The Net is already working overtime on the new Audi Concept Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
car & Driver talks about the new Audi: https://www.caranddriver.com/news/a65958837/audi-concept-c-revealed/?utm_source=www.todayincars.com&utm_medium=newsletter&utm_campaign=911-turbo-reveal-corvette-ring-assault-audi-roadster-reveal
How would you describe the design style seen on this Audi and the Jag? Is it a response to the Cybertrucks slab sided styling?
They are both minimalist, bordering on brutal design statements. The Audi has more 'grace' & beauty as the forms aren't as flat looking like the Jag. Yes, the Cybertruck is exerting its influence. But both are as basic as can be. Harley Earl once held a billiard Q ball in one hand, and a baseball in his other hand. He then asked which looked 'more interesting'? Simple like Simon? You decide.
This follows along with the idea that when one glance tells everything there is to understand about the design, the design is boring.
In a way these designs remind of a time in the mid 1970s when the folded paper designs were a repudiation of all the surface warping of the 1960 and early 1970s. Is this a current version of that desire to clean break from the typical design language? I will say that these Audi and Jaguar are too austere and they really missed it on the nose. Being different needs to be more than just different for the sake of different; it still needs to be good design.
I like that you used the word "austere", as the original TT was a bit a lark as evidenced by the "baseball glove" interior option; fun, fun, fun! (Relatively) cheap and cheerful this one isn't. This is severe and serious. Given the state of world politics, we definitely need NOT serious. As for Jag, who know WTF they were thinking, presenting an amorphous brick (in pink no less) to your typically masculine, upper income, business drone Who said suicide is painless...
Well now, Mr. Sketchmonkey weighs in on the Audi Concept. Be sure to read the comments posted below the video.
Saw this concept is up for sale. It was in a museum in Chicago for many years. The owner passed away. Look at that motor 2002 Lincoln Continental Concept Sedan For Sale At Auction - Mecum Auctions Larry's Legacy 2025 - Mecum Auctions Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
This era of Lincoln Design under J Mays and Wolfgang Reitzle showed vision and focus for Lincoln. I think if Lincoln would have been allowed to continue Lincoln could today be a serious Luxury brand. For a brief moment Lincoln had vision.
Ferrari F80 https://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/posts/150248841/ #3006 Posted in the F80 section. Pininfarina vs Manzoni
My pal Dick Ruzzin talks about his new design history book and his career in a short video. https://www.freep.com/videos/cars/2025/08/24/video-classic-car-designer-chevrolet-cadillac-automobile-industrial-design/85786224007/
This was on the shelf in the video... Image Unavailable, Please Login Imagine the different world we would live in today had art, industry and the right to earn a living been left free. This age, household and marriage chart below shows the decline line as a result of what im sure was the drug and sexual revolutions on top of fiat currency inflation. https://i.imgur.com/1RecWVZ.jpeg
The new Honda Prelude looks pretty good in the photos. Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
More CMF news from Ford Design https://www.cardesignnews.com/cmf/cmf-fosters-a-deeper-connection-with-the-brand/655120?articleToken=5ede93c36c4f53411b25711493e0477587d259118765081cfe3dc230ec14e267 Ford on CMF "CMF fosters a deeper connection with the brand" James McLachlanEDITOR-IN-CHIEF, CAR DESIGN NEWS PUBLISHED 26 August 2025 - 11:38MODIFIED 26 August 2025 - 11:39 Image Unavailable, Please Login Ford's director of colour and material design, Alina Renoux, discusses the impact of CMF It is not uncommon for car designers to find creative synergies between unlikely sectors. Having worked with brands like Whirlpool, Disney, Motorola and Nike, Alina Renoux's career certainly reflects that, and brings an eclectic mix of experiences to her role with Ford. As director of colour and material design, Renoux and the wider CMF team in Michigan have a suitably broad portfolio of projects to work on, from hardcore off-roaders or performance cars to premium, urban and family-oriented models. Speaking to Car Design News, Renoux outlined the concept of 'meaningful CMF' and why digital tools have a bigger role to play than some might expect. Car Design News: Could you describe Ford’s CMF mission and your own leadership philosophy in shaping it? Alina Renoux: Our mission is to elevate physical sensory experiences through thoughtful colour and material solutions that are seamlessly integrated into the design. Taste and style are commodities that people desire. Meaningful CMF can offer a deeper emotional connection with our customers that is ultimately an expression of their lifestyle. CDN: What is Ford’s approach to embedding human-centred design principles in CMF decisions? AR: We