Audi's Is Killing Off Its 'Repetitive' Design Approach
You only have to look at the current Mercedes line-up or that side gill thing spreading through the BMW range to understand that ‘familial’ styling is the order of the day for premium cars. However, some will buck the trend: Audi - a manufacturer often criticised for a ‘Russian doll’ approach to styling - has said that it wants to tread a different path.
“This [familial] design process was used to make Audis more recognisable in newer and emerging markets,” Audi chief exec Rupert Stadler told Autocar. “Now we are well known in major markets like China, we can begin to change this philosophy and give each car its own look,” he added.
The firm has already started to do this with cars like the Q2 (above), which doesn’t just look like a Q3 that’s shrunk in the wash. And that’s a good thing.
Further opportunities for variation will arise thanks to Audi’s foray into fully electric vehicles. Packaging can be much more flexible when a big, bulky engine and all its ancillaries are taken out of the equation, so we can expect things like “shorter overhangs and lower bonnets,” Stadler says.
So, that’s something to sweeten bitter pill that is the inevitable demise of good old-fashioned engine noise…
Growing up on a diet of World Rally Championship highlights and lengthy Gran Turismo 2 sessions, a life in cars was as good as inevitable for Matt.
Comments
Yes, it maybe repetitive. But at least the design is playing it safe, not too ugly, not too flashy. It would be Interesting how their future cars would look like without a fundamental design principle.
The thing is, Audi’s design is timeless. The previous A6 was conceived in 2001, released in 2004, ran til 2011 and still looks good today. I mean compare it to Fords and Citroens of the same years.
Does that mean we can expect the grilles on the front of Audis to become smaller? 🤔
The third letter of your username onwards perfectly describes the majority of Audi designs
RentalTheDinosaur (new anti-sex obsession mob leader) (Your Friendly Neighbourhood Fantasy Man) (Black Salami Squad) (Meme Commando) (Hans Gruber lookin ass) (Generalmao)
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I hope they don’t go too “Risque”. I’ve said this a lot recently but BMW is very much a constant design that doesn’t really change much. To me, Audi’s have a very unique design per models. You’ve just got to put the Q5, TT, R8, A4, RS4 side by side to see the differences. There are similarities of course, but to me each model has it’s own little bit of uniqueness.
I do love the designs of Audi
Thank goodness I can identify the Audis, starting to get too confused on which model is which
It’s funny to me how people always complain that Audis look the same, yet when Mercedes turned C-class and E-class into smaller copies of S-class no one seems to be complaining.
I did. Still can’t tell between a C coupe and an E coupe
The E coupe looks like a chineese rip off of the S coupe. Lazy styling imo.
Porsche should follow suit soon.
Well that should be a good thing, but I’m just hoping they don’t change up the designs completely. Current Audi designs already look pretty nice so I don’t want ‘em to make the new designs “indistinguishable”
I actually really like the way modern Audis look