Audi 2011 Annual Report Download - page 114

Inspiration _ 111
What goes through your mind when you’re in a
seating box?
You need to be careful. You need a great sense of abstrac-
tion to grasp the feeling such an interior off ers. Here
you fi rst get a feel for the proportions, that’s crucial. The
seating box is only an illusion of a fi nished product.
What you see here is modeling clay coated with wall paint.
Even the leather seam isn’t real, but simply molded from
clay. There’s no real material feel. This study was developed
specially for an urban context. After all, in 2030 some
70 percent of people will live in cities. And vehicles will
then need an interior that is minimalist in character. The
more complex the environment, the better it is if the
interior does not distract you, but provides concentrated
information. Less is more!
And when you present a study like this to the Board?
Well, you feel a bit like a chef presenting a new dish.
You’ve tested it out a few times in the kitchen,
changed the seasoning, worked on the details and
nuances. Then comes the moment of truth when you
have to serve the dish to your guests, when everything
just has to click. And you know immediately whether
that’s happened.
Do you judge a design proposal intuitively or rationally?
Design is always emotional to start with, that’s what
we designers should always strive for. I often say: The
design must still feel like an Audi even if you take away
the four rings. At the end of the day, the important thing
is to create a product that delights and convinces the
customer. Ideally, this delight begins with love at fi rst
sight and is followed up by long-lasting delight, which
results one day in marriage.
Close-up: Experience the Audi brand’s unmistakable interior
design in this video featuring the new Audi Q3 premium SUV.
Wolfgang Egger takes over Audi Brand Design
Stefan Sielaff has been responsible
for new tasks in the Volkswagen Group
since February 1, 2012. His successor
is Wolfgang Egger, who is now also
in charge of Audi Brand Design on an
operational level. After numerous
chief designer posts at various car
manufacturers, Egger joined the Audi
Group in 2007, since which time he
has been Head of Audi Group Design.
In this position he has overall respon-
sibility for vehicle design at the
Lamborghini brand and for vehicle
and product design at the Audi brand.
Egger attracted considerable atten-
tion with his Audi quattro concept
show car. By creating the fi rst Audi
e-tron concept he also gave visible
expression to Audi’s progress towards
electric mobility.
The driver fi nds all relevant information in the central display (right).