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“The most beautiful car I have ever drawn.” Marc Lichte, Head of Audi Design, chose these words in the fall of 2018, when the brand presented the Audi e-tron GT concept as a show car in Los Angeles. Two years later, the first fully electric gran turismo from Audi is about to celebrate its premiere as a series production model. This is the perfect time to talk to Marc Lichte about the importance of the e-tron GT.

Question: Mr. Lichte, the wait will soon be over. Audi will introduce the e-tron GT on February 9. Is the presentation of such a model still exciting even after seven years of being the brand’s Head of Design?
Marc Lichte: The world premiere is a magic moment. That applies to the entire Audi Design team as well as to me personally. The presentation of a new car is the culmination of a development process that usually takes four years. It is a long road that involves a great deal of work, many discussions, and difficult decisions at times. However, in the end, we are all proud to present the result of our joint efforts.

Proud is the keyword here. With your assessment of the show car, you really set the bar high for the e-tron GT. What distinguishes the design of the car?
Lichte: Good design is achieved when a product is aesthetic and functional at the same time, and when it becomes part of a seamless overall experience. The foundation for aesthetics lies in the proportions: short overhangs and a long wheelbase combined with a lean cabin on a powerful body. The e-tron GT features all of the above.

Would it be presumptuous to refer to this car as the new design icon from Audi?
Lichte: Yes, without a doubt. After all, you cannot create a design icon on the drawing board. A car must acquire this reputation on the road – in an overstimulated environment that creates the will to strive for orientation. True design icons have something that is unmistakably clear: For example, it takes only three lines to characterize a VW Beetle or a Porsche 911. They stand for a clear attitude.

And what attitude does Audi want to convey with the e-tron GT?
Lichte: That is definitely “Vorsprung durch Technik” – or to quote our new brand strategy: “Living Progress.” Over the course of our history, certain models have shaped this claim in a special way: The A2 represented ruthless efficiency, the TT stood for formalistic design, and the R8 for uncompromising performance. The question with regard to the e-tron GT is therefore not whether it is a design icon but how exactly it expresses our attitude. In other words, the question is how it reinterprets “Vorsprung durch Technik.”

What course are you setting now?
Lichte: The e-tron GT is a gran turismo. This term originally stood for sports cars that were suited for long-distance races. GT models thus differ from pure sports cars in that they offer greater comfort and a larger interior. As a fully electric gran turismo, the e-tron GT reinterprets this balancing act by not reducing performance to the sheer output but by attributing a special creative importance to efficiency as well.

Efficiency as the basic idea for the design. What exactly does that mean?
Lichte: Lower air resistance translates into greater range: We have turned this basic law of physics of electric mobility into the design principle for the e-tron GT. Form follows function, aesthetics arise from efficiency. The new design language creates a stronger flow and thereby creates refined aerodynamics. The design of the e-tron GT thus forms the basis for the design of future electric models.

That’s all for the exterior. But how can you express efficiency in the design of the interior?
Lichte: Electric mobility adds to the lightness and functionality of the interior – with as much space as in the next-higher segment. Compact on the outside, spacious on the inside. We therefore gave the e-tron GT a sculptural basic architecture that emphasizes not only the typical sportiness of a GT with its clear driver focus but also its sustainability. The show car from 2018 served as the prototype for the series production model. It features its own equipment line that uses no leather whatsoever but instead makes a point of relying on recycled materials.

A sporty gran turismo that positions itself based on efficiency and sustainability. Is this the new attitude you mentioned earlier?
Lichte: That puts it in a nutshell. Sustainability begins with the initial idea and is expressed through the design. The e-tron GT is thereby pushing an idea that will characterize our understanding of luxury in the course of electric mobility.

Article source: www.audi-mediacenter.com

Audi Sport customer racing will continue its international program in 2021 to complement its customers’ commitments. For the sixth year in succession, Audi will contest the Intercontinental GT Challenge, which will be held in Asia, America, Europe and South Africa. The Nürburgring 24 Hours will also be a fixture on the Audi Sport calendar for the 13th consecutive year. The brand will face the sporting competitions with 15 Audi Sport drivers.

