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This is the new Audi Grand Sphere. It's a brand new concept car that actually shows what the Audi A8 will be like when Audi has to go all-electric. It's a bit like Audi's version of the Mercedes EQS. Anyway, here's the CarWow top 10 things you need to know about it. Buying a new car? Then head to CarWow, and my team will help you find your next car at a fair price. CarWow, your one-stop car buying comparison site. The new Grand Sphere looks fantastic, doesn't it? It's a big, luxurious four-door like the regular A8, but I reckon it looks even sleeker than the e-tron GT. I really like how Audi's use loads of smooth curves and not covered it with pointless creases. It still has a few sharp edges though, so it doesn't look all bulbous, a bit like the super aerodynamic Mercedes EQS. Okay, so that front grille is completely fake. You don't need it on an electric car, but can you imagine an Audi without a big shiny mouth at the front? How weird would it look? So the Grand Sphere has to have something there. And besides, this shiny plastic does actually do something. It houses all the sensors for the car's autonomous driving system. Now, I'm going to tell you more about that in a bit. Anyway, the guy who designed the Grand Sphere said the rear was inspired by the mark on Audi TT. Now, I can't actually see it myself, but I do really like the slim brake lights, the sloping rear roofline, and the way the rear pillars look like shark's fins. But what do you think? Do you prefer the Audi Grand Sphere to the Mercedes EQS, or would it look better as a traditional saloon like the A8? Let me know in the comments. Let's argue this one out. Audi has kitted out the Grand Sphere with Level 4 self-driving technology. This means it has all the sensors and clever software it needs to drive itself on motorways and in heavy traffic. Obviously, you can't use all these systems on the road yet, but Audi has said it's ready to start putting this technology into production cars as soon as it's allowed to. But the Grand Sphere has another trick up its sleeve anyway. It can retract the steering wheel and pedals and hide them behind the dashboard when it's in autonomous mode to give you more room to stretch out. One of the coolest things about the Grand Sphere's interior, in addition to that retractable steering wheel, are its doors. The front doors open normally, but the back doors open backwards. There's no pillar in the middle either, so you climb in through this massive full-width opening. The side windows are also pretty cool. Look closely and you'll see each one has two separate bits of glass connected by a chrome strip. This makes it look like the car has really small sleek windows from the outside, but the extra bit of glass lets in more light to make sure the interior still feels nice and airy. Most luxury cars have a few more cons for a chauffeur in the front. But they save all the ultra-plush features for the boss sitting in the back. The Grand Sphere is a bit different though. After all, this car can drive itself. Instead, you can sit in the front with your feet up and enjoy the view as it drives you home from a stressful day at the golf club. There's even a drinks cooler built into the centre console and a houseplant between the front seats, probably to balance your feng shui or something. The Audi Grand Sphere comes with a massive 120kWh battery. It's even bigger than the huge 108kWh battery you get in a top specification Mercedes EQS. And that's one of the largest batteries in any EV on sale. In fact, Audi's battery is so big that it takes up all the space in the floor between the front and rear wheels. Now that's saying something because the Grand Sphere is a whopping 5.35m long. That's almost 40cm longer than an e-tron GT and 5cm longer than a long wheelbase Audi A8. Obviously, with a big battery, you have an impressive range and Audi says the Grand Sphere can do 470 miles between charges. That's almost exactly the same as a Mercedes EQS, which has a claimed range of 480 miles. In fact, if you want to see more on that Mercedes, click on the pop-out banner should be appearing in the top right hand corner of the screen to watch my in-depth review of the EQS. Alternatively, there's a link in the description. Which car has the coolest infotainment system? Is it the Tesla Model S and the Model X with their massive central screens? Or maybe you like the hyper screen in the new Mercedes EQS. Well, Audi might be about to blow these cars out of the water with the new Grand Sphere's infotainment technology. But wait a sec, it doesn't even have a touchscreen. So how's it going to do that? Well, instead of a huge screen, the Grand Sphere has built-in projectors that turn the whole