Innehållsförteckning för No. 178 från AUTO & DESIGN

Aldo Mantovani died in mid June, at the age of 82. We briefly gave the news in the editorial of the July/August edition at the time (the magazine was already going to press); we could not postpone it due to Aldo’s importance. As admirers and friends, we felt his loss deeply, and it affected above all the Italian car industry, as he had been a key player for half a century, a “360 degree design man”, capable of influencing the entire engineering of a vehicle. This can be seen in the perfect description of him offered by the Turin Polytechnic when it gave him his honorary degree in Engineering, shortly before the end of his long, productive career. In the last edition we promised that we would keep Aldo Mantovani’s…

“The Insignia had to shock, the Astra no: all it had to do, quite simply, was continue”. Thus Mark Adams when presenting the new phase in the to a large extent revolutionary styling process that is now underway at Opel. “But this does not mean that we have confined ourselves to siphoning off lines and concepts from one model to another: I don’t want forced solutions, every model needs its own personality even though the common themes have got to be there too. Like the sculpted artistry that we find in many of the lines”. It goes without saying that the context is much different, if for no other reason than that at +71 mm the wheelbase is much longer than in the past (although it is still much shorter…

Exclusivity, elegance and sportiness, but also involvement and emotion. These were the key concepts behind the 13 projects created this year by 3rd year students in the three-year post-diploma course in Transportation Design at the IED in Turin, as a tribute to Aston Martin. The brief was to come up with a car for the market of 2025 that would embody the characteristic values of the famed English brand, such as excellence and sporting identity, and blend passion and elegance. There were no limits on packaging or architecture, and just one condition: the products had to respect feasibility criteria linked to the technologies that might conceivably be developed over the next five years. So in with nanotechnology, new materials such as carbon fibre and light alloys, as well as flexible,…

SKF is not known for public appearances in motor shows. Only occasionally does the Swedish supplier, whose expertise goes far beyond its original core products of bearings, promote itself. It was a few years ago, when SKF contributed with drive-by-wire technology to the 2001 Bertone-designed and built Filo concept; SKF having supplied drive-by-wire, steer-by-wire, shift-by-wire and clutch-by-wire, as well as a 42 volt electrical system. On a follow-up project, SKF supplied similar systems to the 90th-anniversary Bertone Novanta concept, with a complete integrated transmission interface and control and brakeby-wire. It has been quiet around SKF since but in its international Business & Technology park in Nieuwegein, near Utrecht in the Netherlands, over 400 specialist engineers work on the company’s global R&D. And its non-bearing share has gone up from 13%…

When a design centre uses culinary metaphors, it’s always a good sign. It is proof of passion, an understanding of tradition and a desire to experiment, searching for the right ingredients in the right proportions. The simile is used frequently by Wolfgang Egger and Stefan Sielaff when they describe their duties in their respective roles as head of Audi Group Design (which includes Lamborghini) and head of design of the four ringed marque. “Making a car has become a very complicated process”, says Sielaff. “In the past, a great design was sufficient to make an excellent car, in the same way that a single chef capable of making a perfect risotto could make a restaurant famous. Today you need a team dedicated to first courses, another to main courses and…

Audi’s present day expressive single frame grille may be a familiar sight in modern times but the roots of the Ingolstadt design heritage go back to the late Twenties when German car design was still in its formative stages. It was the transition time from carriage style coachwork to integrated forms and shapes, and Hermann Ahrens was a pioneer, working for the about-to-be-founded Auto Union group, to which Audi belonged. Ahrens drew the main lines for the superb Horch V12 type 670 Convertible (1931), a car with such a stance that it could be classified as trendsettingly elegant as well as typically German in general terms. Ahrens’ flavour was to be followed by other German car makers and designers who went for long bonnets, radiators set at an angle to…

“This car is a manifesto of what future Audi design will be like”, said Walter de’ Silva as he unveiled the Nuvolari at Geneva in March 2003. As it turns out, he has been true to his word. An extremely elegant GT with sculpted forms, the Nuvolari was a compendium of the new styling cues which, from that moment onward, were to define every new model from the four-ringed marque. The most important of these cues was the single frame grille – the large vertical grille separating the headlights and two lower air intakes and citing the gigantic radiators of cars of the past. The interior, an exercise in the pursuit of absolute quality, also demonstrates the signs of change. The dash is angled toward the driver, while the steering…

