A good interior also has to match the essence of the car, whether it’s a car that’s more angled towards the driving experience, or a car where you’re more connected to your surroundings through connectivity features – a car designed for long distances, for example.
And a good interior has to use the right materials. High-quality materials can make a huge difference in both physical and perceived value, so it’s important that all the touchpoints close to the driver and the passenger are of the highest possible quality.
Exquisite interior design has always been a core pillar of Audi’s Vorsprung durch Technik ethos. Which Audi’s from the past were milestones in this regard?
I think it’s very difficult to say because there have been so many. Right now, I think the latest generation of Audi TT has an amazing interior. It has amazing details. The digital air vents with the indication in the display are great both from a technology and a design point of view.
Looking back through history, the Audi 100 had a very nice dashboard. Its wrap-around design is something we still see in our cars today. Its dashboard was also trimmed in wood material, which was kind of unique for a car like this back in those days.
And I have to say the R8, no matter which generation, has this really strong, almost monoposto (single-seat), architecture where the steering wheel is very much the centre of attention to create this really sporty race-car feeling – it’s fantastic.
The Audi Q6 e-tron and A6 e-tron share the same overarching interior design ethos. What was the vision before pen had even touched paper?
The initial vision when we started with the interior design for the Q6 e-tron was to have a strong design theme which is very, very clean. One which combines all the digital elements seamlessly and in a way that doesn’t distract the driver at all. We also had a strong vision to create a sort of 360-degree wrap-around architecture which combines the dashboard with the door.
Both the Q6 e-tron and A6 e-tron have a completely new interior philosophy which channels Audi’s Vorsprung durch Technik spirit. What are the highlights?
