“Audi” and “pickup truck” are not words I ever thought I’d string together in a sentence. But here we are. Recently, the automaker revealed the activesphere concept, which isn’t exactly a pickup, but it can be converted into one. Kind of.
Audi intends for the activesphere to be an active lifestyle vehicle with extra ground clearance and the ability to carry gear. It’s also electric and looks cool as hell. Unlike some other unusual electric pickup trucks that have yet to make it to market.
‘Active back’ architecture = Audi pickup truck (ish)
Rather than calling it a pickup truck, Audi refers to the open bed cargo area as an “active back.” The idea is that a rear window can slide flush with the vehicle and the lower, vertical segment can fold down to hold cargo.
Since this is a concept car, there aren’t any bed specs, but in pictures it looks smaller than a Ford Maverick or Hyundai Santa Cruz bed, which are about 4-feet long.
Audi shows holding e-bikes as well as golf clubs back there.
Off-road specs
Oddly, Audi did spend a little time giving a few off-road specs, showing this this concept could do some mild off-roading (aka hit a gravel road or a slightly bumpy trail). The vehicle can be raised 1.6 inches to reach a maximum ground clearance of 8.2 inches, and you’re looking at an approach angle of 18.9 degrees and a departure angle of 28.1 degrees.
The activesphere rides on 22-inch wheels, and sports some interesting transformer-like body changes with the push of a button that help protect the vehicle from damage off road.
Will Audi build it?
No. Probably. In addition to the unique active back structure, this vehicle has a lot of augmented reality and autonomous technology that won’t be ready for prime time for years – perhaps decades.
However, the shape itself is intriguing, and offers a solution for people who want a sports car and the ability to use it for an active lifestyle. Plus, in the not too distant past, there was a vehicle that did something similar. Remember the GMC Envoy XUV? Then again, the Envoy XUV was only around for 3 years, so what does that tell you?
The bottom line
An Audi pickup truck was so far outside of my realm of possibility I almost missed the existence of the concept. So, hat tip to my sister who sent me the YouTube video on Instagram.
Color me intrigued. With 373 miles of electric range, fast-charge capability, cool tech and a convertible pickup truck bed, Audi might be on to something.
If you want all the gory (and long) details, check out the press release. Want the TL;DR version, watch the video above.
1 comment
Gene
Audi hatchback extreme edition!