover range for around 300 km in about 10 minutes, while charging from 5 to 80% of battery capacity takes just half an hour.

Completing the urbansphere’s technology package are the adaptive air suspension with an active damping system based on a camera capable of reading road conditions, as well as the rear-wheel steering, necessary for manoeuvring a car of this size, even in a “megacity”.

Image gallery: Audi urbansphere concept