Sometimes, the journey from concept to product is very short indeed. Such was the case with the Pikes Peak (in the two photos above, an exterior and an interior view), presented at Detroit in January 2003, and the Q7 launched two years later at Frankfurt. Not that many changes were made between the two cars. Both the style and proportions of this huge yet dynamic and sophisticated crossover have been preserved, especially in the front and in the flank, with its strong shoulder line. The design of the tail has been perceptibly honed, however, especially in the outline of the double lobed taillights, which are derived from the Nuvolari concept. And while the Nuvolari may have been the manifesto for Audi’s new design direction, it is predated by the Pikes…

The A3 is one of the models that best illustrate the transition to Audi’s new style direction. In March 2003, a three door A3 made its debut at Geneva alongside the Nuvolari, which still featured a slender grille with a separate lower air intake. Just a year later, however, the single frame grille made its appearance in the A3 range, but only on the 5 door Sportback variant. This dichotomy in the range continued for some time until the restyling of the three door A3, which now boasts a face similar to that of the Sportback. The two variants still differ in treatment of the tail, however, and not only in the longer ‘mini estate’ roofline of the A3 Sportback, but also in the shape of its taillights, which are…

After presenting the Shooting Brake concept, Walter de’ Silva had announced that “the new TT will be a little larger and a little more ‘car’ than before”. In summer 2006, the launch of the production model proved that this was indeed more than just an evolutionary change. From an object of product design and an automotive icon of the ‘90s, the TT transformed into a more grown up, sophisticated and elegant coupé. It lost its asymmetric silhouette in favour of a profile with a roofline swooping decisively towards the tail, eliminating the vestigial boot. Compact and balanced, the new TT retains the same glass/sheetmetal ratio of the 1998 original, but the rear screen is now much larger, offering better visibility – an Achilles heel of its predecessor. And it is…

Audi’s first SUV, the Q7, was followed up by the more compact Q5 in summer 2008. This crossover concept, which combines SUV elements with the aesthetics of the four-ringed brand, embodies one of the three Audi concepts of a sporting character (see pages 11-13), which likens the models of the “Q” family to a rugby player: strong and powerful, but with superlative control. The body panels of the Q5 convey solidity, as if the entire car were hewn from a solid block, but without relinquishing the descending roofline typical of all models from Ingolstadt. Here too, the lights play an important role in the perception of the car, with a row of LEDs within the headlight adding character to its design. The front lights in particular have a distinctive wing…

Compact, agile and robustly proportioned: this is how Audi design sees the small sport utility set to convey the brand’s particular set of values, from sportiness to technology, elegance to high end quality. As previously featured in the designs for the bigger Q7 and Q5, the Cross Coupé prototype (on this page, presented at the Shanghai motor show in 2007, forerunner to the Q3 that Audi will be manufacturing in Spain as of 2011) also follows a cross-over formula. As the name confirms, the line of the roof comes from the world of the coupé and expresses lightness, offsetting the muscular form of the body, which is set high on the wheels and beefed up round the floorpan, a design cue inspired by the Q7. The overall effect, however aims…

“Conceptual design calls for freedom”, declares Wolfgang Egger, head of design for the Audi Group. And in this case freedom means independent space and freedom of choice for the creative minds in the design field. Alongside the Audi design centres in Ingolstadt and Santa Monica, and the Lamborghini facility in Sant’Agata, which all focus on the automotive sector, for more than 25 years the Group has also relied on a close partnership with Konzept Design in Munich, the German company’s authentic think tank when it comes to creativity. Here, alongside work in the field of Transportation Design, which has led to the creation of numerous prototypes and new ideas for the brand with the four-ring logo, there is also intense activity on Product Design. “It is at Konzept Design,” Egger…

Continuity and innovation are two concepts that can come into conflict, and in any case, as Mark Lloyd admits, combining them is a “very difficult task”. Taking over from a car as successful as the C3 – which has sold more than two million cars in seven years – is a challenge within a challenge: not only do you have to take on the unknown quantities of the market, but you are also playing against an inhouse opponent. “It’s all about striking the right balance”, explains Lloyd, who has been head of design at Citroën for just under a year: “When you replace a car of great character and popularity, you always question whether you have chosen the best approach, but in this case I think we have come up…