partner with human-centred design experts at the start of the design process to understand the key experiences customers expect from their vehicles. We interpret those experiences into key CMF priorities, and partner with the vehicles' designers to create a seamless design expression. Image Unavailable, Please Login CDN: How do empathy, customer feedback, and real-world context influence your colour and material choices? How do you identify and validate upcoming colour and material trends in the automotive industry? AR: The team continuously researches social, cultural, and economic trends to understand customer mindsets and influences. They utilise sources such as WGSN and The New York Times, attend design events like Milan Design Week, and engage with customers at events like King of Hammers [an extreme off-road race in the desert]. This research is then distilled to identify what is relevant to customers' lifestyles, enabling the team to communicate a story or feeling through colours and finishes that foster an emotional connection. CDN: How do you balance aesthetic vision with practicality and engineering constraints? Image Unavailable, Please Login Alina Renoux Ford Motor Company AR: The process of design involves a delicate balance between artistic vision and scientific application. Once a clear vision is established, collaboration with marketing and engineering teams is essential to address constraints such as cost, timing, and complexity. The aim is to find optimal solutions that effectively convey the design's purpose while preserving its inherent character. Throughout this process, a strong passion for the brand and a commitment to serving customers is paramount. CDN: How are digital tools, like virtual reality and advanced material visualisation, influencing CMF ideation and decision-making? AR: Digital tools, specifically 3D rendering software and VR, are essential in the creation process for experimenting and visualising various CMF proposals and combinations. This allows for the exploration of how a specific colour or finish would appear on different vehicle body styles, such as a large truck versus a sleek Mustang, and how these elements integrate with other components like wheel finishes and trim combinations. CDN: How does CMF storytelling contribute to building the emotional connection between customers and the Ford brand? Image Unavailable, Please Login AR: CMF design is a method of storytelling that conveys a design's purpose and evokes emotions, such as confidence or exhilaration for example. It's crucial to understand customer aspirations to curate purposeful colours and materials. For a brand like Ford, CMF storytelling offers an opportunity to connect customers with the company's iconic history while guiding them into the future through deliberate CMF curation. Regardless of the industry, the core mission has always been to elevate physical sensory experiences CDN: What skills or mindsets do you believe are most essential for designers seeking to work in automotive CMF today? AR: It’s important to understand and appreciate the impact of great CMF and its role within design. Integrating CMF from the initial stages of design leads to a seamless product experience and results in thoughtful, purpose-driven products. When customers perceive the care and passion invested in a product through its CMF, it fosters a deeper connection with the brand. Designers must understand the impact of CMF, exhibit curiosity and passion for design details, and be driven to innovate and push boundaries. Image Unavailable, Please Login Left to right: Chrissy Fehan, Kellie Walters, Sarah Waston, Alina Renoux, Allen Brown, Ronni Celoto CDN: You've worked with quite an eclectic mix of brands prior to Ford. How have those experiences helped shape your approach to CMF in the automotive space, and does automotive do things very differently? AR: Before joining Ford, I led design at innovative brands across various industries, including Nike, Jordan Brand, Pyrex, KitchenAid, Motorola Mobility, and Disney. Through these diverse experiences, I learned that different industries influence each other, and consumers often engage with products across multiple categories such as cell phones, cars or sneakers. This led to the understanding that effective design requires tapping into consumer lifestyle aspirations and communicating a clear purpose. Regardless of the industry or product, the core mission as a CMF designer has always been to elevate physical sensory experiences by thoughtfully integrating colour and material into the overall design.
Granted, the new production Prelude for 2026 will be a nice looking machine. But the teaser Prelude vehicle presented earlier was sooo over the top! Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login The Acura Fan Bois are disappointed that they are being punished and won't be getting their own version of the Prelude this cycle. But maybe that was the purpose of the teaser vehicle so Acura wouldn't play their hand too soon and could draft some quick badge engineering to deliver an instant alternative.
