Ingolstadt – Since its introduction almost three decades ago, the Audi A8 has followed a safe and conventional design path, but that’s set to change radically with the next generation.
The new Audi A8 is set to be heavily inspired by the Grandsphere concept of 2021, as Autocar recently uncovered in an interview with Audi design boss Mark Lichte.
“The Grandsphere is a very concrete teaser. It's not far away from what will become production. It's not 1:1 but very close,” Lichte told the British publication.
The Grandsphere is indeed a huge departure from the German brand’s current design idiom, but that won’t be the only radical shift as the flagship sedan is expected to go all-electric from the next generation.
The Audi A8 e-tron, as it’s likely to be called, will be underpinned by the upcoming PPE architecture that was developed in conjunction with Porsche, Autocar reports. This new platform will underpin most future electric Audi models, including the imminent A6 and Q6 e-tron models.
Audi is expected to launch its last combustion-engined model in 2026, and aims to be all-electric in most world markets by 2023.
The Audi Grandsphere concept was designed to function as something of a “private jet for the road” and while we can’t imagine that the next A8 would offer full autonomous driving capability – with a steering wheel that disappears into the dashboard – it is likely to inherit the concept’s electrical architecture, or something similar to it.
The PPE-based concept boasts an 800-volt electrical system that allows a claimed battery range of over 750km between charges.
Power comes from two electric motors – one on each axle – that together allow system outputs of 530kW and 960Nm.
The Grandsphere is one of four futuristic concept cars that Audi has released over the past few years, including the Activesphere that was unveiled last week, as well as the Urbansphere and Skysphere.