Evocative creativity comes to life in the 18th Century Villa Salazar on the shores of Lake Como. For the past eleven years, the Villa has been home to the Mercedes-Benz Advanced Design centre, which develops interiors for production models and prototypes. The facility is part of the Sindelfingen Mercedes-Benz Design Centre and is the marque’s third advanced design studio, alongside the Carlsbad and Yokohama/Tokyo centres in California and Japan respectively. Bruno Sacco, the charismatic chief of Mercedes-Benz design up until 2001, felt that the centre was key in bringing the German marque into as close contact as possible with Italian culture. The geographic location is also no coincidence. Como is just a few kilometres from Milan, the site of many fashion and trendsetting events concerning materials and colours, but it…

A third generation hybrid in a first generation world: Toyota’s Prius is a testimony to the pioneering spirit of a company that believed in the potential of what was considered a utopian dream back in 1997 and has since become almost a necessity. The third generation replaces the second series presented in 2004, which brought total sales up to an astonishing 1.2 million units, and the enthusiasm of the engineering team at Tsutsumi (the low environmental impact plant where the car is built) is almost contagious. The new Prius, presented at Geneva and which we tested extensively around Stockholm, has all the right credentials to continue the success of the nameplate. The car has an all new platform, a petrol engine that has grown from 1500 to 1800 cm3 and…

Cyber cities, desert dunes, congested metropolises, race tracks and eco-compatible urban scenarios. Once again, as with previous editions, the graduate students of the Transportation Design course at the Umea Institute of Design left no scenario unexplored, revealing astonishing vehicles created especially for each of these environments for their final thesis presentations. The students conducted their projects individually, in accordance with the philosophy of the school, which believes that the user must be central in the development of a concept right from the beginning. After choosing the brand for their respective creations freely, the students worked on their projects for twenty weeks with the support of their teachers and an external designer from the automotive industry. This year it was Taras Czornyj, senior designer of Saab/GME, who played this vital role…

“Consider the future – create without paint.” With this fresh outlook SABIC Innovative Plastics is launching its New Expression 2010 programme, now in its third season. It offers technological solutions that stimulate creativity, giving clients new opportunities to produce increasingly functional applications with an innovative twist, thanks to the use of moulded-in colour rather than paint. The novelty lies in the mix used to produce ready-coloured plastic, with no need for painting. Not only does this contribute to air quality, but the products are more recyclable, signifying greater attention to environmental impact. For example, a discarded water bottle becomes a laser-markable engineering thermoplastic, as in the case of Valox iQ resin, which can be used to make anything from an auto body panel to a set of chopsticks. The idea…

What makes an Audi an Audi? The phase which started in 2002, with the launch of the big single-frame radiator grille heralded the beginning of a new era for the brand now celebrating its centenary. But the cars with the four-ring logo owe their unmistakable character to a complex series of design hallmarks, structured in a logical and harmonious way according to a clear design philosophy. A set of characteristics that enables the brand to roll out the concept of sportiness - intrinsic to Audi - in three different interpretations. “One of the aesthetic principles we follow is based on the beauty that derives from movement”, Wolfgang Egger explains. “We have classified the range into three different concepts: elegance, extreme performance and leisure”. These correspond to the series A, R…

A big style centre in Ingolstadt that unites design and production; a concept studio in Munich that gives free rein to creativity, and a Californian outpost that offers a stateside vision: these are the sites where Audis take shape, combining the culture of the marque with the constant quest for innovation. Located inside the Audi headquarters, the Ingolstadt design centre has a staff of 170, 45 of whom are “pure” designers divided into teams working on exteriors, interiors and colour & trim. “Being next door to production facilities enables us to have a constant vision of industrial processes, which is vital for creating cars where great attention is paid to detail”, notes Wolfgang Egger. Stefan Sielaff explains: “In Ingolstadt we work on the stage which begins 54 months before the…

In March 2004, a year after the declaration of intent that was the Nuvolari concept, the new A6 debuted, marking the production beginning of Audi’s new design era. This was the first project whose style was defined with input from Walter de’ Silva (see pages 5-6), who wanted to introduce a more emotional approach to the rationality of the original proposal. In addition to the single frame grille, the A6 also inherits the entire layout of the front from the Nuvolari as well as the V shaped crease lines beginning from the bumper and rising up to the bases of the A pillars. A feature line links the front and rear lights, conferring a sense of sleekness to the flank, while the moulded sill at the bottom adds dynamism. The…

