Audi's Blue Sky Thinking

Sky sphere concept debuts at pebble beach; shows what may be possible if oems shoot for the stars

- Jordan Mulach

AS AUDI LOOKS ahead towards a future where electric vehicles reign, its designers have been busy taking their inspiration from models of old. Its next chapter will take influence from three new concept vehicles: the Sky Sphere (pictured), Grand Sphere, and Urban Sphere.

The three ‘Spheres’ are an insight into Audi’s future design language and a preview of the technology the German manufacturer will explore moving into an ICE-free world: a sporting cabriolet, a grand tourer, and an SUV-styled concept respectively. At the prestigious Monterey Car Week at Pebble Beach golf course in California, Audi revealed the first of the electrified trio, the Sky Sphere. A radical two-door cabriolet with its rakish bonnet and low-slung, sculpted side profile.

This is where that not-so-ancient history kicks in. The Sky Sphere is influenced by the Horch 853A, the German marque’s final vehicle before it was taken over by Audi following WW2, a car which had a “king of the road feeling” according to Audi’s head of design Marc Lichte.

Sky Sphere’s exterior is the brainchild of Gael Buzyn (who was responsible for the PB18 e-tron concept of 2018) and his team of designers working from Audi’s studio in Malibu, California. Their stunning creation features unique glass panels in place of the trademark single-frame grille, side