of the wooden dashboard into a massive widescreen display. That's not all. You don't control this with old-fashioned buttons or a fiddly touchpad. Oh no. You control it with your eyes. Yeah, your eyes. It has built-in eye tracking and hand tracking so you can control all the car's features without touching a single button. It's a bit like Tom Cruise in Minority Report. But my favourite bits are the climate controls on the doors. These look like ordinary physical knobs, but they're also gesture controlled. So you just twist your hand near the knob and it uses built-in motors to automatically turn itself to adjust the temperature. It's like you're using the force. Audi has fitted the Grand Sphere with two electric motors. There's one at the front to drive the front wheels and one at the back to drive the rear wheels. Together, they make 720 horsepower and a massive 960 newton metres of torque. That's about 75 horsepower and 130 newton metres more than you get in an RS e-tron GT. And I've timed that car from 0 to 60 miles an hour and did it in less than three seconds. In fact, if you want to see that car race a Porsche Taycan Turbo S and a Tesla Model S Performance, put a link popping out in the top right hand corner of the screen. Click on that. You can watch that video if you'd like to. And there's a link in the description if you want to do it that way. Now, with all the power that it's got, you'd expect it to be seriously quick, right? Well, it does do 0 to 60 miles an hour in around four seconds. You know, that's quick enough to spill your champagne, but it's a few tenths of a second slower than the 571 horsepower Audi S8. That car does 0 to 60 miles an hour in 3.8 seconds. And I always thought that electric cars were supposed to be quicker at accelerating than internal combustion engine cars. Audi has given the Grand Sphere its latest 800 volt electrical system. This means it's compatible with 270 kilowatt public fast chargers, just like the e-tron GT. This means you can charge the Grand Sphere from 5% to 80% full in less than 25 minutes, which is pretty much the same time as an e-tron GT. A 270 kilowatt charger can boost the Grand Sphere's range by almost 190 miles in just 10 minutes, too. According to Audi, the Grand Sphere comes with built in PPE. No, I'm not talking about personal protective equipment and COVID masks and all that kind of stuff. PPE is Audi's name for a load of brand new bits, like motors, batteries and suspension parts, they'll use to build the next generation of EVs. It actually stands for premium platform electric. The first car that I use all these bits is the new A6 e-tron, which will be inspired by this A6 e-tron concept. After that, there'll also be a Q6 e-tron SUV that could look something like this exclusive image. And once those cars are ready, Audi can start getting to work on even posher stuff, like a new A8 sized limousine inspired by this Grand Sphere concept. The Audi Grand Sphere isn't just packed with clever tech to help it drive itself. It also has some features to help make it really comfortable to travel in. It has adaptive air suspension to smooth out potholes, and it can use GPS data to soften or stiffen the suspension before you reach tight corners or hidden dips. It also uses a front facing camera to scan the road for especially big bumps and automatically adjust the suspension to help soak them up. The Grand Sphere also comes with rear wheel steering, which is a good job considering how long it is. Should make it relatively easy to park. If you fancy getting your hands on this car, yeah, you're gonna have to wait. You can't buy the Audi Grand Sphere concept yet because the clue is in the name, isn't it? It's a concept for now. But Audi will make a production version and it will go on sale alongside the normal petrol, diesel and hybrid A8, much in the same way that at the moment you can buy a Mercedes S-Class with an internal combustion engine and the electric powered EQS. But as is the future, ICE cars will be banned eventually. And so the Grand Sphere will take over as a flagship of the Audi range. But how much is this new EV going to cost you? Well, it can be an alternative to a Mercedes EQS, so it could cost about the same. If Audi decides to make an entry level two wheel drive version, just like Mercedes do with the EQS, it could start from around £90,000. However, higher specification cars with more power and four wheel drive will probably top £110,000. Now, the car isn't actually going to go on sale until 2025, though. So maybe you need to pick another electric car. And to do that, I'll put a link popping out in the top right hand corner of the screen or a link in the description in the video below. 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