Audi 2009 Annual Report Download - page 90

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We then translate this knowledge into
actual mobility concepts and draw
conclusions for our premium brand.
Audi maintains an “external” design
studio in the Schwabing district of Mu-
nich, where Egger and his people work
on innovative vehicle concepts as well
as projects that have nothing to do
with the car business. The Audi design
team has designed skis, watches, sail-
boats and a concert piano, of which
Egger is particularly proud. He pulls
drawings out of a black portfolio,
spreads them out on the table, points
to the distinctive black cover that ex-
tends seamlessly to the floor on the
left side of the grand piano. This wall
reflects the bass toward the listeners.
Egger: When Lang Lang played this
grand piano for the first time at our
100-year anniversary, a shiver ran
down my spine. That was a new and
entirely different dimension of the
emotional experience associated with
the Audi brand.
Susanne Hofbauer is an editor for
Autorevue in Vienna. She is particularly
interested in car design.
of a crisis, and today we are in a posi-
tion to introduce a car to the market
that is in step with the times.
Speaking of the crisis: Crisis is general-
ly understood to mean a difficult and
dangerous time. The Greek word krisis
also means “decision or decisive turn.”
In other words, you can look at a crisis
as a turning point at which a new
course is set and a new idea can be ac-
cepted that would otherwise not have
had a chance. The Audi A2, for exam-
ple, showed the way of the future with
its economical and ecological radical-
ity: technically sophisticated light-
weight design, a true five-door car
with fuel consumption of three liters
per 100 kilometers and a coefficient of
drag of only 0.28. The Audi A2 was far
ahead of its time, and production was
stopped in 2005 after 170,000 units
had been sold.
Egger: For me the Audi A2 is a vision
whose sustainability is only now be-
coming apparent. In this respect I con-
sider the crisis to be an enrichment,
because we are now again focusing
more closely on the true values of life.
It is important to use energy prudent-
ly. That applies equally to our daily
lives and to the car. However, this
doesn’t mean a change of direction at
Audi. Lightweight design, driveability,
authentic materials – these all belong
to our brand values. The A8 allows us
today to look back on decades of expe-
rience with all-aluminum Audi Space
Frame bodies.
Esslinger: One unintended positive ef-
fect of the crisis is the interruption of
several completely senseless consump-
tion cycles. Instead of simply buying
“something new,” people expect
“something better and more sensible.”
Many companies are finally seeing the
opportunity of extensive innovation,
for example making digital products
more user-friendly. It is also important
to redefine the emotional quality of
the products. We have to change our
thinking and identify usage patterns
that may initially appear unorthodox.
We have a great chance to generate
enthusiasm among our customers with
a better and more cultured design.
Egger: Precisely. We are therefore es-
sentially open to anything and are full
of ideas. We believe that urban mobility
in particular, allied with the necessarily
compact vehicle architectures, and also
micromobility are the important topics
of the future. We observe how our cus-
tomers’ personal values and therefore
their needs change. As part of the
process of devising a concept for our
vehicles, we conduct so-called “home
stays” which enable us to get to know
customers in their own surroundings.
In this way we find out about their
wishes, aesthetic preferences and –
most importantly – their dreams.
“
We Audi designers are
interested in creating
dreams by making cars
an extremely emotional
experience.”
Wolfgang Egger, Audi Group design chief
DESIGN SUMMIT
See Wolfgang Egger and Hartmut
Esslinger on video at:
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