Audi Activesphere combines mixed reality interior with a pickup

The latest 'sphere' concept from Audi may be the most advanced and utilitarian of the bunch.

The fourth in the series of battery-electric vehicle concepts — a self-driving sportback crossover — can transform into a small pickup capable of carrying bicycles or other gear. And it features an augmented reality interface.

The Audi Activesphere concept — like its three predecessors, the Grandsphere, Urbansphere and Skysphere — is intended to demonstrate the brand's vision of autonomous electric vehicles, the integrated technologies they may offer, and potential flexibility.

The concept has a transitioning rear deck: The aggressively raked glass slides forward to expose a tailgate. With the tailgate dropped and the glass forward, the two-row crossover's cargo space is transformed into a mini truck bed, good enough to haul sporting equipment, Audi says.

With the rear glass in sportback position, the Activesphere features a pop-up ski rack integrated into the roof.

The 4980 mm-long concept has a high ground clearance on 22-inch wheels.

As with the other sphere concepts, the Activesphere's suspension system is equipped with variable geometry to provide added ground clearance when activated. Another primary goal of the full-electric concept is to explore the best use of interior space.

The designers paid particular attention to the interior, which will become more of a lounge on wheels as cars are able to drive themselves without a human at the wheel.

"We are experiencing a paradigm shift above all in the interiors of our future Audi models. The interior will become a place where passengers can feel at home and at the same time connect with the world outside," said the brand's development chief Oliver Hoffmann.

With the Activesphere, Audi developed an augmented reality ecosystem for driver and passengers, in which specially equipped headsets create 3D digital displays that not only allow control of the vehicle's functions, but interact with the vehicle's surroundings, especially in Level 4 autonomous driving mode.

With the augmented reality features, Audi is venturing into an area that BMW also focused on at CES 2023 with its i Vision Dee concept car.

The big difference between the two premium manufacturers is that Audi uses headsets while BMW has developed a heads-up display covering the entire width of the windshield and plans to use it in its Neue Klasse, or New Class, electric vehicles after 2025.

"The mixed reality glasses don't limit us to the overlays in the front area on the windshield of the vehicle, but make content usable throughout the vehicle. We are making functions in the vehicle particularly intuitive and easy to use," Christina Huber, user interface designer at Audi, told Automotive News Europe sister publication Automobilwoche.

"We see the glasses as part of a digital ecosystem. Our customers always have them with them, just as they currently have their smartphones," she said.

In autonomous mode, the Activesphere's dashboard, steering wheel and pedals retract, providing additional room in the cabin right out to the front of the car. To carry the illusion further, the brand replaced its traditional single-frame grille with a glazed material that gives occupants a full view of the road.

The Activesphere uses parent Volkswagen Group's PPE (Premium Platform Electric) that will underpin the upcoming Audi Q6 e-tron and Porsche Macan E electric crossovers. Its 800-volt electrical system gives it a fast charging time to 80 percent from 10 percent in 15 to 20 minutes. Its driving range is 600 km (373 miles).

Like the other three sphere vehicles, the Activesphere will not go into production but is instead intended to explore the technical possibilities for new models.

Hoffmann said: "The most important technical innovation in the concept is our adaptation of augmented reality for mobility."

Lennart Wermke of Automobilwoche contributed to this report