I like it but... - Wish it looked a bit more like the concept - Seems over priced compared to Civic R
From Cardesignnews.com: Image Unavailable, Please Login Concept Car of the Week: Audi Avus (1991) J Mays’ wildly-proportioned supercar that found its identity in its heritage Owen Ready PUBLISHED 9 October 2015 - 19:13MODIFIED 9 September 2025 - 13:43 It will be 24 years at the end of this month since the Audi Avus quattro concept made such a deep impression at the 1991 Tokyo motor show. It’s difficult now to appreciate the impact this car had at the time. In 1991 Audi was the maker of extremely well engineered and classy sedans, wagons and the odd performance coupe. Its flagship model was the V8 – effectively a 100 sedan with an engine formed of two VW Golf GTI engines with a common crank. It was a handsome and swift machine but its presence went almost completely unnoticed. Audi had rather grander plans for its replacement – the A8 was to be constructed almost exclusively of aluminium and feature an advanced W12 engine, although the latter would have to wait (incidentally it was also formed of two Golf engines…) In order to communicate the new construction techniques, Audi decided to create a show car – the Spyder Concept we featured a couple of years ago. This extremely handsome sportscar was intended for production, but was destined to remain merely a prototype. But while its mid-engined format was new for the brand, its design did little to move the story along. Image Unavailable, Please Login Audi Avus quattro - the basic design is reminiscent of the streamline cars of the 1930s AUDI AG Enter J Mays – arguably the pioneer of harnessing a brand’s heritage to create new direction – and his bold interpretation of the Audi supercar brief. By looking back to the glorious pre-war Auto Union racers he discovered not only their use of aluminium, but also their mid-engined layouts that pushed the driver far forward ahead of hugely powerful powerplants that gave them such unique proportions. The viewer is left in no doubt of either the engine’s location or its size. Not in modern history had a performance car been so proudly cab-forward – its roofline terminating ahead of the rear wheel, hood and windscreen one continuous arc. Yet rather than communicate its historical roots it spoke – indeed speaks – of the future. Its mirror-like polished aluminium surfaces are the epitome of truth to materials not only in their finish but also their volumes, such are the properties of the metal. Yet they look keenly forward rather than whistfully back. And while its graphics may now look rather naive, particularly those at the front (the real exploration for this came with the similarly proportioned, but far more extreme Rosemeyer in 2000), the continuous arc of its side window graphic became a signature of the brand. The Avus was never going to reach production, but it set the foundations for one of the most impressive, design-led brand-building exercises in history.
From cardesignnews.com : Audi's new concept revealed Audi Concept C heralds design reset and Frascella’s TT GuyBird PUBLISHED 2 September 2025 - 21:00MODIFIED 3 September 2025 - 10:47 Image Unavailable, Please Login Credit: Car Design News As the Audi Concept C’s official embargo lifts, Car Design News publishes candid highlights from our exclusive one-to-one interview with new chief creative officer, Massimo Frascella (including the car’s production intent) Guy Bird The Concept C is arguably Audi’s most significant conceptual vehicle for at least a decade. Launched today at a preview in Milan, Italy – September 2nd 2025 – it will gain its official motor show reveal at the Munich IAA in Germany next week. “It’s just the right time and opportunity to recalibrate and refocus on our DNA, our principles, and an opportunity to reconsider how we do things,” Frascella told Car Design News. “For us, the critical part is regaining those values that Audi has always been all about, that strive for clarity. Clearly we achieve clarity by simplifying everything we do. From a design point of view, it’s about reducing everything to the essential, what really matters, and eliminate anything that could be a distraction or confusion.” In contrast to the rather sombre and sensible 2014 Prologue coupé, which set the tone for Audi production cars thereafter, the low-slung, two-seater Concept C sports car – the first under the watch of new chief creative officer Massimo Frascella – not only heralds a cleaner design philosophy, but also previews an exciting production car due in 2027 (more of which later). Image Unavailable, Please Login Concept C rear three-quarters Credit: Car Design News Clear influences come from the mid-1930s Auto Union Type C racing car, the original 1998 Audi TT production car – and perhaps even the 2000 Audi Rosemeyer concept – although the 2025 Concept C is much cleaner in its form and arguably in intent than the latter. What is key to Frascella is that all these cars were exciting and exhibited a