Audi’s newest concept vehicle is a high-end coupe that converts into a truck

Audi has recently launched a number of intriguing concept cars, including a massive urban people mover and a villainous auto-driving sedan. The most recent is the Activesphere, an extremely sleek electric luxury coupe that has the ability to transform into an off-road-capable pickup truck.

The Activesphere is referred to as Audi’s most adaptable concept because it has a hatchback that can transform into an open cargo bed at the touch of a button, big 22-inch wheels, and truly impressive ground clearance. You can take this rugged spaceship of a car out on the open road without worrying about leaving the pavement behind when you get tired of cruising the rough streets of the city you live in.

The Activesphere is the “culmination” of four sphere concepts developed by the German automaker to represent each of the four rings in Audi’s logo.

In addition, the Activesphere is more than just a design experiment; it is also atop a modular electric drive platform that Audi and Porsche’s sister company are developing and will have real-world implications for future production vehicles. The Activesphere’s platform, known as the Premium Platform Electric (PPE), will serve as the foundation for an Audi performance vehicle that will be made available later in 2023.

Similar to the Audi E-tron GT Quattro, the PPE platform will have an 800-volt architecture that makes it possible to charge quickly. This indicates an increase of up to 300 kilometers in just ten minutes of charging time.

According to Audi, the PPE will be able to accommodate an “unprecedented range of high-volume automobiles — including SUVs and CUVs with high ground clearance as well as cars with a flat silhouette that are part of Audi’s core product range, such as the Audi A6 series, whose external dimensions and wheelbase are almost identical to the Audi activesphere concept.”

But this is just an idea. What’s the point of all the pointless technology? Give us what we want! What about “mixed reality optics” and augmented reality? Or are you referring to “high-tech headsets” that “provide a view of the real environment and the route, while simultaneously displaying 3D content and interactive elements”? That bizarre for you?

As a way to enhance or supplement the driving experience, in-car augmented and virtual reality (AR and VR) features have only recently been adopted by Audi. Since the Activesphere does have some autonomous features, using headsets to provide additional information about the vehicle shouldn’t necessarily be considered dangerous or distracting. After all, it’s just a concept.) Riders are also able to enjoy the entire experience while wearing these devices when the steering wheel and other driving controls retract.

The Activesphere has a lot of interesting design options, like carriage doors that make it easier to get inside the car and the retractable steering wheel that emphasizes the car’s autonomy.

In fact, there are a lot of moving parts in the Activesphere. From the base height of 208 millimeters, the vehicle’s ground clearance can be adjusted by as much as 40 millimeters. When driving on the road, it can also be lowered by the same amount. Thanks to a row of interlocking metal strips underneath the doors on either side, the driver can see when the vehicle moves up or down. To be believed, you really need to see it.

Additionally, Audi claims that the rear hatch can be reconfigured into an open-air cargo bed that is ideal for transporting e-bikes or other outdoor gear. Similar to a pickup truck’s mid-gate, a partition raises to separate the riders from the back cargo area. It’s being called the “active back” by Audi.

The German automaker said that the Activesphere would “reinvent mobility as we know it today,” and it is the fourth in a series of concept cars. The first was the Skysphere, an electric convertible that looked like a villain and was sleek and had an adjustable chassis. The Grandsphere, a roomy electric sedan whose interior appears to have been designed by a Kardashian, came next. The Urbansphere, a massive autonomous people mover designed for traffic-heavy megacities, was the third option.