Cars

Audi Grandsphere concept: The future is mighty sleek

This all-electric design study offers Level 4 autonomous tech, but its ritzy cabin and dramatic exterior styling are what will really knock your socks off.

Craig Cole

Craig brought 15 years of automotive journalism experience to the Cars team. A lifelong resident of Michigan, he's as happy with a wrench or welding gun in hand as he is in front of the camera or behind a keyboard. When not hosting videos or cranking out features and reviews, he's probably out in the garage working on one of his project cars. He's fully restored a 1936 Ford V8 sedan and then turned to resurrecting another flathead-powered relic, a '51 Ford Crestliner. Craig has been a proud member of the Automotive Press Association (APA) and the Midwest Automotive Media Association (MAMA).

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Craig Cole

Sept. 2, 2021 10:30 a.m. PT

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This is the new Audi Grandsphere concept.

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This all-electric design study has a beautiful interior.

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The car's cabin is open and airy, plus there's no steering wheel, at least when it's driving itself.

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When Level 4 autonomy is disengaged, a steering wheel and pedals pop out so you can drive manually.

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Here's a close-up shot of the tiller and instrument cluster.

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Audi's Grandsphere concept has loads of interior room and features a 2-plus-2 seating configuration.

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The taillights are narrow and leering.

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This car's grille is beautifully integrated into the front end and is also illuminated.

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When it's time to juice up the Grandsphere, its 800-volt charging system can handle 270 kW of power for lickety-split battery replenishment. Hooked to an appropriate source, this concept car can go from a 5% state of charge to 80% in less than 25 minutes.