Audi Grandsphere heralds new high-tech limo

The Audi Grandsphere concept has made its debut in Germany, paving the way for what Audi believes will be revolutionary changes for the modern motor vehicle.

Previewing the next-generation Audi A8 due mid-decade, and packed with technology that might take longer to reach production, the Grandsphere is a whopping 5.35 metres long and has Audi TT design influences.

Building on the 2018 Audi Aicon concept, the Grandsphere combines sleek, sporty and elegant aesthetics with a spacious and classy cabin that only a dedicated electric car platform can offer.

Indeed, Audi says the focus on powertrains will diminish as EVs take over, which will in turn place more emphasis on the interior.

Developed as a Level 4 autonomous car, the Grandsphere’s steering wheel can retract at the touch of a button, and projector systems are used instead of LCD screens to create an ultra-wide curved display that stretches from door to door, and can be used to watch movies, for example.

The 2021 Audi Grandsphere debuts a new input system too, MMI touchless response, which can be used in any seating position inside the car – even when reclined and the physical controls are out of reach.

This is possible with eye-tracking technology that combines with gesture control, so occupants can simply wave their hands around to change temperature, seating position, light intensity or entertainment settings.

It’s expected the MMI touchless response will make its way into production cars soon, but voice control and other traditional inputs methods will continue to be offered.

Featuring a pop-out beverage cooler up front with glasses and bottle, and a comfy couch with wrap-around cushioning (and even an indoor plant) for rear seat passengers, the Audi Grandsphere concept is designed to be first-class lounge on wheels, pampering everyone inside.

Audi says many of the new features shown in the Grandsphere concept will “turn up again within a few years in future Audi series”.

In conjunction with the shape-shifting Audi Skysphere and the forthcoming Audi Urbansphere to be shown in 2022, the 2021 Audi Grandsphere concept is designed to help prepare the car-buying public for a fully autonomous driving era.

Audi has previously stated it expects to have Level 4 autonomous cars in series production by the second half of the decade, and while they will be very expensive and operate in restrictive environments, Audi is confident buyers will be content to pay a premium based around the idea that time is worth more than money.

While the latest Audi concept focuses on cabin luxury and delivering a premium experience within a self-driving car, the continued development of electric powertrains ensures that it’ll be a swift super-limo.

Given the opportunity, the Grandsphere concept will accelerate from 0-100km/h in just over four seconds, thanks to a twin-motor powertrain that belts out 530kW/960Nm and drives all four wheels.

Meanwhile, a high-density 120kWh lithium-ion battery pack is predicted to deliver an impressive 750km range (WLTP).

Based on the Volkswagen Group’s premium PPE electric vehicle platform, which was developed by Porsche and already underpins the Porsche Taycan, the Grandsphere has an 800V electrical system allowing for up to 270kW charging rates.

Audi reckons the self-driving limo can be charged from 5-80 per cent in around 25 minutes, saying it “won’t take much longer than having a cup of coffee”.

Designer Amar Vaya said that of the three new Audi ‘sphere’ concepts, the Audi Grandsphere is the closest of the trio to a potential production vehicle.

And while Vaya wouldn’t confirm whether it’ll be an Audi TT ‘Grand’ model, Audi’s head of exterior design Philip Römers revealed at a preview event in July that the Grandsphere signals an all-new model due mid-decade that’s set to succeed the current Audi A8.

“What we wanted to do is create a new order. It had to be not so much a high-level D-segment limousine, but it could a sports car,” said Vaya.

“I knew that the car should be authentic and true to its nature, the car had to have something new, so therefore we can call the story a progressive one, and it had to respect the past.”

Measuring 5350mm long, 2000m wide and 1390mm wide, the 2+2-seater Grandsphere is longer than the stretched Audi A8, rides on massive 23-inch alloy wheels and is fitted with adaptive air suspension designed to deliver first-class ride comfort.

At the front, the German land yacht gets a reworked version of Audi’s iconic single-frame grille but the ultra-slim headlight design is new.

Vaya said the new headlights take the graphics from Audi’s four-ringed logo, cuts a cross section and delivers a “new way of interpreting the Audi headlights”. The tail-lights feature a similar motif, also reworking the Audi logo.

“Due to the underpinnings being electric, we could have a lot more freedom in what we do with the proportions,” said Vaya.

Long, low, wide and sleek, the new design is, according to Vaya, “basically a living sculpture”.

“It’s a cliché but in this case it’s totally true,” he said.

At the earlier preview event, Römers said: “We’ve already communicated that around about the year 2025 we want to have a new vehicle positioned in the upper [large] segment, the luxury segment.

“The Grandsphere is definitely an outlook on that.

“Especially when you talk about design language – exterior and interior – we want to bring as many of these design elements into production as possible.