Audi 2014 Annual Report Download - page 135

An aesthetic that has to be preserved,
throughout all e orts in pursuit of
the new and the search for the next big
coup. “Our last signifi cant design shift
was in ,” says Lichte. “Walter de
Silva joined the upper and lower air
inlets at the front to form a single ele-
ment : the Singleframe grille. A simple
idea, really, but a giant step for Audi,
one that earned the respect of all
designers.” With good reason – it gave
Audi a face of its own for the fi rst time,
and a successful one at that. “That’s
where there is a big risk of just continu-
ing to evolve what is successful,” he
says. “When it’s going well it is espe-
cially hard to question your judgment.
Even more so at a time when things
that are shaping our perceptions, like
the smartphone, have a half-life of
maybe no more than one year.” When-
ever things are clicking, that’s when
moving to new ground really takes lots
of courage. But that is exactly when you
need a designer who is years ahead of
his time, in everything he does. One like
Marc Lichte, who has stepped forward
to express the essence of tradition with
a surprising, contemporary design lan-
guage. One who is both a preservationist
and innovator.
Where do you begin with such a chal-
lenge ? Does it call for taking lots of
time, trying ideas, rejecting them, dis-
cussing ? Put a show car on wheels
and wait to see how the public reacts ?
Marc Lichte doesn’t allow himself that
time. And he doesn’t have it to spare :
The next-generation A, A and A
models are waiting for his signature
touch. He takes a di erent approach,
designing three new cars with his team –
and then showing in his Audi prologue
concept car the essence of everything
he has already realized for the coming
models. That demands concentration,
a sharp focus and a clear vision of what
makes an Audi stand out. What makes it
unique. “Obviously all eyes are on the
Singleframe grille,” Lichte says. “It’s
going to be wider and more dynamic.
And in the future it will be used to make
each series clearly distinguishable from
the others.” The face of the family,
sure – but the character that makes the
individual family members unique will
be clearly visible up front.
Le Corbusier et al. – Galerie Downtown François Laffanour, Paris
Joseph André Motte et al. – Demisch Danant, New York
PHOTOS : Christoph Morlinghaus, AUDI AG