Audi 2007 Annual Report Download - page 107

Visionary brand architecture:
The Audi terminal
Ralph Weyler,
Member of the Board
for Marketing and
Sales of AUDI AG
Audi – a brand name that stands for strong brand val-
ues. Worldwide, our customers have come to associate
the four rings with sportiness, progressiveness and
sophistication, the genes of our brand. Audi is one of
the leading car brands in design, material and build
quality. This leading position in the premium segment
is evidenced by more than just our products. Wherever
customers come across the four rings, we enable them
to experience our brand values, whether this is at fairs,
at our numerous arts and sports sponsoring events or,
most obviously, in our dealerships. Precisely here, in
our 2,700 dealerships worldwide, is where we are creat-
ing exclusive brand worlds, providing room for our fast-
growing product portfolio, in an exclusive atmosphere,
with premium service. Today, Audi is at the beginning
of a unique repositioning of its entire sales network.
Our brand architecture also has a special role to play in
this regard. Our Audi hangar design created an inter-
nationally uniform concept, which has thrilled our cus-
tomers as well as architects and urban planners. We
have now taken this pioneering feature of branded
architecture one step further with the Audi terminal, an
architectural solution which fully meets our aspirations
regarding innovative design, shapes, materials as well
as urban planning demands for flexibility. The first ter-
minal was opened in Sydney, Australia, in December,
2007. The Audi terminal impresses through its dynamic
shape; curved rooms, sloping walls and windows
spectacularly carved into the aluminum facade create
a taut appearance. Inside, in the new Audi showroom, a
spacious communications platform puts the customer
at the center of attention from the first moment on. The
luxurious interior finishing, designed to the last detail,
not only creates an outstanding atmosphere, but also
secures a first-class presence for our premium model
portfolio.
The new dealership architecture is an expression of our
identity, and one that sets standards. The Audi terminal
was hailed as Germany’s contribution to the Architec-
ture Biennale in São Paulo in the fall of 2007; in the
summer of 2008, it will be shown at the German Archi-
tecture Museum in Frankfurt. This is proof that our
brand’s comprehensive design is putting it where it
belongs: At the very top.
ring of jade. The ring is green for the bronze medal, gray for
the silver and white for the gold. “Jade is a living material,”
says the designer. “It is smooth, it breathes, and is not as cold
as metal.” Jade has been cherished in China for thousands of
years. “Gold has its worth, but jade is priceless,” the Chinese
saying goes. This precious stone is also a symbol of purity,
virtue and goodness.
Xiao believes that jade is particularly appropriate as a
reward for the best sporting performances and as a symbol of
Chinese culture and philosophy. “I want to combine the
Olympic spirit with traditional Chinese values.” Sport meets
culture, and East meets West! A combination that also befits
Xiao Yong, and is reflected in his personal history. He grew up
in the city of Jinan on the Yellow River in the East Chinese
province of Shandong. He then studied in Beijing, before trav-
eling to Berlin and Stuttgart, then Denmark, and finally the
Finnish capital of Helsinki, where he earned a master’s degree
in graphic design. His workshop exudes Scandinavian simplic-
ity. A light-colored wooden table, glass and a light-filled
courtyard. This is where Xiao retreats to work on his design
projects, although he doesn’t have much time. He lectures
as a professor at the nearby Central Academy of Fine Arts, is
a member of the Board of the Chinese Industrial Design
Association and the International Association of Design Schools.
Apart from his Beijing workshop, he has another three design
studios in China. He has also published several books and is
much in demand as a guest speaker in China, Europe and
the U.S.
This is because design from China has become very pop-
ular –particularly when it’s as cool as the work of Xiao Yong.
He has transposed the exotic, mythical elements of traditional
Chinese art into modern, abstract design concepts but has still
remained faithful to his roots. “Obviously, I’m familiar with
Western esthetics, but the important thing for me is to capture
Chinese tradition and take it a step further.” His models?
“Deng Xiaoping was our ideal designer,” says Xiao. As the
mastermind of China’s policy of reform and openness, about
30 years ago Deng recognized the sign of the times and adapted
China’s development to keep pace with modern society.
“Design needs innovation,” says Xiao.“We cannot simply
copy the past.” And is he looking forward to the Olympics?
“It’s part of my work,” says Xiao, who is taking part in a
whole host of Games-related projects, including the Olympic
Culture Festival.
Audi will also be inviting leading musicians to Beijing, as part
of its Olympic “Passion for Movement” program. VIP guests,
athletes and officials will be chauffeured in Audi’s “Official
Premium Cars.” •
Ruth Kirchner is a freelance correspondent in Beijing, she works
for Handelsblatt, ARD, Deutsche Welle and the German public radio
station SWR.
“Jade is a living material. It is smooth,
it breathes, and is not as cold as metal.”
Xiao Yong, Designer
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Photo: AUDI AG