The new AUDI Skysphere concept combines two types of vehicles into one. While the automobile is only a concept, it offers us a look into Audi’s future design and engineering. The Skysphere’s major feature is that it has two driving modes. A Grand Touring and a Sports mode. The Grand Touring mode, pays homage to the legendary grand touring vehicles of the 1930s, which featured a lower two seater roadster with a longer wheelbase, big hood, and luxurious interiors, all of which were built for decent performance but especially for long drives on rural roads. This was the age when men began to love driving simply for the sake of driving and to see where the road can lead them. The second mode is the Sports mode that provides a more aggressive and dynamic ride with enhanced handling and a more commanding driver presence. While there are other cars as well with this mode, what’s special about Skysphere is that it has two modes and the entire automobile transforms from one mode to another, and it does it spectacularly.
While grand touring vehicles were always sporty, they were also a compromise, and their lengthy wheelbase and emphasis on comfort hindered some of its performance. So Audi’s concept is to design a car that could be used both as a grand tourer and a sports car without having to choose between the two. By having a changeable wheelbase, the Skysphere idea aims to combine the qualities of both types of automobile. The Skysphere is 201 inches long in Grand Touring mode, but reduces by approximately 10 inches in Sports mode.
For the time being, the Audi Skysphere is just a concept – an idea. But, if Audi is correct about it impacting future design and technological decisions, it’s a pretty fascinating concept and we’d want to see it come to reality.
