Norwegian speed king Aleksander Aamodt Kilde wasn’t the only one turning heads at the 2023 Aspen Ski World Cup. The new Audi activesphere concept vehicle—a robust off-roader meets beautiful coupe prototype—made its U.S. debut at the event.
Audi introduced its electric “sphere” concept in 2021 with the skysphere roadster, followed by the grandsphere sedan, and then the urbansphere. An eco-friendly car for the outdoor enthusiast was a natural progression. Skier alert: its funky rear turns into a huge illuminated open cargo bed to stash skis or bikes at the touch of a button.
At first glance, it may look like a luxury-class four-door sport car, but this vehicle cleverly combines elegance with the practicality of an SUV and true off-road capabilities. The car has 22-inch wheels and impressive ground clearance, no local emissions, a range of more than 379 miles, and speedy charging times thanks to 800-volt technology. It combines the sustainability, dynamics, and long-distance capability of first-in-class electric vehicles.
“We are experiencing a paradigm shift, especially in the interior of our future Audi models,” says Oliver Hoffmann, Member of the Board of Management for Technical Development at Audi. “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.
For passengers, its augmented reality combines the physical and virtual worlds (mixed reality) by displaying digital content in the field of vision in real-time. For the driver, there’s superhero vision with control surfaces and displays otherwise invisible to the unaided eye. High-tech AR headsets provide a view of the real environment and the route, while simultaneously displaying 3D content, including driving status and navigation. The driver’s hand can intuitively follow the user’s gaze to control car functions, while the virtual display in the headset reacts to changes in real-time like a conventional instrument.
Naturally, there’s self-drive capability, and navigation routes or vehicle maintenance can be prepared from your living-room laptop. Passengers can even take the headset from the car into the great outdoors to help navigate the perfect mountain bike route or to find the ideal descent when skiing downhill. The future of sustainable luxury vehicles is coming to a mountain near you soon.
