Audi looks into the future: 7 new technologies

[Tumbo]

Audi has published a booklet outlining seven future technologies, some of which are in an early development stage while others will appear on new models soon.
Audi's development engineers, who are collaborating with strategic partners, are working on these new technologies in the following areas:

Garage Parking Pilot involves a data exchange at the entrance to the parking facility. The parking garage control computer communicates by WLAN with the car and will then guide it to a free space.

OLED technology can be used in multiple way. In the case of the Audi R8 OLED concept hundreds of small triangular OLED lights outline the dynamic contours of the body. OLEDs arranged as a display can transform the rear end of the car into an animated surface. The fluctuating points of light, only a few pixels in size, can be energized individually.

Hybrid body materials represents the combining of new hybrid metals with CFRP structures. Audi is in the process of launching the process in manufacturing a Multimaterial Space Frame, which combines aluminum, steel and fiber-reinforced components.

Fiberglass Reinforced Plastic (FRP) coil springs being 40 percent lighter aim to replace coventionary steel springs. The new FRP suspension springs will make their debut before the end of 2012 in the Audi R8 e-tron model.

Multitouch controls focuses on innovative touchpad technology that allows enhanced operation using several fingers. It also sends a tactile response back to the user's fingers.

Predictive suspension technology uses stereo camera sensors to identify uneven road surfaces approaching the car and retune the active suspension so that rough road surfaces are compensated for effectively providing the most comfortable ride as possible.
Placed above these specific technologies, Audi's core development concentration starts with ultra-lightweight construction. Audi considers this the most important aspect of their research particularly in regard to body construction but also in the areas of chassis and suspension. Electronics also play a vital role in future technology as the pace of innovation gets faster with electronic processing speeds doubling every two years - as described by Moore's law. Another important developmental concentration relates to e-tron technology which focuses on pure electric powered drivetrains, referred to as electromobility. And last but not least, lighting technology is another broadening field in which Audi maintains a leading position.
In the press release below there are seven sections providing far more detail in regard to each of the aforementioned new techologies.

Read more: Audi looks into the future with 7 new technologies

Audi urban concept automatic wireless charging

Audi predictive suspension identifies uneven road surfaces

Audi predictive suspension identifies uneven road surfaces

Audi FRP coil spring comparison to normal spring

Lighting director Stephan Berlitz, laser rear fog light

Audi all-round view senses surroundings

High-end projection driving simulator provides front and rear views

Audi simulator cameras monitor eye movements

Audi MMI touchpad for multi-finger operation

Audi CFRP layer is firmly attached to the aluminum below

Audi bending test

 

[Tumbo]

Am I the only one impressed by this? :-s

 

[Deckhook]

No you are not mate. I was just reading about it and thought to myself does anything stay still. The new springs are very interesting.

 

[Tumbo]

The OLED technology sounds crazy. Would be soooo cool

 

[Justone]

And this is exactly why i love Audi so much. I sold them for a little over a year in 2009. Always loved them, but that year has made me realize how every other manufacturer is lacking in progressive thinking. Audis engineers are single handedly changing the automotive industry.

 

[Tumbo]

And this is exactly why i love Audi so much. I sold them for a little over a year in 2009. Always loved them, but that year has made me realize how every other manufacturer is lacking in progressive thinking. Audis engineers are single handedly changing the automotive industry.

Glad to have another Audi-fan on the forum. Welcome onboard!

 

[Justone]

Glad to be here Thank You

 

[deity]

Isn't that scanning uneven surfaces thing a Merc idea?

 

[Mr. Mercedes]

Somone at Audi didn't get the memo lol.

I hope it debuts on the S-class as a world first...

 

[Human]

