New Audi A9 coming?

[EnI]

Audi design has always been VERY photogenic. No doubt about that. But it's still missing the WOW factor once introduced with Schreyer-era design. Remember the original TT? Or the C5 A6 or B6 A4? That styling had some novelty value back then - being very modern & avantgarde for Audi & for Teutonic car design in general (although it imitates typical Braun's industrial design). It put Audi on the design map.

Although producing nice designs & styling Audi is hardly seen as a German car design leader today.
Eg. Sacco did it for MB, then there was Audi's time in Schreyer's era ... and then came Bangle for BMW. And today it seems it's MB's time again - with Wagener. Although BMW i series (and VFL Concept as well) indicates BMW design is still on fire - although the core lines have lost the WOW factor from Bangle times. Let's see what the new G-coded cars will premiere.

Although German car design is not the leading one anymore. I can see some French (Citroen & Reanult), Japanese (Mazda) and Koreans (KIA & Hyundai) on fire lately. VAG completely lost it IMHO - the design theme is to similar across the entire core brand portfolio (VW, Audi, Seat & Skoda) - all of them started to feature Lambo-like sharp lines & edges. Even Bentley & Porsche have been effected. I would like to see da Silva finally gone from the VAG chief designer post & some man (or woman!) with some fresh ideas being brought to that post. I'm also not pleased with van Hooydonk as BMW Group chief designer. I would definitely rather see Habib in that position.

 

[SDNR]

^and of course that was an extremely unbiased point of view.

 

[Rainer271]

It's nice on it's own, but next to the VFL interior you just posted, it starts looking like a kid's drawing.

My statement was not meant in comparison to the VFL but only individually considered.

 

[klier]

My statement was not meant in comparison to the VFL but only individually considered.

Haha, yeah, but that statement doesn't quite work if I just see them side by side

Seriously though, it's a nice interior only too many straight lines for my liking.

 

[Rainer271]

One interesting detail is the passenger screen similar to the announced of BMW.

 

[klier]

One interesting detail is the passenger screen similar to the announced of BMW.

As expected.

 

[EnI]

I'm struggling with this comment Tine, Judging by all the imitation in the industry, I'd say that Audi's clean, cool, high-tech styling has been fairly influential .......enough, in fact, for Daimler to headhunt a few of Audi's best designers.

Now, having said that, I think it is fair to say that this current obsession with consumer-driven design was probably started by BMW. German design was once very ideological .......and under Bruno Sacco, Mercedes took an intellectual and philosophical approach to design (which is the Italian approach).

In this 21st century Global marketplace, where consumers have become very design literate and style-conscious, we have seen a major change in the German attitude to car design.

Rob,

I somehow disagree. I'll try to explain. (Btw, welcome back ... GCF can finally witness some great debates .. .again )

First ... Today the exterior design trend is much more towards more decorative & expressive styling - which even Audi itself has started to follow: more lines, more curvy lines, positive / negative panels etc etc So, it's more like Audi follows the trends set by others then it being a trend-setter.

When it comes to designers ... their fluctuation is quite severe ... changing jobs (seeking new challenges). Not only in the automotive industry but in general. I guess creative minds need constant challenges - thus more job changes.

Consumer driven design ... Design is always consumer driven, isn't it? Always has been and always will be. The one that isn't doesn't sell well. Perhaps in past the engineering-driven products were in line with customer's expectations. But today that's not the case anymore. Therefore most products today are marketing/consumer-driven: based on marketing researches which do scan consumer preferences, needs & expectations. And due to many different, heterogeneous consumer preferences different designs sell well. So, some brands / manufactures cater to one specific tastes, while other cater to others. Vive la différence!

Intellectual & philosophical design ... I usually struggle to understand why mostly (or only) clean, sterile, minimalistic, symmetrical etc design is considered to be intellectual. Sure it's purest, most theoretical, most abstract: being closest to pure geometry. Without redundant decoration. But it's that it? It's the purest form really the most intellectual? So , something that features more redundant decoration, more emotion, more flair ... Does that lack intellect(ual factor)? Is intellect really on a component of rationality? Or it can feature emotional part as well?

Sure sterile, clean, minimalistic, symmetrical etc design is the most "technically correct" one. But I'm not sure it's also the most intellectual or having higher philosophical ground. It's not like those who like (or exercise) more gaudy design are intellectually inferior to those who prefer (or exercise) more clean design.