Audi has let out some details on its new concept car called the Skysphere this week. Skysphere will be a self-driving vehicle and a convertible.
The vehicle is sleek in design and is quite rough in looks. The Skysphere is claimed to be an electric powertrain that is combined with luxury amenities. It also features an adaptable wheelbase that can change its size according to different driving modes. The vehicle has a digital cockpit with a retractable steering wheel and pedals that conceal itself when the car is in self-driving mode.
The Skysphere concept by Audi is different from its other recent concepts. It may seem unachievable to some but Audi officials claim that the concept car represents what their company believes it can bring out that too without too much delay. They claim to produce the car by the second half of this decade as it slowly turns focus to electric and autonomous vehicles.
The Skysphere is designed in such a way to obtain a range of 500km, with the ability to accelerate from 0 to 60mph in less than four seconds. It is claimed to offer about 553 pound-feet of torque. The convertible opens like an elevator with its hood splitting into two panels. The expandable wheelbase extends an extra 250 millimeters when switched from Sports mode to Grand Touring mode. The steering and pedals which stow away when the car is in self-driving mode increase the gap between human and automated driving. Similar stowaway controls have been released in the concept cars of Volkswagen and Peugeot.
A retractable steering wheel doesn’t have permission to be used in vehicles now. This regulation might be changed to better suit automated vehicles.
