Audi 2006 Annual Report Download - page 105

PHOTOS (RIGHT): ITALDESIGN, AUDI
103AUDI 2006 ANNUAL REPORT
on “pedestrian protection”. Unquestionably yet
another set of regulations. But another chal-
lenge that we will cope with.
GIUGIARO: Yes that’s right, we’re becoming
more and more dependent on regulations and
laws, but they also make us more and more
creative. We welcome intelligent laws that
boost safety, cut fuel consumption, protect the
environment and improve traffic conditions.
They also give us fresh impetus to create new
things.
Is there anything that de’Silva always wanted to
ask Giugiaro?
DE’SILVA: There’s one question I’d really like to
ask: are you still able to get up and go into the
office with the same level of motivation every
day?
GIUGIARO: Although I have delegated all the
tasks that aren’t directly related to my work to
other people, challenges still interest me. Yes,
I’m still as enthusiastic about going into the
office as I was 50 years ago.
What sort of Audi are you next expecting from
Walter de’Silva, Mr. Giugiaro?
GIUGIARO: When I look at the current Audi A6,
for instance, I say: the next one will be even
better, even though this one is already the best.
You always expect more, not less, from de’Silva.
It is inconceivable that someone might say of
one of his cars: “The last one was better.”
What as yet unfulfilled dreams do you both
have? What car would you still like to create?
DE’SILVA: I always dream that my next dream
will come true. Or better still: that I will keep com-
ing across people who will help me to fulfil a
dream. Now that I have created the Audi R8*, my
first mid-engine car, I don’t know if there is
anything left on my wish-list. Maybe I’d like to
design a car like Giugiaro’s first Fiat Panda, a car
for everyone.
GIUGIARO: My dream is creating an ultra-short
car that has just as spacious an interior and
luggage compartment.
You are established car designers, but are cars
also your passion?
DE’SILVA: For me, definitely. I’ve loved cars ever
since I was a child. But form is the crucial thing
for me. Whenever I am sitting behind the wheel,
I am just an ordinary car driver. But I want to en-
joy driving a car. Driving is no end in itself for me.
I appreciate cars more for what I feel rather than
for what I see.
GIUGIARO: As for me, the answer is no. Strange
to say, but I am not a car enthusiast. I love
shapes. Designing cars is a way of expressing
my visions for shapes. I enjoy creating cars, but
not owning them. I wanted to be a painter, and
look what became of me! I’ve got only pictures
and paintings on my walls at home, but no car
photos.
Four decades
of design
01. Audi 80 (1978) by
Giorgetto Giugiaro
02. Audi R8 (2006) by
Walter de’Silva
03. Audi Karmann study
(1973) by Giorgetto
Giugiaro
04. Lamborghini Marco
Polo study (1982) by
Giorgetto Giugiaro
05. Audi Nuvolari quattro
study (2003) by Walter
de’Silva
06. VW W12 Roadster
study (1997) by
Giorgetto Giugiaro
07. SEAT Leon (2005) by
Walter de’Silva
08. Golf I (1974) by
Giorgetto Giugiaro
09.
Lamborghini Gallardo*
(2003) by Walter de’Silva
01.
02.
03.
04.
05.
07.
06.
08.
09.
Marco Degl’Innocenti, 58, freelance journalist,
was born in Perugia (Italy) but has lived and
worked in Germany for many years. He writes
for La Gazzetta dello Sport, La Stampa and
Auto & Design, among other publications.
* fuel consumption figures at the end of the Annual Report