“After a demanding 2020 season for global motorsport, we’re making a statement and committing early to a major international program in 2021,” says Chris Reinke, Head of Audi Sport customer racing. “The Intercontinental GT Challenge as the world’s most high-profile GT3 series is at the heart of this, just like the Nürburgring 24 Hours.” Audi has already won an IGTC title and the 24-hour race in the Eifel five times each.

Audi Sport customer racing is also watching two other competitions with interest. The FIA Motorsport Games are scheduled for October 2021 at Le Castellet. Teams from Audi already successfully competed in the first edition in 2019 with the Audi R8 LMS and Audi RS 3 LMS models in this multidisciplinary competition, a kind of Olympics of motorsport, held by the Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA). The traditional road race in Macau in November marks another highlight. This GT sports car race has existed since 2008 and was held as the FIA GT World Cup between 2015 and 2019. Audi has already won the competition four times. Most recently, two of the brand’s private customer teams clinched two podium places in November 2020.

This program complements the worldwide commitment of customers. In America, Asia, Australia, Europe and South Africa, private teams as well as importer teams field the brand’s various models with great success year after year. Audi Sport customer racing has been providing drivers from its squad for the corresponding GT3 programs for many years. This applies in particular to teams that enter the GT World Challenge Europe, the ADAC GT Masters and, for the first time, the newly aligned DTM.

This driver squad will again include Audi Sport drivers Mattia Drudi, Rahel Frey, Christopher Haase, Pierre Kaffer, Kelvin van der Linde, Christopher Mies, Patric Niederhauser, Frank Stippler, Dries Vanthoor, Frédéric Vervisch and Markus Winkelhock in 2021. Two young drivers will get a chance to prove themselves for the first time at Audi Sport customer racing in the 2021 season. Dennis Marschall has already shown his talent in the Audi Sport TT Cup in 2015 and 2016. With the Rutronik Racing outfit, the 24-year-old German student from Eggenstein-Leopoldshafen has repeatedly shown top performances as a privateer driver in the ADAC GT Masters over the past two years, including two pole positions in the season that has just ended. In addition, he contested two major international events in the IGTC for the first time in 2020 at Spa and Kyalami. Charles Weerts will also be driving for Audi Sport customer racing in the future. At just 19 years of age, the Belgian is the youngest driver to date to have won the GT World Challenge Europe Sprint Cup in the Audi R8 LMS and most recently finished second in the IGTC finale at Kyalami.

In addition, several of the best DTM drivers will again be part of the Audi Sport driver squad in 2021. Mike Rockenfeller, the 2013 champion, and Nico Müller, the current runner-up, will continue to drive for the four rings in the future. René Rast, the winner from 2017, 2019 and 2020, will contest the FIA Formula E World Championship for Audi. In addition, selected customer racing events complement his program. All three drivers have also strengthened the customer racing driver squad in major competitions over many years. Outstanding successes include René Rast’s victory in the 2014 Nürburgring 24 Hours, Nico Müller’s win a year later, and Rast’s victories in the 2012 and 2014 Spa 24 Hours.

Article source: www.audi-mediacenter.com

The Audi family has a new member: Former world class skier Felix Neureuther is now a brand ambassador of the Four Rings. With his passion for sustainability and performance, and his personal commitment to nature, the German is a perfect fit for the brand’s agenda.

“Felix already had close ties to Audi during his active career. He is authentic, innovative and a great personal fan of our brand,” says Hubert Link, Head of Marketing Germany at AUDI AG. “That’s why we’re delighted to have gained him as a brand ambassador for Audi and look forward to many joint activities in the spirit of sustainability.” Audi has been the principal sponsor of the German Ski Association (DSV) for more than 30 years and in this role has accompanied Neureuther’s entire career along 13 World Cup wins and five World Championship medals.

“It’s important to me that we handle nature with prudence,” says Felix Neureuther. The 36-year-old former slalom specialist has built a CO2-neutral house with an innovative ice storage heating system in Garmisch-Partenkirchen and produces electric power for himself and his family. “There are many other projects in my mind that would be a superb fit for my partnership with Audi. That’s why I’m very happy about this collaboration and everything that’s still coming.”

