Today is shaping up to be a day rich in premieres and announcements. Meet the Audi Urbansphere, a design study born out of a cooperation between the automaker’s Beijing and Ingolstadt offices.
The design team started by conceptualizing the interior of the vehicle and only then proceeded to the exterior, highlighting that the former was more important than the latter. The car is a four-seater with a 2+2 formula, which enables it to offer retractable/swiveling footrests for all four occupants. All seats can be reclined up to 60 degrees without inconveniencing those sitting in the back, and the headrest is designed to envelop the head for added comfort. There are audio speakers installed into the headrests on both sides.
There is also a rear-row infotainment system on board, which looks like a transparent display descending from the ceiling. To control it, passengers can use simple hand gestures that the designers claim are easily recognizable even with the seats reclined all the way back. Special sensors try to determine whether a person is in stress, and the car can be set to play soothing music if this is found to be the case.
The Urbansphere supports SAE Level IV autonomous driving, which means it is capable of full self-driving but still has the conventional wheel and pedals inside for those who prefer to stay in control. It uses APPE technological underpinnings and runs on a battery rated higher than 120 kilowatt-hours, giving it around 750 km (466 miles) of range.
The powertrain produces 401 PS (395 hp / 295 kW) and 690 Nm (509 lb-ft) of torque.