Audi Concept Design in Munich – Inspiration for the year 2015

Source: Audi AG

“Conceptual design requires freedom.” Wolfgang Egger, Head of Design for the Audi Group, defines thus the mission of the external studio of creative minds in Munich. In the city’s trendy Schwabing neighborhood, 30 young people are already forging tomorrow’s ideas; they repeatedly provide the Audi brand with important fresh impetus.

Audi design has quite a tradition in Munich. 25 years ago, this studio was set up in an erstwhile Schwabing car-repair shop near the chic Leopoldstrasse. In the nineties, this site developed the spectacular Avus quattro concept car and the series-worthy Al2 – the precursor to the A2 – as well as the Steppenwolf, an SUV concept, in 2001.

After extensive renovations in 2003, the studio is now an ultramodern, bright place featuring warm materials and covering some 800 square meters (8,611.13 sq ft). A loft section with glass-block walls provides space for the proverbial drawing boards, workstations and conference rooms. Adjacent to the loft section is an area for communicating referred to as la cucina (“the kitchen”). Beyond that is the model room, which facilitates the creation and presentation of new designs.

The studio is situated in a way which encourages an open exchange of ideas. Audi designers regularly get fresh inspiration by talking with creative souls from other branches, with students and with trend spotters. The studio’s proximity to cafés, boutiques and classic architecture in Munich’s stylish Schwabing neighborhood is highly beneficial for this type of communication.

At Audi’s Concept Design Studio in Munich, 12 designers and 15 modelers from various countries work under the supervision of Carsten Monnerjan. They develop concepts and detailed solutions not only for Audi, but also for other Group brands – designs for the years to come and ideas which gaze far into the future. “Our colleagues in Munich should deliberately think outside the box,” argues Wolfgang Egger. “Studio staff should think ahead of our time. A lot of their ideas are so worthy that they are actually realized.”

High-tech skis envisioned by the Product Design area and made of a carbon composite are just one example. All sorts of items involving the Audi brand come into being here, from clocks to espresso machines. Egger mentions that they want to pay even more attention to pure design objects in the future. He then adds with a smile: “It would be wonderful if our work would one day be exhibited in New York’s Museum of Modern Art!”