Teased

Audi teases Sky Sphere concept a bit more, with reveal on Wednesday

The autonomous sports concept will help define the future of Audi

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Audi-Sky-Sphere-concept-teaser-01
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Audi has released some more teaser images of the upcoming Sky Sphere concept. The photos provide a bit more detail about a car that is said to in part inform what the next generation of Audis will look like.

We saw a teaser video last month, in which Audi head of design Marc Lichte and senior VP Henrik Wenders cruise around in a Horch 853A. The implication was that the luxury 1930s convertible with long hood and short overhangs was somehow linked with the new concept.

Indeed, one of the new photos does show a wide grille with an incredibly short front overhang, wheel well visible just a few inches behind the grille and headlights. Since the car is electric, there's no need for a traditional grille. Instead, that space is filled with an array of lights that mirror the matrix elements of the Audi signature headlights. The rest of the snout looks flat and wide with a sporty profile, an integrated chin spoiler, and wheel wells that rise up over the low hood.

The rear is now revealed to have not just a row of lights on the trailing edge, as was shown in the teaser video last month, but a grid of lights just like the front, except in red. However, the rear lights do appear to be able to illuminate at varying intensity levels independent of one another. At the back, there also appears to be a large glass hatch that extends right up to the edge of the rear bodywork.

The wheels have a very architectural feel to them, formed by blocks of raised metal slats. In real life, these would be an insane pain to keep clean and free of debris, but they do look cool on the concept.

The Sky Sphere is one of three "Sphere" concepts that will define the future of the Audi brand. The Sky Sphere is the most driver-focused of the bunch, with the Grand Sphere sedan and Urban Sphere crossover rounding out the trio. The Sky Sphere has been described by Audi as both a sports car and an autonomous lounge, which sounds like an oxymoron. We will have to wait until August 11 — that's this Wednesday — when it's revealed to see how Audi intends to resolve those contradicting ideas.

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