Photo: Stefan Baldauf / Guido ten Brink
Audi's grandsphere concept, one of the trio of sphere-named concepts, was revealed at the IAA 2021. While it looked sleek in its press shots, it is interesting to see how it was captured by our team of photographers on site. So, let us observe the exhibit in all its might.
Before you start browsing the photo gallery, we suggest taking a closer look at the front grille, which is covered by a transparent piece of plastic. The solution allows the vehicle to have a hexagonal grille with a mesh shape, but without having to manage the air that goes through that grille.
Audi's solution to a car without a grille is elegant and simple. We wish we could say the same about the Tesla Model S after its facelift in 2016. Some have been reminded of the first film in the Matrix franchise, when Keanu Reeves' character was silenced by Agent Smith during the interrogation process.
We are also fans of the look of the hood, which has two distinctive lines on it, while we also like the new headlight design from Audi. The front bumper does have two vents in it, but both send air towards the wheels, possibly for aerodynamic purposes.
Moving on to the wheels, we can observe 23-inch alloy wheels that might not make production in this form. They come with 285/35 ZR23 Pirelli P Zero tires, which have a rather small sidewall despite their size. Regardless, since the grandsphere will not get a direct representative in production form, it does not matter.
The rear features completely new lines from Audi, starting from the C-pillars to the rear of the vehicle. It will be interesting to see what details from this concept will eventually end up in production cars, but if we have a good memory, we might get to notice almost all in the next five to ten years.
Inside, the Audi grandsphere concept looks more like a high-end apartment than an automobile. We see a lot of gray leather, sway, and other materials that look soft to the touch. There is still a steering wheel in this concept, which means that Audi is also interested in offering cars that are meant to be driven once autonomous vehicles become the norm. The grandsphere is also a self-driving car, but Audi has also shown it with a steering wheel.
We must point out that the Audi grandsphere does have a mode where the steering wheel is retracted into the dash to allow the occupants to use the resulting pair of front screens as a personal cinema while the car drives itself. We also notice new control surfaces and knobs on the front door cards, which look like they are made from polished aluminum and fitted to the wood-finished door cards.
Audi's solution to a car without a grille is elegant and simple. We wish we could say the same about the Tesla Model S after its facelift in 2016. Some have been reminded of the first film in the Matrix franchise, when Keanu Reeves' character was silenced by Agent Smith during the interrogation process.
We are also fans of the look of the hood, which has two distinctive lines on it, while we also like the new headlight design from Audi. The front bumper does have two vents in it, but both send air towards the wheels, possibly for aerodynamic purposes.
Moving on to the wheels, we can observe 23-inch alloy wheels that might not make production in this form. They come with 285/35 ZR23 Pirelli P Zero tires, which have a rather small sidewall despite their size. Regardless, since the grandsphere will not get a direct representative in production form, it does not matter.
The rear features completely new lines from Audi, starting from the C-pillars to the rear of the vehicle. It will be interesting to see what details from this concept will eventually end up in production cars, but if we have a good memory, we might get to notice almost all in the next five to ten years.
Inside, the Audi grandsphere concept looks more like a high-end apartment than an automobile. We see a lot of gray leather, sway, and other materials that look soft to the touch. There is still a steering wheel in this concept, which means that Audi is also interested in offering cars that are meant to be driven once autonomous vehicles become the norm. The grandsphere is also a self-driving car, but Audi has also shown it with a steering wheel.
We must point out that the Audi grandsphere does have a mode where the steering wheel is retracted into the dash to allow the occupants to use the resulting pair of front screens as a personal cinema while the car drives itself. We also notice new control surfaces and knobs on the front door cards, which look like they are made from polished aluminum and fitted to the wood-finished door cards.
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