certain ‘Audi-ness’ – something arguably lacking in the German premium brand’s most recent fussy production cars. “We analysed what makes an Audi an Audi in terms of identity,” Frascella continued. “And we identified in the course of our history two graphic elements that are incredibly distinctive and unmistakably Audi. The first one is of course the Auto Union Type C. The second one is the single-frame grille that was first showed on the 2004 A6 (code name C6). Both have a strong emphasis on verticality. "In our Concept C we found this natural evolution of what a modern interpretation of Audi looks like. It brings Audi a level of confidence and a sort of courage at the same time. Because if you look at what’s happening in the market, other designs around us are going in a very different direction. So there are two values to this: One is our own unmistakable identity and secondly, a sign of distinction from the rest.” When I say we achieve clarity by reducing everything to the essential, this is part of the narrative and approach we’re taking But as the Concept C is an electric concept with no need for a conventional grille with holes for air, like the two cars that influenced it, what is Frascella’s strategy for presenting Audi’s new face? “For us, this is not only a central and focal point for our identity, but also a great opportunity for exploration in terms of materials, technology and communication,” he said. “This is not a traditional grille intake and it is not just a surface, it has relevant function with modern technology and opens up a lot of opportunities. "It is a journey we have just started. This is one interpretation, but there are many others we are exploring. There’s no lighting behind but there is a lens, a pattern and sensors. We also wanted to create – and this is very important – a clean stage for the rings. We think the rings are sacred for Audi.” When asked what that meant for the ‘de-ringed’ Audi cars recently launched in China with just a word mark on their front faces, Frascella quickly declared that “a different conversation”. He also alluded that under his tenure the proliferation of fake vents blighting recent Audi production cars may also become a thing of the past. “Obviously I go back to our principles in design philosophy: Clarity, Technology, Intelligence and Emotion. So that will probably answer your question. When I say we achieve clarity by reducing everything to the essential, this is part of the narrative and approach we’re taking. We are using elements that need to be there. They have function, purpose and add value. This is very important for us. It’s a very authentic approach.” Consequently, the Concept C’s exterior offers smooth surfaces, without needless creases, few shut-lines and a wonderfully shapely and ‘closed rear’ but with some well-placed metal slats with depth to create shadow (rather than superficial plastic vents that don’t, and clearly go nowhere). There’s also an electrically retractable hardtop to enable easy open-air driving which Audi says is a first for roadsters from its brand. Image Unavailable, Please Login Concept C interior Credit: Car Design News This design clarity extends to the two-seater cabin, where anodised aluminium and shades of grey fabric combine to subtle effect with ambient but not overt lighting, switches that make satisfying noises to confirm the user’s inputs have been successful and a centre screen that only deploys when needed. “The vision for the interior is to follow exactly the same principles of the overarching design philosophy,” Frascella said. “We want to create an environment that is clearly more calming, but also inviting where you appreciate the materials and the perception of quality. We’re talking about real metal parts and the famous Audi ‘click’. It’s also about creating an interface with the vehicle that is more intuitive and free of distractions, where the technology is there to support, not overwhelming. All the elements are calm, they’re not shouting. There are no angular or loud elements.” "It’s my job to make sure what you see now is pretty much what you will see in two years’ time Having said all that, Frascella conceded that the Concept C is not specifically a detailed UX/UI showcase. “It is more to introduce this big leap in terms of design philosophy. That’s the purpose of this car which also previews the first production car that will embrace this philosophy.” Perhaps the most exciting aspect of that last statement is that an all-electric two-seater production car will arrive in 2027. Frascella says it will be very similar to the Concept C’s design, including that dramatic rear end, not a more volume model with only hints of the concept’s design cues. Could it be Frascella’s TT moment we ask? “That will be for you to judge,” he said with a smile, before adding with more seriousness, “it’s my job to make sure what you see now is pretty much what you will see in two years’ time.” Which we’re taking as a promise and a tantalising prospect.