Felix Neureuther combines his passion for sustainability as well as performance when it comes to the selection of his car. “In the e-tron, I travel silently, am able to perceive nature and to really unwind,” says Neureuther, describing his impressions of driving the all-electric Audi that also delivers ample driving pleasure. Even so, as a former competitive athlete, he very much appreciates high performance as well.

Exactly this combination makes the partnership so convincing. “As a person, Felix combines both, the pursuit of sustainability and of intelligent performance. Consequently, he perfectly represents Audi’s brand values,” says Hubert Link. Talking about sustainability and superior performance: it is planned that in the coming months Felix Neureuther will also increasingly be involved in the presentation of the new production-based Audi RS e-tron GT – the spearhead of the Audi brand’s electric offensive.

Article source: www.audi-mediacenter.com

AUDI AG ended 2020 with the most successful quarter-year in the company’s history for cars delivered: between October and December the company supplied 505,583 cars to its customers – more than half a million in a quarter for the first time ever. In a challenging year, marked globally by restrictions due to the coronavirus pandemic, Audi delivered a total of 1,692,773 models, a fall of 8.3 percent compared with the previous year. In China, however, the company nevertheless attained new best figures with a total of 727,358 vehicles supplied (+5.4 percent).

“Thanks to an extremely strong performance internationally by our team, around the middle of last year we emerged from the first wave of corona. Following a strong third quarter, this made a major contribution to the successful final push in 2020,” says Hildegard Wortmann, Board Member for Sales and Marketing at AUDI AG. “The global situation continues to be challenging at present. Nevertheless, for 2021 we have set ourselves ambitious targets, aim to achieve continued growth, and view the future with optimism.”

Through the expansion of digital sales and service offerings, for example Audi Live consultation, the Four Rings brand has reacted flexibly and successfully to the challenges of the corona pandemic. Ongoing digitalization of sales and experience gained during the first wave of coronavirus in spring have contributed strongly to Audi ending 2020 with the most successful quarter-year in the company’s history.

AUDI AG is continuing its transformation into a provider of sustainable premium mobility and is by some distance the biggest maker of electric vehicles among the three German premium brands. The successful Audi e-tron model (including the Audi e-tron Sportback) registered a significant increase in demand last year, with growth of 79.5 percent (47,324 cars) compared with the previous year. The Audi e-tron is the global top seller among electric vehicles made by German premium manufacturers. In Norway it is even the best-selling of all models. In Germany the Audi e-tron (including the Audi e-tron Sportback) was able to more than double its sales volume in the final quarter in comparison with the previous year.

In respect of other models in the range, Audi increased deliveries especially for the Audi Q3 (+18.1% in comparison to the previous year) and the Audi A6 (+11.8%). The high-performance models from Audi Sport were also extremely popular with customers: More than 29,300 cars delivered in 2020 marks a new best, and a clear increase of 16.1 percent compared with the previous year.

In China Audi supplied more cars to customers last year than ever before. A total of 727,358 automobiles represents a rise of 5.4 percent. The fourth quarter, too, was more successful than any previous period, with 214,467 cars supplied (+7.7%). In the largest market for the Four Rings, rapid economic recovery and high demand for individual mobility led to new record figures. The development was especially positive for the Audi Q2 (+33.8%), the Audi A6 (+41.1%), the Audi A7 (+142.1%), and the Audi A8 (+13.8%).

In the USA 186,620 deliveries of new cars represented a fall of -16.7 percent year on year. Strong consumer demand and the upward trend towards the close of the year demonstrate that the outlook for 2021 is favorable, however. Rising demand can be seen in the SUV segment above all: the share of SUVs in 2020 was 66 percent, and in the fourth quarter it rose to as much as 74 percent. Significant impulses came in the year as a whole from the Audi Q3 (+83.9%) and the Audi e-tron (+10%). In the final quarter the sales performance of the Audi Q5 (+15%) and the Audi Q8 (+11%) was particularly strong.

