Audi Urbansphere Concept

With the Urbansphere Concept, Audi is showing a “space vehicle” that is intended to offer peace and relaxation to people who are particularly troubled in traffic jams. Please don't rejoice too soon: the giant van will not be available for purchase from us.

Audi builds a van. That alone may raise a certain frown among fans of the four rings. Does such a "Soccer Mom's Car" even fit into a sporty premium brand? Yes, Audi thinks so, even if only in a very special way. The Ingolstadt-based company is showing what this looks like with the Urbansphere Concept study in China. Anyone who thought that behind the name "Urban" might be a cool city electric car is very wrong. The opposite is the case. The study is a stately chunk of 5,51 meters in length, making it the largest vehicle that Audi has ever put on wheels. The wheelbase alone is a whopping 3,40 meters, more than the Maybach version of the Mercedes S-Class.

Neither cool nor sexy

The vehicle type van, also known as MPV (Multi Purpose Vehicle), has lost a lot of feathers in terms of image and demand in the past. The reason for this is the SUV, which in turn has become increasingly popular. Vans are considered uncool and not very sexy, at least in this country. It is all the more astonishing that Audi is tackling the van chapter from scratch at all.

Background is China. The Urbansphere Concept is intended exclusively for Chinese customers. Which also immediately answers the question of who in Germany or Europe should buy such a huge part at all? none. But what is different in China? In principle, two things: the daily mega-traffic jams in metropolises such as Beijing or Shanghai, and the existence of a similarly designed car called the Toyota Alphard. Of course, nobody here knows the latter, but it's a hit in China and is considered hipper than any fat luxury sedan. Because the Alphard offers first-class seating and space comfort. Just the right thing to be able to enjoy the annoying time spent in stop-and-go traffic in the rear, sleeping, working or watching TV.

What is important for the “perfect” car?

So Audi's developers, marketing strategists and the design center in Beijing worked closely with potential Chinese customers to jointly define the perfect spacecraft. "Never before have we integrated customers so deeply into a process," says Norbert Weber, Head of Interior Design. In the Car Clinic, banal questions such as "What is the most important thing for you?" were asked. Interesting: The result was that neither performance nor driving dynamics are conducive to prestige, but that comfort and space are more important. Hence the high demand for the Toyota Alphard.

Audi Urbansphere Concept
Those who make themselves comfortable in the rear of the Audi Urbansphere Concept can expect "Wellness on Wheels".

Those who make themselves comfortable in the rear of the Audi Urbansphere Concept can indeed prepare themselves for "Wellness on Wheels". Leather is out. Instead, fabric and wood dominate. When boarding, the seat rotates outwards 15 degrees. Forward legroom is so great that it's impossible to bump into the front seats. It's not even comfortable to cross your knees in business class on an airplane. Quite China-like: the carpet has a special pattern from the Zen garden. The chauffeur can also relax. The Urban Concept is designed for Level 4, the steering wheel disappears in the dashboard in autonomous mode.

Unusual look

From the outside, Audi's “Space Shuttle” is almost an optical illusion. You don't see the car's size as long as it's standing on its own, the length is estimated to be less than five meters, which is partly due to the huge 24-inch tires. It distorts the proportions.

new pattern

The designers have rethought the single-frame grille in order to have enough presence on the outside without showing too much aggressiveness. It serves as a communication field for contact with the outside world in Level 4 mode. The rear area was also designed according to this pattern. And Audi has already revealed this much: The entire, reduced design language of the Urbansphere Concept – more sculptural and no longer so angular – is to be found in future electric models from the brand.

Audi Urbansphere Concept
The study is a stately chunk of 5,51 meters in length, making it the largest vehicle that Audi has ever put on wheels

Technically, the super van is based on the 800-volt PPE (Premium Platform Electric) architecture, which is also found under the Porsche Taycan and the Audi e-tron GT. Audi does not reveal any performance data. They are unimportant anyway, especially in a study, but should be at the level of the GT. In terms of battery capacity, everything is possible "from to". In combination with the enormous wheelbase, the modular system provides significantly more than 100 kWh. This means that ranges of around 600 kilometers can be easily achieved.

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