Audi Skysphere Concept Has a Variable Wheelbase

The concept—set to debut at Pebble Beach—transforms from a grand tourer to a sports car with the push of a button.

Audi revealed a mighty cool concept roadster online yesterday, loaded with features we’ll probably never see in production. Called the skysphere (lower case because art), it appears at first to be just an elegant, lengthy roadster, one of those shapes that makes you say, “You know, if they’d make that sucker I bet they’d sell a million of ‘em.”

Beyond its looks are features galore that would be nice if anyone could ever make them work in a federalized production vehicle. The coolest feature is the concept’s variable wheelbase. Exactly how this is accomplished was not completely explained.

“Electric motors and a sophisticated mechanism with body and frame components that slide into one another make it possible,” Audi said in a release.

As the wheelbase changes, overall length changes, too, from 194.5 inches to 204.3 inches. The difference in wheelbases is just under 10 inches, which you should be able to feel from behind the wheel, at least when there’s a wheel present. The skysphere’s ride height can also go up or down 10 mm, or just under 0.4” to alter performance and handling in either direction.

Audi
The skysphere’s wheelbase changes by almost 10 inches.

The idea with all the adjustments is to give two distinct characteristics to the same car. In long wheelbase form the car would be a GT, or gran turismo. The greater distance between wheels would make for a more comfortable ride. The stretch version would be used in autonomous mode, with the car driving you instead of you driving the car. In autonomous mode the steering wheel and the pedals retract to give you more comfortable seating.

Should a twisty road appear, you would transition from GT to sports car at the press of a button and at the shortening of a wheelbase. Then grab the hexagonal steering wheel and have fun.

“With the touch of button, the driver can take advantage of their freedom and choose their own driving experience,” Audi said. “Either they pilot their 4.94-meter-long e-roadster themselves in ‘Sports’ mode with a reduced wheelbase, while the rear-wheel steering ensures that the vehicle remains extremely agile despite its dimensions. Or they can choose to be chauffeured around in a 5.19-meter GT in the autonomous ‘Grand Touring’ driving mode while enjoying the sky and the scenery, maximum legroom, and the services offered by a seamlessly integrated digital ecosystem.”

The skysphere all set up for Level 4 autonomous driving.

Yes, digital ecosystem. The skysphere is loaded with connectivity in addition to autonomy. It picks you up on its own, knows where you want to go and takes you there, dropping you off and then parking itself until you need it again.

“The present is offering us everything,” said Head of Brand Audi, Henrik Wenders. “Future mobility is going to be entirely sustainable, where the products are going to be produced CO2-neutral on balance with eco-friendly materials. The product can be used without emitting CO2. A future where mobility is entirely connected due to the fact that we are witnessing unprecedented data transfer capacities, which are enabling us to drive autonomously, which in turn are enabling us to provide immersive experiences due to the digital ecosystem while being on the move.

So this is what we call progressive luxury. And we call it a win-win. Because we win the reduction of CO2, and we win immersive experiences beyond driving. And this is the reason why this is, rather than a car, it’s actually an experience device. And this is the reason why we are so happy to introduce to you the Audi skysphere concept. Which is the first experience device showing us how great the future is going to look like.”