Audi defines families

Audi will use strong side profiles to define its future model line-ups. Criticised by many for its cookie cutter designs in the past, the company will seek to give more definition across its model ranges in the future, but will retain a familiar face into the next decade.

That's the word from Head of Audi Group Design, Wolfgang Egger. Speaking at the recent Geneva Motor Show, the design chief explained that though the company's controversial single frame grille would be retained, its sedan, sports and SUV ranges would be separated from each other via the use of strong profile design elements --including the use of distinct proportioning across the vehicle types.

"The last years have been a big evolution in Audi design," Egger told the Carsales Network.

"Walter d'Silva and his teams have done a lot of work to define the brand's identity via the single frame grille. For the first time all the family has this face," Egger explained.

"It's very important in a big portfolio to have this 'communal' sense. But for sure [now] we decide for the next years, after achieving this commune appearance of the brand, [how] we are working to differentiate the different cars one from another -- without changing the sense of the single frame grille..."

Moving forward, Egger says, it is the proportions and side styling elements of the cars that will define them.

"We have an important philosophy to distinguish [Ed: divide] the families in three ways – the elegant cars, the sportscars and the offroad/SUV cars," Egger elaborated

"You can define [each of] them with three [side] lines. The 'elegant' cars have what we call the tornado line, the sportscars a muscle line and the SUVs what we call the Quattro blister... Each of these lines [will] define our A, R and Q [models]..."

Sketching the distinguishing lines with a sweep of the pen (see images hereabouts), Egger explains: "From a distance of 100-200m away the two elements [Ed: single frame grille and the unique side lines] give you a feeling in your stomach that this is 'this' Audi."

The design chief says there's room for more body shapes in the Audi line up, but suggests that they will still fall into the groups he's defined -- even the expected new, larger sportbacks.

Debuted in showcar form at the Detroit Motor Show, the new A7 will be an important car for the brand, he says.

"It's not a mass market car, for sure. It's a very personalized car, where we're working on the whole portfolio trying to get nearer and nearer to our clients and their emotions," Egger enthuses.

"A7 is a driver's car in the upper segment, [for a customer] who doesn't want anymore a classical three-volume sedan car like the A8, but an individual, more special car...  We will definitely see more sportback models," he says.

Egger is also enthused by the 'gap' created in the growth (sizewise) of the latest generation A4/A5 stablemates. 

"In the sense of downsizing [trends of traditional car buyers], there is definitely a space [for a sedan below A4]... This would be a good possibility.

"There's in effect some space in between [A3 and A4] -- good stuff for creativity for us designers," Egger teases.

The Audi Group Design boss explains a little more: "This would be a compact thing -- a very sporty [vehicle] in this segment. I think it could make sense -- a new A3/S3 Sportback -- where the hatch continues and the Sportback becomes more family oriented..."