Regenerative Design:
Audi at Design Shanghai 2021 in cooperation with Stella McCartney
- The fair stand demonstrates the use of sustainable materials in products by Stella McCartney and Audi
- Audi e-tron GT quattro looks to the future of mobility
- Walk-through installation in front of the design-fair grounds
In 2021 Audi is once again represented at Design Shanghai as Headline Partner. At this design fair, the Four Rings brand is showing its focus on forward-looking, sustainable solutions. The fair stand impressively demonstrates the use of recycled materials in the Audi e-tron GT quattro as well as in Stella McCartney’s innovative products. The fair takes place from 3 to 6 June 2021 in the Shanghai World Expo Exhibition & Convention Center.
"The theme of this year's design fair - Regenerative design comes to China – and the world – is an excellent fit for Audi“, explains Henrik Wenders, head of Audi Brand. "Audi is known for its outstanding design and is passionately committed to sustainability. With the Audi e-tron GT quattro we are presenting this combination at its very best. We are delighted to be at Design Shanghai this year in cooperation with Stella McCartney, providing an insight in a walk-in installation of how both the fashion and the automotive business think and live in a sustainable way."
This year the Audi stand at the fair is dedicated to the topic of sustainability and shows parallels between the fashion and the automobile business. With Stella McCartney, Audi has gained a strong partner. The fashion designer is the industry leader in her use of innovative materials with low impact to the environment, just as the Four Rings do. On display is Stella McCartney Falabella Go bag made from Econyl, a material consisting of 100 percent recycled nylon fibers. The fibers come from production waste, remains of fabrics and carpets, or from old fishing nets.
In the Audi e-tron GT quattro, which is also shown at the stand, Audi employs this material too: the carpet and floor mats are made from it. Sustainable materials are also used elsewhere in the interior of the Gran Turismo. In the optional leather-free design package, for example, the covers of the sports seats are a combination of artificial leather with the textile Kaskade or a blend of artificial leather with Dinamica, a micro-fiber material. In both cases these covers consist mainly of materials such as polyester fibers, which are made from recycled PET bottles, textiles or scraps of fibers. The trade-fair stand is presented with stretched fabric made from Econyl thread.
At the entrance to the fair, Audi has created a walk-through installation once again. Here visitors can get information about, among other things, the production of Econyl and see what the fashion label Stella McCartney and Audi have in common in their use of this material as a building block for becoming carbon neutral.
On the opening day of Design Shanghai, Audi will again be represented with a talk session in the Design Forum. Wu Yunzhou, coordinator for Interior Design at Audi China and Zhao Yu (Scott), head of Innovation Research at Audi China, will discuss sustainability as a global trend and the growing awareness of this topic in China. They will show how sustainability is implemented in automobile design by the Four Rings brand: in the shape of the vehicle and in the materials that are used, but also in the design process itself.
These activities at Design Shanghai once again demonstrate the transformation of Audi into a provider of sustainable premium mobility. With the Audi e-tron GT models and different versions of the Audi Q4 e-tron, the number of electric models will be doubled from three to seven in 2021. By 2025 the company plans to have more than 20 fully electric models and to further expand its PHEV portfolio.
