Summary
- Audi reveals the Concept C concept car
- Based off the TT, the Concept C ushers in a new design language for Audi
- Design elements highlight “clarity” in design, simplicity and functionality
Audi just revealed its radical new concept, one that draws huge inspiration from one of the Four Rings’ most successful vehicles in history.
Audi has unveiled the “Concept C,” which the brand is using as a launching point for a new design language across its entire line of vehicles. Some elements of the Concept C draw inspiration from previous generations and models, as far reaching as the mid-1930s and as recent as 2004.
We got an exclusive first look at the Concept C in Milan, Italy and were briefed by its top designers that explained the inspiration behind the concept vehicle. For starters, it all begins at the front bumper with its “vertical frame” – the front-facing grille that has over time evolved through Audi’s vehicles. We learned that the Auto Union Type C from 1936 had the earliest iterations of Audi’s face, stacking the brand’s famous Four Rings atop of a tall, vertical grille structure. From there, the 2004 Audi A6 was the first generation to “stage” the emblem within the vertical grille. These two examples therefore create the structure of the striking new front bumper of the Concept C – a strong, boxier design language that gives both the grille and the Four Rings a distinctive style.
Beyond the new face, the Concept C has a lot of other references to the TT, a comparison Audi was not shy to make. For starters, the two-seater layout is back, with a retractable hard-top roof that thankfully retains the Concept C’s sleek coupé look. Wide rear fenders house 21” wheels and tires, whose design also mirrors the memorable six-spoke wheels of the original TT. The wheels have an awesome updated design this time around however, with hollow spokes and a two-toned paint scheme giving it both physical and visual depth. Headlights and taillights are dynamic and change upon use – day time and night time – to give the Concept C almost a set of eyes with a dual identity. Other details include a glass-less rear view, highly aggressive front splitter and rear diffuser, and deep side skirts all of which are composed of forged carbon fiber.
Inside, the Concept C prioritizes “clarity” – a keyword Audi is using that essentially mixes minimalism and cleanliness with simplicity and functionality. Examples of this is the uncluttered dashboard, which is made up of a fixed digital gauge cluster, infotainment “tablet” that neatly folds away when not needed, and a touch-sensitive icon bar for quick access functions. Buttons found at the steering wheel and center stack adopt haptic touch feedback, which the executives noted as the patented “Audi Click”. There’s ambient lighting lining the panels but “indirectly,” which avoids any harshness of light but provides warmth to the clean, crisp interior. And speaking of crisp, the Concept C was shown with fiber seats and synthetic-yet-supple leather interior coatings, again maintaining the minimalism aesthetic.
Audi claims the Concept C is going into production, as well as it being the first step towards a new design language, so we’re sure to see more from the brand very soon.
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