When creating a car, between 100 and 200 test cars are made. They go through many different tests from light scratches to severe crashes, including adverse weather conditions. Most such cars remain for scrap, others in warehouses. However, Volkswagen has taken a different approach with one of the ID.4 test cars. The Xtreme Concept, on display in Locarno, Switzerland, gives an idea of what an off-road version of Volkswagen’s electric crossover could look like.

Configuration

The concept is based on the ID.4 GTX, which means it’s ID. Xtreme has two engines and four-wheel drive. After software changes to the control unit, the electric car makes 382 horsepower, which is 87 horsepower more than the standard GTX.

Exterior

ID. Xtreme also gets an aggressive, more extreme off-road look. This is thanks to the 18-inch off-road wheels and approximately 2.0-inch-wider 3D-printed wheel arches. The redesigned front bumper has a butch bull bar and a Led light bar is well fixed on the roof for night adventures as well. A completely closed aluminum underbody has been installed to protect the battery. Volkswagen has not provided photos of the interior, but they have said that there are redesigned seats that are wrapped in Alcantara. ID. Xtreme is equipped with a sound generator in the wheels that project some kind of noise while driving.

Summary

We highly doubt we’ll see this version in production, even though rivals from Honda, Hyundai and Subaru have provided similar cars in this class. Maybe Volkswagen will join, who knows.

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The most important thing we know about the Audi car

• Possible successor to the Audi A8
• Evolution of the Artemis concept
• Level 4 autonomous driving
• Second of the three Sphere prototypes
• Driving via Eyetracking
• Placing on the market: 2025

Longer than the Audi A8

With a length of 5.3 meters, the concept is clearly aimed at the luxury class. More interesting, however, are the proportions: the glazed part (the so-called Greenhous) looks significantly lower than it really is – an effect that visually lengthens the car. The design trick is hidden in a curved aluminum decorative strip, which “guides” the eye and creates the feeling that the car is more sloping. The air conditioning components are located under the relatively short hood, which provides more space in the cockpit.

According to Audi chief designer Mark Lichte, the wheels are reminiscent of the Avus prototype from the 90s.

Combination of Sportback and sedan

The most attractive part of the Grand Sphere is definitely the rear. The line of the roof descends initially smoothly backwards, and then falls sharply. The boot lid is, so to speak, a continuation of the aluminum strip described above. This makes the prototype a combination of Sportback and sedan.

The car as a “third living space”

In the standard version, the doors that open in opposite directions, as well as the missing B-pillar are likely to fall off. The current construction facilitates entry. And so we come to the most important part of the car: the Grand Sphere is designed not as usual from the outside in, but quite the opposite. The focus is on a generous space for passengers, around which the body is adapted. According to the Audi Grand Sphere, it should be a kind of “third living space” for people after the apartment and the office.

Level 4 autonomous driving in the Audi Sky Sphere Concept

The layout of the cockpit in this way is possible thanks to two things: electric drive and autonomous driving. The electric drive allows more space, as electric motors and batteries take up much less space than internal combustion engines, conventional transmission and cardan shaft. In addition, the production version of the Grand Sphere will later be able to master level 4 autonomous driving.

It is unlikely that the rear seats will remain the same in the standard version – as well as there will be no ficus and water dispenser in the central tunnel as in the prototype. However, it is certain that the dashboard, which moves forward, as well as the folding steering wheel provide much more space than in the Mercedes EQS and Tesla Model S.

Driving via Eyetracking

Control in the cockpit is not by pressing or voice commands, but by Eyetracking and gestures. Sensors recognize where the driver is looking and select the appropriate symbol. By pressing in the door armrest, the selection is confirmed and the system changes the corresponding menu. For example, if you want to set the air conditioner, you need to look at the corresponding controller in the door.

The air conditioning controls are also manually operated, but can also be rotated on their own with the appropriate voice command.

Mileage about 800 km on a single charge

At the moment there is almost no data on the drive. The PPE platform will probably be used as a base – which will also use the electric Porsche Macan and Audi A6 e-tron. The energy will come from a battery with a capacity of 120 kW – which should provide 800 km of mileage on a single charge.

source:autobild.bg

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Skysphere is a child of the future not only because of its futuristic design. The technique is also quite crazy – the wheelbase, for example, can change its length to turn the two-seater roadster from a comfortable GT. Thus, when folded, the wheelbase is similar to that of RS 5, and when unfolded, 250 mm is added. With the added wheelbase it is the length of the A8 L. The inspiration was the Horch 853 from the 30s, which certainly does not have a variable wheelbase. It is a symbol of luxury in Europe between the wars. Skysphere is 4.94 to 5.19 meters long, depending on the length of the wheelbase.

Although he looks like a muscular macho, every detail in Skysphere is well thought out and has a complex system. The 23-inch wheels are not only great, but provide additional cooling to the regenerative brakes. The entire front grille is an illuminated screen that can send signals to pedestrians.

The drive is entrusted to electric traction. A single electric motor in the rear axle provides 632 hp. and 750 Nm, which through the four wheels materialize in acceleration to 100 km / h in 4 seconds. The concept model is powered by an 80-kilowatt-hour battery, enough for 500 km on a single charge.

Interior

Interior of the future. When you extend the wheelbase, the system automatically assumes that you are not driving, but sleeping or relaxing… So it retracts the steering wheel in the dashboard and hides the pedals on the floor. This is in order to provide the widest possible space for rest. Or car cinema. However, in front of you rises a 55.7-inch screen on which you can easily enjoy your favorite movies. There are no buttons, everything is controlled with the touch screen, gestures and voice commands. Let’s repeat that to a large extent this car will live in the new A8 and then in the A6.

In sport mode, where the wheelbase is shorter, the steering wheel and pedals are returned and the dashboard is changed to form a cockpit for the driver.

Skysphere is not the last such prototype of Audi. The company will show two more – Grandsphere and Urbansphere – the first will be a limousine and the second – a hatchback. We expect them in the coming months.

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The A6 e-tron has cameras instead of exterior mirrors, retractable door handles and special matrix headlights that can project navigation signs on the road or information about the remaining battery charge. Whether this technology will get the production car, Audi does not specify.

The Audi A6 e-tron is powered by two electric units (one on the front and one on the rear axle). The total power of the electric motors reaches 476 horsepower and 800 Nm of torque. From standstill to 100 km / h, the electric liftback accelerates in less than 4 seconds.

The battery capacity is 100 kilowatt hours, provides a power reserve of up to 700 kilometers. Express charging from five to 80 percent takes about 25 minutes and in 10 minutes you can increase mileage by about 300 kilometers.

The debut of the new-generation Audi A6 will take place in the second half of 2022, and the model will go on sale in early 2023. Production is organized in factories in Germany and China.

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