Audi has a rugged electric crossover concept in the works, but it won't be revealed until early 2023.
The Audi Activesphere concept is the fourth in the automaker's line of "sphere" concepts, the first of which was introduced roughly a year ago. This time, the focus is on "maximum variability for an active lifestyle—both on and off pavement," Audi said in a press release.
The Activesphere will join Audi's three other "sphere" concepts for an autonomous-driving age—the Skysphere electric sports car concept, the rakish Grandsphere luxury EV concept, and the Urbansphere, a people-mover that spans between wagon and van shapes and is designed with dense Chinese cities in mind.
These concepts present Audi designers' ideas of how the anticipated rise of autonomous driving will change car design. in the three concepts shown thus far, there's been an emphasis on reconfigurable interiors that can switch from traditional automotive cockpits to more lounge-like arrangements when a vehicle is in self-driving mode.
Audi meanwhile is slowly starting to deliver its Q4 E-Tron, which is closely related to the Volkswagen ID.4 but uses Audi's own interface. We haven't yet driven the Q4 E-Tron, but it might shape up to be one of the relative bargains among luxury crossovers. It joins the lineup alongside the larger E-Tron crossover and the E-Tron GT sedan.
Audi plans to launch only EVs from 2026 on, with no gasoline models left in the lineup by 2033. So while the "sphere" concepts don't foreshadow specific production models, it's possible that some of their design elements will appear on future Audis—especially if the autonomous-driving tech anticipated by the concepts achieves mass commercialization.