2003 was a very intense year for Audi design. In September, the third concept from the brand’s new design era – the Le Mans Quattro – debuted at Frankfurt. A project in which luxury, technology and design came together to create the four-ringed brand’s first ever mid-engined sports car. Low slung and short, but wide enough to express a sense of power on the road, the Le Mans was the prelude to another production model, the R8, which remained true to the aesthetic and formal principles of the prototype. The design team was extremely enthusiastic about the two-seat, high performance coupé theme, and they set to work to complete the prototype in record time, drawing from the plentiful resources of the Audi Group: calling on the Audi Sport team for…

To broaden the brand’s portfolio of products in keeping with its new strategies, Audi’s designers conducted numerous studies into hitherto unexplored architectures. One of these spawned the Roadjet project, a concept car based on a proposal by the Californian design studio in Simi Valley (now in Santa Monica), which was built in Germany and then shipped back to the States for its debut at Detroit in January 2006. While there will be no production model derived directly from the Roadjet, the concept is an interesting study for a car exploiting the vertical dimension, with short overhangs and a long wheelbase for maximum interior packaging efficiency. It was also the first application of the new MLB architecture in a prototype, on which, among others, the new A4, A5 and Q5 ranges…

After a restyling in 2004, in which the previous model received the single frame grille, the new generation of the A4 debuted in 2007, flaunting new presence and elegance, with the new “MLB” modular longitudinal platform and an immediately recognisable design. With a sculptural treatment defined by a few, vivid lines applied to the classic three-box saloon shape, the new A4 is sporty in both character and proportions. The front features the now familiar Audi physiognomy, with the only concession to ornamentation being an undulating eyeliner of LEDs inside the headlight. The sportiest aspects of the new car are best seen in the flanks and tail. There are also many sophisticated touches, such as the feature line which runs along the full length of the car above the door handles…

Once upon a time there was the A4 Cabriolet - and there still is. On the sporty side there was the TT Roadster. Now the family of Audi convertibles has grown to five, with the Frankfurt motor show debut of the R8 Spyder: five models ready to switch from all-weather to open-top in the summer sunshine. “They are all different”, explains Wolfgang Egger, head of design for the Audi Group, “But they share a series of important design aspects: elegance, decorative elements pared down to a minimum, clean surfaces, a shoulder that pushes to the outer edge of the door, and a cabin that feels like a cockpit, creating the impression of direct contact with the road. And above all a canvas top. Sophisticated, sound-proofed, but canvas. Like a proper…

At the Detroit motor show this year Audi presented an elegant four-door coupé, a foretaste of the new A7 product. With minimal lines sculpting its surfaces, and an alluring, streamlined silhouette, the design of the Sportback Concept shares a few stylistic similarities with the A5 coupé, especially when it comes to the tail, while the contours of the side windows recall those of the A5 Sportback, with their upward-slanting back corner. The significance of the Sportback Concept, however, lies above all in the innovative thrust conveyed by a number of elements set to be developed on future models in the Audi range. First and foremost, the single-frame grille has been given a new look with cutaway corners, and features horizontal rather than vertical bars. It is also slightly narrower, underlining…

It isn’t easy to get so many people to work together. At Audi they have succeeded and we have the proof in this family photo taken around one of the models conceived, designed and developed by the men and women of Audi Design. The picture was taken at Ingolstadt on the eve of the centenary celebration. A good omen for the next hundred years of creativity. Non è facile riunire tante persone che lavorano insieme. All’Audi ci sono riusciti, scattando questo ritratto di famiglia in esterno attorno ad uno dei modelli ideati, disegnati e realizzati dagli uomini e dalle donne del Design Audi. Lo scatto è stato realizzato ad Ingolstadt alla vigilia della celebrazione del centenario. Un buon auspicio per i prossimi cento anni di creatività.…