Makes one wonder if the tech comes from the same company Audi & VAG invested in

BMW Buys 15% SGL Stake to Confront VW’s Carbon Fiber Ambitions

Bayerische Motoren Werke AG (BMW) secured a 15 percent stake in SGL Carbon SE (SGL), adding to a 29 percent holding controlled by BMW heiress Susanne Klatten, in a move that keeps rival Volkswagen AG (VOW) at bay.
BMW bought 5.2 percent of the shares directly and controls an additional 10 percent of SGL through financial derivatives, the Wiesbaden, Germany-based maker of carbon and graphite products said today. SGL, which will supply carbon fiber for BMW’s upcoming line of city cars, surged as much as 7.8 percent, valuing the stake at 474 million euros ($641 million).
“It appears the strategic importance of future lightweight materials is too significant in order to allow a major competitor potentially taking control,” said Arndt Ellinghorst, an analyst with Credit Suisse in London.
Volkswagen is the parent of Audi, which aims to surpass BMW as the world’s largest maker of luxury vehicles by 2015. The company announced it bought an 8.2 percent stake in SGL in March. Klatten increased her holding to a blocking minority in May. The BMW holding is separate, allowing BMW and Klatten to avoid making a mandatory takeover offer.
Klatten is a member of the Quandt family, which owns 47 percent of BMW. She controls her stake through investment vehicle Skion GmbH and the “holding is legally separate from BMW’s with no pooling agreement in place or planned,” Klatten spokesman Joerg Appelhans said.
No Board Seat
SGL rose as much as 3.35 euros to 46.50 and was up 2.7 percent to 44.30 euros at 3:17 p.m. in Frankfurt trading. The shares have risen 64 percent this year, making them the best performer in Germany’s 50-member MDAX benchmark index for medium-sized companies. BMW fell 2 cents to 54.47 euros.
BMW, which declined to disclose financial details of the transaction, doesn’t plan to seek a seat on SGL’s board, it said today in a statement. The carmaker, which aims to launch the i3 electric city in 2013 based on a carbon-fiber frame, is “satisfied” with its holding in SGL and doesn’t rule out further purchases in the future, spokesman Mathias Schmidt said.
SGL and Munich-based BMW teamed up last year to build a $100 million carbon fiber plant in Washington state for BMW’s electric cars. SGL started making brake discs for carmakers including Porsche SE more than a decade ago.
Audi Advantage
By securing influence over SGL, BMW will wrest away Audi’s advantage in light-weight vehicles, based on the VW unit’s expertise in aluminum, said Ferdinand Dudenhoeffer, director of the Center for Automotive Research at the University of Duisburg-Essen in Germany.
“BMW achieved a lot with this move,” said Dudenhoeffer, “Light-weight technology will certainly be a decisive factor for the auto industry in the future.”
The materials maker also produces electrodes and cathodes for the metals industry as well as furnace linings, besides carbon fibers and composite materials for the automotive and aerospace industries. Automakers accounted for less than 5 percent of 2010 sales, spokesman Tino Fritsch said.
Pressure on carmakers to reduce weight to improve fuel consumption has increased interest in carbon fiber, which weighs 50 percent less than steel. Daimler AG (DAI) established a joint venture with Japan’s Toray Industries Inc. (3402) to build parts for Mercedes-Benz vehicles.
“Lightweight construction will play an increasingly important role in the automobile industry in the future,” BMW Chief Financial Officer Friedrich Eichiner said in the statement. “Our stake-holding in the SGL Group is a logical step.”
SGL Chief Executive Officer Robert Koehler expects to generate “substantial” revenue with automotive and aviation industry clients starting in 2013. The company projects sales to automotive clients rising to 10 percent to 15 percent of total revenue in the coming years, Sueddeutsche Zeitung said May 30.

 

[DblPen]

intiresting stuff

 

[hoffmeister_fan]

Am I the only one impressed by this? :-s

nope, very impressive and useful stuff, "Vorsprung Durch Technik" indeed.

 

[hoffmeister_fan]

dang, double post

 

[braaf]

It certainly is impressive. But i can't help but feel that all this has been done already and nothing new to see here.

 

[lukeswiss]

It certainly is impressive. But i can't help but feel that all this has been done already and nothing new to see here.

Actually most of these things I've never seen before. Except for the 'Magic Ride Control' and Audi all-round view senses surroundings... which I think BMW had first.

 

[Monster]

Very interesting technical research and development, I am particularly excited about those light weight FRP coil spring, I want to know how do the engineers emulate the mechanical properties of steel springs with FRP material. I think I can live without the garage pilot or the OLED body panel display, to me it is more of a gimmick.

 

[braaf]

Actually most of these things I've never seen before. Except for the 'Magic Ride Control' and Audi all-round view senses surroundings... which I think BMW had first.

I don't wish to go through the whole list, but things like oled screens are used in cell phones and the laser lighting is a bmw development. Magic ride control is Merc. Carbon fibre has been around for a while in cars.

 

[Deckhook]

The OLED technology might interest me if you can chose difference pre-set light designs or even design your own. No doubt some of these technologies have been heard of before, now whether they are identical is anyone's guess but I suppose who ever makes it work into the world of production deserves the right to claim the most credit.

Like Monster it's these springs which interest me the most because I just don't understand how they behave like conventional steel springs, does the damper need also be different?

 

[Monster]

I don't wish to go through the whole list, but things like oled screens are used in cell phones and the laser lighting is a bmw development. Magic ride control is Merc. Carbon fibre has been around for a while in cars.

Lets not turn this into another merc vs audi vs bmw thread.

Like Monster it's these springs which interest me the most because I just don't understand how they behave like conventional steel springs, does the damper need also be different?

The damper settings will have to be readjusted according to the behavior of the new spring material, but I won't say the conventional dampers need to be completely redesigned.

 

[braaf]

The OLED technology might interest me if you can chose difference pre-set light designs or even design your own. No doubt some of these technologies have been heard of before, now whether they are identical is anyone's guess but I suppose who ever makes it work into the world of production deserves the right to claim the most credit.

Like Monster it's these springs which interest me the most because I just don't understand how they behave like conventional steel springs, does the damper need also be different?

Agreed, that does sound intriguing.