Project the Audi Avant concept forward to 2015, developing new forms and aesthetics for it. That was the challenge Walter de’ Silva (Design Director Audi Brand Group) proposed last October to twenty students of the Milan Design Polytechnic from all over the world.
The eleven proposals that imagine the Avant in the near future were developed under the guidance of Marco Bonetto (director of the SPD Master’s course in Transportation) and three of them were selected for presentation at the Ingolstad Design Center.
The “Avant Visio” by Oleksiy Tsapliy is an elegantly designed, gutsy station wagon with well balanced proportions and a powerful emotive impact.
The “Avant Coupé” by Kamil Labanowicz, proposes a sports character in which sports car cues are blended with those of an estate. This urban vehicle with four seats fully equipped with all the comforts necessary for a long journey, is defined by two compact volumes and an almost vertical tail.
The “Avantgarde” by Dzmitry Samal is a modern interpretation of the landaulet, a genre that enjoyed much popularity in the 1920s and ‘30s, giving it a contemporary appearance. This is an eccentric and exhibitionist luxury car based on the A8 package, with the cabin split into two distinct zones. The first, for the driver, is open topped and features an automatic roof, whereas the second zone is designed to convey two VIP passengers in complete privacy.
After the presentation of the concepts in the SPD premises in the presence of Walter de’ Silva, Gary Telaak and Ingo Von Bargen already have their sights set on the next academic year. The Audi brand will be targeted for the third year in succession, and the “Sports Car” theme has already been pinpointed as the new challenge to propose to the young designers.
The article continues in Auto & Design no. 160
