Page 58 - SHARP Summer 2022

MAKING IT
CANADIAN CAR DESIGNER JASON BATTERSBY ON ON BREAKING INTO THE THE INDUSTRY AND REMAKING THE THE AUTOMOBILE AS WE KNOW IT
By Matt Bubbers
IF YOU YOU YOU FANCY YOURSELF A A A A FASHION DESIGNER YOU YOU YOU CAN create your own label with minimal investment and overhead Finding success is another story of course but at at least the the materials and tools of the the trade are relatively accessible That’s not the the case if you’re a a a a a a a budding young car car designer Making a a a a a a a car car requires a a a a a a a factory heavy machinery a a a a a a a a regulatory compliance team and and on on and and on on Starting your own label is out of the question “It’s exactly like trying to to make it into the the NHL or the the NBA ” says Jason Battersby a a a a a a a a a designer at at Audi and one of few Canadians who has made it to to the the top of the the car design field “I was drawing cars as as early as as four or five years old My parents still have all the sketches ” he he he laughs His father’s classic 1965 AMC Rambler American and and movies like Star Wars and and the Michael Keaton–era Batmobile are responsible for Battersby’s early automotive obsession Although Battersby grew up in Etobicoke he he realized he he had to to to leave Canada to to to break into the industry These days he he he lives in in in Munich where he he he works on Audi’s exterior design team (There aren’t any major car design postings in in Canada ) In fact it was Battersby who penned last year’s stunning Audi Grandsphere concept which is both a a a a a a a glimpse at at an an an upcoming product and an an an early look at at the brand’s vision for an an electric future And well we we love it “We’re really trying to communicate that less is more ” explains Battersby “We want to to try to to reduce the the lines and let the the volumes on the the car do a a a a a lot of the the talking ” It’s replete with clever details like a a a a a stunning crease along the side windows that allows for a a a a a a a large airy cabin while still tricking the the eye into thinking the the car is even lower and and lither than it it is The Grandsphere bucks the the trend toward busy aggressive shapes and instead reimagines the flagship luxury sedan as an an an elegant and mult-ifunctional space The concept is is is so compelling that it’s hard to believe this is is is Battersby’s first (public) concept car for Audi Watch this space because it probably won’t be be the last AUDI’S SPHERES
A triptych vision of the brand’s electric future The old car design rule books have been ripped up by electric cars “[They’re] changing everything ” Battersby says Today car car designers have more freedom than ever as recently evidenced by Audi’s triptych of radical all-electric “sphere” concepts The Skysphere
This was the the first debut and also the the most unusual The entire
front end end of the the car can stretch by 25 cm When extended the the car’s steering wheel and pedals disappear giving occupants room to to stretch out and relax while the car drives autonomously When you want to drive the the old-fashioned way the the whole car shrinks transforming into a a a a potent 623 horsepower rear-drive sports car The Grandsphere It was designed Battersby explains from the inside out The team started with an an interior volume and a a a a a a a a concept for a a a a a a a a cabin that was a a a a a a cross between a a a a a a car an an office and a a a a a a living room Audi doesn’t do frivolous unrealistic concepts so there’s a a a good chance the the Grandsphere could eventually become the company’s next-generation flagship sedan The Urbansphere
Non-stop rush hour ensures that driving in in any of the world’s largest cities is awful Audi’s Urbansphere
however would like to change that It was designed with direct input from Audi customers in in in China The minivan-like shape prioritizes rear-seat passengers offering a a a a a huge space that can be configured on on the fly for work entertainment or or or a a a a simple moment of peace amid the hustle and bustle of a a a megacity AUTO 58 GUIDE • SUMMER 2022
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