Clarity-Focused Audi Concept C Previews Luxury Brand’s Future Designs
At a special event in Milan, one of the world's fashion capitals, Audi today kicked off the next chapter in its transformation with the presentation of the Concept C, which offers a glimpse of the German luxury brand's future designs.
Audi seeks to prioritize clarity and minimalism—in other words, focusing on the essentials—in order to create designs with timeless aesthetics in an increasingly complex and competitive world. This same focus will guide all products, processes and structures at Audi in the future.
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“Radical simplicity is at the heart of our approach. We achieve clarity by reducing everything to the essential,” Chief Creative Officer Massimo Frascella said. This not only applies to the vehicles’ exteriors, but also to their interiors. The latest technological innovations and materials are used precisely wherever they enable new possibilities for customers. We want to shape a brand capable of inspiring desire and creating cultural impact.”
TT + R8 = Concept C?
Earlier this summer, Audi CEO Gernot Döllner promised to introduce a new electric sports car ahead of the upcoming IAA show in Munich (September 8-14). He called it the "TT Moment 2.0," suggesting the model would be as important and emotional as the small coupe that was originally launched in the late 1990s.
As it turns out, the Concept C is more of a design study. It embodies the principles of reductionism and "geometric clarity," with angular lines and shapes all around. There's something about it that definitely reminds us of Jaguar's controversial Type 00 concept, especially from the front and side, but arguably less shocking. The inspiration is said to come from the Auto Union Type C race cars, hence the name.
The targa-style configuration with a removable hardtop lacks a rear window, while the interior is a radical departure from Audi's most recent vehicles. The "Digital Stage" is gone, giving way to a super-clean dashboard (with touch controls) and a single screen in front of the steering wheel. The buttons on the steering wheel have also been completely redesigned.
“The phase of taking stock is over. Now is the time to look to the future and pick up speed. We are focusing on what really matters to set standards in design and quality,” the Audi boss said.
What will be the first vehicle to embody this new philosophy? The company isn't saying yet, but look for an entry-level electric car (probably the A4 e-tron) and performance models from Audi Sport to debut in 2026. We’ll keep you posted.