The Frankfurt motor show coming this mid September has two main goals. The first is to revitalise the image of the car, which has been dulled by the shadow of the global credit crunch, and reacquire market confidence, which has been slow in coming in spite of the first encouraging glimmers of recovery seen in the months leading up to summer. The second, and perhaps most controversial goal is to present a new productive reality tailored to respond to the real demands of today’s market. This means smaller, cheaper cars that meet requisites for eco-compatibility, economy and energy efficiency and are also – and most importantly – products with a clear design language and impressive technological content. Until the Frankfurt show proves otherwise, the signs seen so far have been…

“A distinctive silhouette. Beguiling looks. Fluid, sculpted lines expressing subtle dynamism. The splendour of a gem. An object of pure pleasure and seduction. Sophisticated even in the tiniest detail. Elegant and provocative, spirited and non-conformist”. Citroën’s press release for the Geneva debut of a concept that was so highly anticipated and so dear to its creators that it has even been given the legendary nameplate DS, was full of evocative adjectives. Now that the production model based on the DS Inside show car has been presented at Frankfurt as the DS3, with truly minimal variations from the concept, Citroën design director Mark Lloyd can barely conceal his enthusiasm for the first model of the French marque’s new premium range (which will be followed by the DS4 and DS5). “A tiny…

The use of hydrogen as an environmentally friendly fuel for automotive applications has been held back until now by the difficulties involved in establishing a viable distribution infrastructure. And, in the current scenario, it will be many years before we see a real change. Very different opportunities, however, may become available in the agricultural sector. This is not science fiction, but a real proposal by New Holland, which recently presented the NH2 running prototype for a hydrogen powered tractor and the “Energy Independent Farm” project – both of which could be realities within three to five years time! “The study for the hydrogen tractor,” explains Peter Jansen, style director for Fiat Professional & Industrial Vehicles, “began in summer 2008. The work by the Centro Stile was conducted by a team…

How can a young designer fail to be enthusiastic about a glorious marque such as Lamborghini? Designing a sports car for the raging bull brand must be one of the commonest dreams among car design students around the world, and this year the Milan Polytechnic School of Design gave twenty-three of its students the chance to realise this dream. Aggressiveness, sports character and exclusivity abounded in the school’s Master’s Course in Transportation Design, which was conducted in collaboration with the Volkswagen Group brand. Throughout the year, the students worked to two different briefs – one for individual students, the other for students working in pairs – both of which under the guidance of their tutors, with the assistance of Filippo Perini (Lamborghini design director) and Alessandro Salvagnin (designer from the…

Research is fundamental in a world in constant evolution and the only means of dispelling the myth that there is nothing left to be discovered. Dinamica Evolution, the first 100% ecological fine microfibre, is an example of this. The material was launched in January 2008 at the international textile expo in Frankfurt by the Italian manufacturer Miko in collaboration with the Japanese multinational Asahi Kasei, in a partnership that has proven to be successful right from the start. Setting this microfibre apart are its unique properties – it is breathable, antistatic, antiallergenic, fire resistant, totally odourless, light resistant and easy to clean, and is also soft and wearable enough to be used not only in the automotive, marine, contract furnishing and aeronautical sectors, but also in garment and fashion applications.…

Walter de’ Silva’s story with Audi began in July 2001 at the Montmelò circuit, not far from Barcelona and the Seat design centre that the Italian designer had been heading for three years. During tests for the Seat Tango prototype, Martin Winterkorn and Bernd Pischetsrieder (at the time Audi Brand Group president and CEO of Volkswagen Group respectively), approached him and asked him to produce a style proposal for the new Audi A6. He set to work straight away. He spent his August holidays designing, then produced a full scale styling model together with his team, which was presented in September in Spain to president Ferdinand Piech and the top brass of the VW Group. The proposal was so well received that the model was immediately shipped to Ingolstadt. Meanwhile,…

You could imagine a future without pistons and cylinders, but not one without a sports coupé in true Audi style. Keeping hope alive for tomorrow is the E-tron, the concept unveiled at this year’s Frankfurt show by the four-ringed marque, which begins its second century of existence with a car that looks decidedly forward. With its typical mid-engined sports car architecture, at first glance you would never guess that the powerplant of this seductive coupé has been replaced by an electric motor and a battery pack. Looking closer, however, there are many clear signs of what lurks underneath, as Wolfgang Egger notes: “Once we had decided to dedicate a car to electric drive, we wanted to convey this specificity as clearly as possible. A sports car is the ideal choice,…

