BY PETER BARNWELL
AUDI is having a bet each way with its Activesphere concept vehicle that can, at the push of a button, be configured as a ‘ute’ or an ‘SUV’ thanks to a sliding rear roof/window panel.
The muscular, four-door, shapeshifter was revealed recently and is the fourth and final model in Audi’s all electric Sphere series of concepts that features autonomous driving capabilities, all-wheel drive and off-road ready air suspension.
Activesphere follows the Urbansphere people-mover concept, GT-style Grandsphere and sexy Skysphere roadster.
The four-ring brand, part of the Volkswagen Group, is using its Sphere concepts to demonstrate various applications of future propulsion systems and level four autonomous driving technologies that are being considered.
A defining feature of the Activesphere is what’s called an ‘Active Back’ retractable roof/rear screen that enables the vehicle to ‘convert’ from an SUV to a ute at the push of a button.
In doing so, it provides either a load area large enough to accommodate ski gear, a couple of bikes or water sports equipment via a bottom-hinged tailgate for ute mode or a hard-shell passenger compartment for SUV mode.
A retractable ski rack is integrated into the roof and the model features a motorised bulkhead that separates the passenger and cargo compartments and protects occupants from the elements.
A development that could soon become main-stream, certainly at Audi, are rear-view cameras in place of the wing mirrors.
Ensuring good grip on terra firma regardless of the surface and allowing the vehicle to go almost anywhere and back, are 22-inch wheels with tyres that boast moveable segments that open when off-road and close when driving on sealed roads.
The configurable air suspension can raise or lower Activesphere 40mm from the standard setting to a maximum ground clearance of 248mm for bush bashing and a much lower 168mm for high-speed highway driving.
Helping the driver to site the front of the vehicle and to better place it off road are glass sections within the front doors and the leading edge of the bonnet. But approach and departure angles of 18.9 and 28.1 degrees respectively may limit the car’s off road ability.
Dual electric traction motors power the Activesphere with one on each axle and the vehicle itself is built on Audi’s forthcoming Premium Platform Electric architecture (developed in conjunction with Porsche) to provide 800-volt charging and an estimated driving range of more than 600km.
Audi claims the battery can receive enough charge to provide 300km of driving within 10 minutes.
Pulling electrons from a 100kWh battery pack, the Activesphere has a total output of 325kW and 720Nm, which would guarantee rapid acceleration and a high top speed.
Mirroring the Audi Q8’s proportions (4980mm long, 2070mm wide, 1600mm tall and 2970mm in wheelbase), the Activesphere features a car-like, four occupant interior with controls that retract out of sight when operating in autonomous mode.
Unusually, the individual bucket-style seats are suspended from the centre console, each offered with its own mixed-reality headset that operate various vehicle features via gesture control.
The headsets can also be used to display entertainment or necessary driving information, such as navigation instructions.
Audi is assessing this system to potentially negate the need for in-built screens thereby simplifying the dashboard and its controls while taking up less space.
The dashboard features a full-width sound bar and air vent, while the centre console offers cup holders that are both cooled and heated.
“The sphere concept vehicles show our vision for the premium mobility of the future,” said Audi member of the board of management for technical development, Oliver Hoffmann.
“We are experiencing a paradigm shift, especially in the interior of our future Audi models. The interior becomes a place where the passengers feel at home and can connect to the world outside at the same time
“The most important technical innovation in the Audi Activesphere is our adaptation of augmented reality for mobility.”
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