Window into the future:
Audi is the headline partner of Design Shanghai
- Walk-through landmark installation at the entrance to the fair
- Audi Q4 e-tron concept at the center of an LED show
- Head designer Marc Lichte: “New opportunities through digitalization and electrification”
Audi is the headline partner of the Design Shanghai trade fair for the first time. At one of the leading design platforms, the automobile maker presents itself with themes for the future. The trade fair takes place from 26 to 29 November 2020 in the Shanghai World Expo Exhibition & Convention Center.
“For automotive designers, the present day is an incredibly exciting period,” says Marc Lichte, head of Audi Design. “Digitalization and electrification are transforming mobility and opening up completely new design opportunities.” Henrik Wenders, senior vice president for Audi Brand adds, “Design marks the identity of the Audi brand through characteristics typical of the brand. It is an expression of our philosophy and our progressive thinking. In view of this, I am delighted that we have a strategic partnership with Design Shanghai, a stage that allows us to express this philosophy.”
Audi is represented at Design Shanghai with various highlights. In front of the entrance to the fair, a walk-through landmark installation in the shape of a cube will be erected. This “window into the future” provides a glimpse of the future of Audi Design with all of its progress and innovations. Werner Eichhorn, president of Audi China, underlines the importance of this appearance at the trade fair: “Our cooperation with the design fair is an excellent fit for Audi. With the Audi Design Center in Beijing we are showing how important design is for the Chinese market and thus for our customers. We can present this to customers at Design Shanghai.”
On the trade-fair stand the Audi Q4 e-tron concept takes center stage in an LED installation. By means of a change of perspective, seemingly unconnected views combine to a single whole, relating to Audi’s perspective on the future. In this way, the compact SUV, which was presented as a show car at the Geneva International Motor Show in 2019, provides a concrete view of what the new entry into electromobility will look like at Audi. In addition, experts will hold discussions here and design presentations will be made.
In the Design Forum, Audi experts will discuss the significance of design in the Chinese market on the opening day of the trade show. While Christian Balzer, head of Brand Strategy & Innovation Research at Audi China, explains the special aspects of Chinese customer needs and the task of co-creation, Stephan Fahr-Becker, head of Design at Audi China, will talk about the Audi design process and the influence of electrification on vehicle design.
Audi Design China, based in Beijing, has operated since 2011. Its designers are important trend scouts for the brand in Audi’s highest-volume sales market. They develop special concepts for the Chinese market and adapt Audi models to the current and future wishes and needs of Chinese customers. Here the focus is on special colors and interior features, among other things, and also on interface design.
