Audi recently hinted that the icons of yesterday won’t necessarily be the icons of tomorrow. While that’s bad news for fans of cars like the TT and the R8, the German firm’s next halo models look like they will be worth waiting for.
Sketches published on LinkedIn by a member of Audi’s product placement team preview three upcoming concepts lumped under the Sphere umbrella. They’re called Sky Sphere, Grand Sphere, and Urban Sphere, respectively. All we’ve seen of the trio are a series of white lines forming a silhouette, but that’s enough to whet our appetite.
The Sky Sphere seemingly takes the form of a two-seater coupe with a long hood and a fastback-like roof line that flows into a relatively short rear end. It looks like it could be positioned near or at the top of the Audi range, yet it’s a completely different car than the R8, which is powered by a mid-mounted V10 engine and is shaped accordingly.
In contrast, the Grand Sphere almost resembles a futuristic version of the A7 Sportback. While the doors aren’t shown, the wheelbase and the greenhouse both look big enough to make this a four-door model, yet the roof line is lower than a crossover’s or an SUV’s. Of course, this is purely speculation; we’re merely looking at sketches.
Finally, the Urban Sphere wears the proportions of a minivan, albeit one with a tapered (and almost sporty-looking rear end). It’s boxier than the other two concepts, and its front overhang is unusually short to clear up as much space as possible in the cabin by extending the wheelbase. It might be a follow-up to the autonomous AI:Me.
Details about what’s under the skin aren’t available, though it’s reasonable to assume all three concepts are electric; you don’t think Audi would dare put a W12 under the Sky’s long hood, do you? Similarly, it’s too early to tell if these cars are simple design exercises, if they preview Audi’s next design language, or if they’re headed to production. We’ll have a better idea of what the future has in store when the Sphere concepts make their public debut.
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Source: https://www.autoblog.com/2021/07/06/audi-sphere-concept-car-sketches/