In Europe, car deliveries declined in 2020 by 19.5 percent to 619,723 units. Nevertheless, the trend was positive for the Audi e-tron (+80.6%, including the Audi e-tron Sportback) and the Audi Q7 (+6.3%). In the fourth quarter an upwards trend was already evident again, despite increasing restrictions resulting from the coronavirus pandemic: the delivery of 178,891 cars between October and December was a rise of 2.5 percent compared to the previous year. In Germany the company supplied 214,427 cars to customers (-21.1%). In Audi’s home market, demand rose clearly again in the fourth quarter: 61,231 vehicles delivered represented a rise of 9.2 percent.

Article source: www.audi-mediacenter.com

It will soon be twenty years since the Audi museum mobile first opened its doors on 15 December 2000. Over the first twenty years of the new millennium, Audi AG has added many chapters to its success story. During that time automotive classics have been created and new milestones in technological development set. To mark the museum's 20th anniversary, this gap has now been closed, giving visitors to the Audi museum mobile a better understanding of the more recent years in Audi's history. From 15 December, 34 new historic vehicle exhibits await visitors to the Audi museum mobile.

As part of this, the huge paternoster will be a delight to behold for all motor sport fans. From now on the history of motor sport at AUDI AG will be taking a ride where previously exhibits for particular topics regularly exchanged places. With the exception of the Auto Union Silver Arrows which will remain in their traditional spot on the third floor of the museum, everything which, since the 1960s, has made Audi into the sporty brand it is will be presented on the revolving platforms which accompany visitors on all four floors. This will lend a completely new quality to the motor sport exhibition. Instead of the present five exhibits, there will now be fourteen. These include the Audi A4 DTM winner from 2007, the Audi Le Mans R8 LMP prototype from 2002, the Audi A4 STW from 1996, an Audi Rally quattro Group 4 from 1980, the Audi Sport quattro Rally Group B from 1985, the NSU 1300 TT "Jägermeister" from 1975 as well as the DKW F11/64 touring car from 1963.

This restructuring has made it possible to redesign the previous motor sport exhibition area on the second floor and equip it with more recent Audi icons. In future visitors will see the Audi TT Coupé – a design icon – plus the legendary Audi A2 and the Audi A8, a witness to Audi's return to the luxury segment. The same applies to the Audi RS 4 and the Audi Convertible with its five-cylinder engine which represent the new sportiness of the brand as well as the Audi Allroad quattro from 2001 which heralded the extremely successful SUV segment. This is rounded off by the Audi Duo III, with which the brand with the four rings was already testing electric mobility in the 1990s. And on top of that, technology fans can look forward to three special engine models from the company's history. From now on a fully functional copy of August Horch's first innovation, the smooth-running engine from 1901, will be on view in the pre-war section on the upper floor. On the second floor a DKW two-cylinder two-stroke inline engine from the 1950s and an NSU/Wankel rotary engine from 1968 now stand together with the other cutaway engine models.

After twenty years, it is also necessary to replace some exhibits with exhibition pieces of equivalent value, as leaving historic vehicles to stand for a great length of time is not good for them. Thus the Horch 303 from 1927, the first German eight-cylinder vehicle, is leaving the museum. This special automobile will be replaced in spectacular fashion by its successor model, the Horch 305 from 1928 with the very special Landaulett body – one of the last survivors of its kind. Also joining the exhibition is the Audi Front Roadster from 1936 of which there are now only two and which Audi Tradition had restored to its original state years ago. Another two exciting cars from the pre-war era will also be on show. In 1939 the predecessor to Audi, Auto Union AG, presented the Horch 930 S, a study with a streamlined body at the automotive show in Berlin. Another vehicle to be included in the permanent exhibition is the DKW F 9 prototype from 1940. The war prevented the series production of both models. Visitors to the Audi museum mobile can see them now.

There is yet another special contemporary automotive witness to find its way into the exhibition - however not as a replacement for another exhibit but to represent an extremely important moment in the company's history: the DKW Munga which was built by Auto Union GmbH from 1956. The off-road vehicle was ordered by the German armed forces founded 65 years ago. It thus helped the young company from Ingolstadt to survive the hard post-war era and contributed towards making the future possible where AUDI AG finds itself today.

Article source: www.audi-mediacenter.com

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