The Audi Prologue previews the future design direction for the German luxury marque. We had occasion to walk around the new concept with Audi head of exterior design Andreas Mindt, lead exterior designer Philipp Roemers, and interior design director Enzo Rothfuss at the LA auto show.
The Prologue concept is a showcase for the future design direction for the Audi brand. Just as its name implies, it is a prologue, an epithet to showcase Audi’s manifesto, brand values and intent, and with it signal the arrival of a new leader, Marc Lichte, who joined the company in February last year.
That new leader didn’t come alone. Lichte, a former Volkswagen designer who spent his entire career in Wolfsburg, brought with him a few trusted soldiers to complete his mission. Andreas Mindt and Philipp Roemers both moved to Audi at the same time, taking over the role of head of exterior design and project manager respectively.
Mindt and Roemers came to Audi with an open mind, willing to learn all that there was to learn about the brand. Their initial research was conducted on the Internet — watching Walter Roehl drive around Pikes Peak on YouTube — and spending hours analyzing the vehicles in Audi’s museum. Ultimately they came to realize what Audi should express.
“We first defined the brand values of Audi, and then we made design on paper,” says Mindt. “There’s three major words for Audi in this strategy: sportiness, progressive and value. These are the three core values.”
According to Mindt, the word progressive was not strong enough and needed to be emphasized. “The MK1 TT was very progressive. Not so sporty, but very progressive,” he cites. “Now we need to make it sporty as well as progressive.”
The interior, led by Enzo Rothfuss, is easily the biggest step change, introducing an array of technology that’s forward thinking but also beautifully integrated. There are three separate screens, each with dedicated functions that are grouped together for easy access when on the move. The folding screen of the center console is icing on the proverbial cake.
“Technology for us in the interior is always very important because it gives us the opportunity to create a really revolutionary interior, even in terms of proportion,” says Rothfuss.
Watch the video to hear the designers describe their work in their own words…