Every carmaker has its own way of viewing the relationship between concepts and production models. For Audi, every concept car is a concrete act, a declaration of intent that will be followed by a real car in which the essence of the original prototype is always easily recognisable. For instance, the Pikes Peak crossover presented at Detroit in 2003, spawned the current Q7. At Geneva a few months later, the Nuvolari laid the aesthetic and formal foundations for at least two models – the A6 saloon presented in 2004 and the 2007 A5, the latter borrowing its GT architecture from the Nuvolari. And there are more examples, such as the Le Mans and the R8 in the supercar niche, and the Shooting Brake and the new TT for the compact…

With the A5, one of Walter de’ Silva’s best loved among those created under his tenure, Audi’s new style reached maturity. Presented in spring 2007, the most obvious aspect taken from the Nuvolari is the GT coupé concept. The A5 differs from the prototype, however, in evolving towards more sinuously sculpted forms, albeit still defined by just a few, well measured lines. The work carried out by the design team in collaboration with the engineers was just as important as the car’s perfect proportions and graphic harmony. Debuting together with the A5 is the new MLB architecture, a modular longitudinal platform on which a whole generation of very diverse models would be based. These include the A5 Sportback (in the photo right), unveiled to the public on July 16th, 2009,…

A faithful transposition of the Le Mans Quattro concept, the R8 is unquestionably the most exotic element in the Audi range. And yet, at its launch at the Paris motor show in 2006, it was immediately apparent that this was a design that remained faithful to the styling language and formal philosophy of the brand. At the front is the single frame grille, albeit necessarily lower and devoid of the four-ringed badge, which has been relocated onto the bonnet, “this shift would not be practicable with the larger grilles, as it would make them look like toothless mouths, but in this case, the proportions are perfectly suited to the variation”, says Walter de’ Silva. Other distinguishing traits of the R8 are the air intakes and vents underscoring the headlights and…

With the new TT already imminent, Audi’s designers decided to offer a glimpse of some of its content with a show car, to be presented at Tokyo in 2005, which would also hint at a possible future derivative. A coupé and a roadster version were already confirmed, so it was decided to create a compact sports model with an elongated roof, similar to the forthcoming TT at the front but with a completely different treatment for the rear, which is as interesting functionally as it is aesthetically. The finished effect is remarkably dynamic and is accentuated by the roofline that descends towards the tall tail and ends in a small spoiler. The wheelarches are very pronounced, as is the shoulder, which is intersected by the wraparound taillights. So as not…

Just like the A6 range, where the Allroad quattro has grown to become an Audi classic, the A4 also gained an Allroad version in March 2009. Like its bigger sibling, it is based on the Avant estate version of the respective model. It is set apart from the standard car by clear, sturdy styling cues, which, in keeping with Audi traditions, refrain from excess. The main distinctive elements of the Allroad are typical sport utility features such as a raised ride height, protective steel plates under the body, plastic cladding, longitudinal ribs in the roof and a generally more muscular look. Similarly to the A6 Allroad, what makes the A4 Allroad unique is the superlative build quality and minute attention to detail, which is in contrast with its rough and…

For designers, the future is their daily bread. They work projected forward in time, in a dimension that the public only get to glimpse once in a while. At present there are at least three models set to arrive on the market that have already made an impression on the collective memory thanks to the concept cars that anticipated them: A1, Q3 and A7. The A1 is destined to complete the Audi range next year, taking up position first in line. A B-segment hatchback with premium-level contents and a sporty character, it offers at least two different bodystyles: a three-door, as shown in the A1 Concept unveiled in Tokyo in 2007, and a five-door, as shown by the A1 Sportback Concept presented in Paris a year later (both on this…

A hundred years old, but looking to the future. With this approach Audi cannot ignore the important contribution that comes from design schools. As Wolfgang Egger, head of design for the whole of the Audi Group, observes, “Our future lies with the next generation of designers: this is why sponsoring today’s students is one of our key priorities”. And it should not be forgotten that today’s big names in design were once students themselves: before his first job at Alfa Romeo, Egger studied at the Scuola Politecnica in Milan, while Stefan Sielaff – head of design for Audi – took a masters degree at the Royal College of Art in London in 1990 (with, it should be said, a grant from Audi itself). “Our relationship with the design schools,” underlines…