VIDEO: Head of Audi Design Discusses Designing the Future with skysphere
In a recent video, Marc Lichte explains the highlights and inspiration behind the Audi skysphere’s design.
Back in August 2021, when Audi skysphere made its world debut, we were mesmerized by the concept’s futuristic design. The Ingolstadt brand’s all-electric sporty grand touring concept with its autonomous driving capability also reminds one of something out of a Knight Rider reboot. In one of its recent videos, Marc Lichte, the head of Audi Design, explains the styling and development of the breathtaking Audi skysphere’s design.
The design of the skysphere draws inspiration from 1930s Horch 853 Voll and Ruhrbeck Sports Cabriolet. For those unfamiliar with the Horch 853, the roadster’s history is full of mystery and controversy. According to Litche, the luxurious cabriolet set the benchmark for comfort and driving dynamics in its heyday. With the skysphere, Litche tried to emulate these distinguishing characteristics of the Horch 853.
“I’m working as a professional designer for almost 25 years. I did many, many cars in my career. And this is one of the most exciting projects or show cars I’ve ever worked on with my team,” said Litche. He further adds, “Audi skysphere is a look into the future because we are showcasing and visualizing the potential of this progressive technology. Automated driving level 4 that means it showcases the opportunities around this technology.”
Furthermore, Litche explains that the Audi skysphere is a collaborative effort of the automaker’s design studios in Malibu, China, and at the Audi headquarters in Ingolstadt.
As a result, the skysphere concept is also designed entirely digitally in addition to being completely electric. The teams across the continents used augmented reality to come together and develop the Audi skysphere concept. For the uninitiated, the Audi skysphere concept gets a transformative feature. So, the EV can transform from a 16.2 feet sports car into a 17.02 feet fully autonomous lounge.
“The highlights are that we combine a very muscular body with very elegant lines, and this combination is something really progressive that the car looks, on one hand, very sporty and muscular, and super elegant and very sleek. The Audi skysphere is a very, very, very progressive interpretation of a roadster,” explains Litche.
Image Source: Audi
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