The automaker from Ingolstadt is no stranger to puzzling concepts. It all started in 1921 with the Typ K Stromlinien Versuchswagen, a design study that paved the way for Audi’s first post-war production car.
Other notable concepts include the RSQ created for the I, Robot movie, the lifted R8 known as the Nanuk, and the urban concept Spyder with this exact capitalization because Audi has a thing for very nonsensical nomenclatures.
The latest in this line of weird one-offs comes in the form of the skysphere, which is more wishful thinking than production reality. The standout feature of the all-electric concept is the variable wheelbase system, which employs a sophisticated mechanism that varies the wheelbase by up to 250 millimeters (9.8 inches). The reasoning for this quirk is pretty sensible although not viable in practice. The longer setting is perfect for grand touring while the shorter mode helps the car in the twisties. But still, the complexity and weight of this system makes the skysphere a four-wheeled, high-tech joke of sorts.
Penned by SRK Designs, the “Batmobile Edition” in the following clip and Instagram post is also intended as a joke. “This can make for a good daily ride for Batman,” explains the pixel artist, and the Caped Crusader would most likely agree with him. The rendering includes matte-black paintwork, beefy all-terrain rubber wrapped around redesigned wheels finished in black, three auxiliary LED clusters on the front of the roof, the Batman logo on the front of the hood, as well as two big wings on the rear haunches.
Delayed to 2022, the next Batman movie will see Bruce Wayne behind the wheel of a split-window 1963 Chevrolet Corvette Sting Ray. The superhero, on the other hand, will drive a muscle car-inspired Batmobile that broke down in a puff of smoke in the United Kingdom due to a burnt clutch.
After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well. Full profile
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