When I think of good “ski cars”, I think of Toyota Rav4s, Subaru Outbacks, and Ford Broncos. My mind very rarely drifts towards the more luxurious vehicles that you might see on the highway, like BMWs or Audis, but there’s no doubt that those companies are putting together some incredible cars. The Audi activesphere is definitely an example of one of those cars.
Now, first things first, this is a concept vehicle. We have very little information as to how it works, its top speed, its acceleration, its engine, etc, etc. But it is a darn cool concept.
The Audi activesphere concept combines self driving technology with augmented reality (AR) technology (both of which are still not quite all there) to create a car designed specifically for outdoor adventures. Based on Audi’s presentation, the AR glasses are both used to control aspects of the car (temperature control, directions, etc) and to enhance any activities you may be participating in, like skiing or mountain biking.
When I think of a good ski car, I think of a car that can easily handle snowy conditions, has plenty of space for any ski gear, and provides a certain level of comfort for the drive to and from the mountain. The activesphere concept seems to provide all of those features, though I would argue the space inside the vehicle appears to be a bit slim.
I’m a bit shaky on the idea of AR in skiing. Yes, it would be cool to have a car that can map out ski routes, tell you the snow conditions, and take you where you need to go with ease. And sure, it would be pretty neat to have glasses that automatically film and edit a highlight real from your ski trip, all while showing you a preplanned route, your speed, and possible hazards while actually skiing. However, I see skiing as a great opportunity to put your phone away and forget about technology for a bit, so I wouldn’t want to be wearing glasses or goggles with a computer built in.
This is a darn neat concept, but whether or not we’ll ever actually see it anywhere near the mountains is still a mystery. And, of course, even if it does become a reality, there’s a very good chance it’ll be well above a majority of our price points,
Image Credit: Audi via YouTube
