Audi really thought that its reinterpretation of the Horch 853A would shape the future. We expected it to reveal more about the Artemis project. In the end, all of the people involved in this story were wrong. The skysphere is another concept with a stretchable wheelbase that will never make it into production. The Artemis project is still a mystery.
The idea was that the skysphere would be an experience device able to offer two different ones. As a GT, it would be autonomous and roomy, with a wheelbase of around 3,10 meters and a length of 5.19 m. At the touch of a button, the car “shrinks” by 25 centimeters and reveals a steering wheel and pedals. That makes the skyphere be 4.94 m long and have a wheelbase around 3.10 m.
If that is the future, Renault presented it earlier with the Morphoz concept in March 2020. It was also electric and autonomous, like the skysphere. The main differences were that the French concept was an SUV and that it shrunk only 20 cm compared to the 25 cm the Audi can retract.
There are a few things that make us wonder about the skysphere since it was first teased, and its official reveal has not explained them. GTs are also vehicles for people that like to drive, even if for long distances. Audi makes it autonomous to offer a lounge in a roadster, which is also not the preferred spot for people willing to rest. Putting a roof in a car that is only 1.23 m tall would probably feel claustrophobic, even if it is 2 m wide.
When it comes to power, the skysphere has a single rear motor that offers 465 kW (624 hp) and 750 Nm (553 lb-ft). Its battery pack size would be around 80 kWh and would deliver about 500 km of range in the WLTP cycle. Mercedes-Benz already offers 770 km (478 mi) with 108 kWh in a production car. If that’s what the Artemis project has to offer, Audi needs to get back to development and improve these numbers.
Audi executives said that the skysphere intends to shape progressive luxury. Apart from the looks – which may attract some customers at the Pebble Beach Concours D'Elegance, where it will make its first public presentation – we have seen all else it offers before, theoretically in less expensive vehicles. The company will reveal another concept on September 1, the grandsphere. It may do the trick better than the roadster with a double personality.
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