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Audi teases an electric A8 successor with Grand Sphere concept

It was only a week ago that Audi Senior Vice President Henrik Wenders posted a video to his personal LinkedIn page teasing a trio of electric concept cars destined to debut within the next 12-18 months.

Now we have the first details on one of them, the Audi Grand Sphere, which is scheduled for a world debut at the new mobility show taking place in early September in Munich, Germany.

The Grand Sphere is a large fastback similar to the A7 but on a bigger scale. It also has an interior that is not only spacious but also extremely comfortable, particularly for the driver. This is important, according to Audi, as the concept is designed with Level 4 self-driving capability in mind, meaning, in certain situations, the driver can lean back and let the car do the driving.

Teaser for Audi Grand Sphere concept

There’s also the Sky Sphere, which is a sports car, and the Urban Sphere, which is most likely a crossover or minivan or a combination of the two body styles. The Sky Sphere is due to be revealed in mid-August during Monterey Car Week, while the Urban Sphere will be revealed in 2022, possibly at an event in China.

The concepts were developed by Audi’s Artemis skunkworks team which was established in 2020 to help accelerate vehicle development in an attempt to compete with more agile startups in the electric-vehicle race. The responsibilities for Artemis were scaled back considerably in June, but at least one of the vehicles it was developing is due in 2025. The vehicle will be based on the Grand Sphere concept and serve as a replacement for the A8.

Similar models are being developed for Bentley and Porsche, all under the Landjet code name. For Bentley, the Landjet will serve as a new model line, its first electric vehicle, due in 2025. It isn’t clear where the Landjet vehicle would sit in the Porsche hierarchy. The most likely bet would be a replacement for the Panamera, as the current generation will be due for renewal as we approach 2025. Stay tuned.

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July 12, 2021
Bizarre one-off Porsche 356 heads to auction

An unusual Porsche 356 one-off will cross the block at RM Sotheby’s auction, scheduled for August 13-14 in Monterey, California.

The 1954 Glöcker-Porsche 356 Carrera 1500 coupe was built by Walter Glöcker, a Frankurt car dealer and racer. His seventh home-built special, the modified 356 was built to compete in the 1954 Mille Miglia, but wasn’t finished in time.

Instead, the car raced in the Liége-Rome-Liége rally with Walter’s cousin, Helm Glöcker, at the wheel. Technical problems meant the car wasn’t competitive, and it doesn’t appear the car was used in any other events.

1954 Glöcker-Porsche 356 Carrera 1500 coupe (photo via RM Sotheby’s)

The Glöcker coupe won’t be mistaken for any other Porsche. The large wheel arches and tail fins seem a bit out of place on what is very sleek-looking car in stock form. The rectangular rally lights and bumper-mounted circular light probably helped with visibility at night, though.

Glöckner also added a glass section at the top of each door, which extends into the roof, as well as a multi-element wraparound rear window. It’s unclear why he made these modifications, but they likely improved outward visibility.

The engine, a Type 547 quad-cam flat-4 from a 550 Spyder, was supplied by Porsche engineer Ernst Fuhrmann himself, according to a 2016 Road & Track article. The car had reportedly changed hands in a private sale about two years prior to the publication of that article, but the price wasn’t disclosed. RM Sotheby’s hasn’t released a pre-auction estimate, so it’s hard to say how much this unique Porsche will sell for. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, after all.

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July 11, 2021
Lotus Emira, 2022 BMW 2-Series, 2022 Jeep Grand Cherokee: This Week’s Top Photos

Lotus revealed its new Emira sports car this week, the British automaker’s last model to feature an internal-combustion engine of any sort. The Emira has two engine options to choose from; one is the same supercharged Toyota engine powering the outgoing Evora, and the other is a new unit sourced from Mercedes-Benz AMG.

Lamborghini Aventador LP 780-4 Ultimae

Lamborghini unveiled the final version of the Aventador, the Aventador Ultimae. The stunning supercar is also the last Lamborghini to be powered purely by a V-12 engine, as the Aventador’s successor is set to feature a V-12 in a plug-in hybrid configuration.

2022 BMW 2-Series

BMW revealed a new generation of its 2-Series coupe. The car is due at dealerships in November, and is bigger and more powerful than the model it replaces. And yes, there’s an M2 variant being cooked up.

2021 Ford Shelby F-150

Shelby beat Ford to the launch of a V-8 performance pickup based on the latest F-150, with its new 2021 Ford Shelby F-150. The Ford tuner extraordinaire has added a supercharger and a host of other upgrades to an F-150 Lariat, and the resulting pickup has an insane 775 hp on tap.

2022 Genesis G80 Sport

Genesis revealed the Sport version of its redesigned G80 sedan this week. Genesis is holding back details until closer to the market launch this fall but we know the new G80 Sport will come with all-wheel drive and all-wheel steering.

2022 Jeep Grand Cherokee 4xe

Jeep revealed the smaller, two-row sibling to the three-row Jeep Grand Cherokee L. Jeep has only provided a first look at the mid-size crossover as the full reveal is scheduled for next month’s 2021 New York International Auto Show, but we know a plug-in hybrid option will be available.

2021 Porsche 911 Turbo S

We spent more time behind the wheel of the latest Porsche 911 Turbo S, this time the coupe. The car is hard to beat in most performance metrics, though for most buyers the slightly tamer Turbo will probably suffice. There’s no wrong option here.

2024 Volkswagen ID Buzz production model spy shots – Photo credit: S. Baldauf/SB-Medien

And finally, we spied Volkswagen’s new electric van that many are calling the spiritual successor to the iconic Microbus. The debut isn’t far but we’ll only see the van in the United States in 2023.

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July 10, 2021