Audi Teases Skysphere Luxury Roadster

• Skysphere makes debut August 11

• Audi concept roadster looking at company design future

This is the Audi Skysphere concept, or at least our first look at it. It’s the first of three concept cars that the brand is planning to showcase its vision of the luxury car of the future. It’s an electric roadster with an interactive interior that will debut next week.

The automaker is planning an event it calls the “Celebration of Progress” on August 10th. During that event, Audi sales and marketing boss Hildegard Wortmann will talk about how Audi is transforming to electric mobility and the brand boss Henrik Wenders will talk about the new vehicle experience.

Audi says that the vehicle will be “an experience device”, which sounds good, because what is a vehicle if not an experience device? What that will entail is probably much more digital and a lot less driver involvement than current models, but that seems to be the way the industry is headed.

Though we’re only seeing an outline, this looks like a whole new design direction for Audi. Less technical and far sleeker. The Skysphere concept outline looks like it could easily be a new Bentley model instead of an Audi. Then again, since the companies are under the same corporate umbrella these days, it could probably be both.

Stay tuned next week and we’ll bring you full reveal coverage as the car debuts in Malibu.