Vehicle exchange between Ducati Chief Test Driver Alessandro Valia and Jaan Mattes Reiling, Technical Project Manager of the Audi e-tron GT model family. Lively discussion among experts regarding the fascination and safety of motorcycles and electric cars. In addition to state-of-the-art technology, top models convey quality and a substantial dose of emotion.
Both models are real eye-catchers. The prototype for the e-tron GT family and the Ducati Panigale V4 R equally embody sporty-elegant design as well as pure performance. With their unique characteristics, Audi’s electric Gran Turismo and the uncompromising motorcycle primarily designed for the racetrack from the Italian Borgo Panigale, are the pinnacle of technology and passion.
Certainly, these two flagship models leave no enthusiast of mobility indifferent. This also applies to the two men who played a crucial role in the development of the prototypes for the new e-tron GT family and the Ducati Panigale V4 R – Jaan Mattes Reiling, Technical Project Manager at Audi in Neckarsulm, and Alessandro Valia, Chief Test Rider and Developer at Ducati. It's no surprise that, after taking each other’s models for an exclusive spin at the Audi Sport GmbH in Neuburg, both agree on the performance as well as the manageability of the vehicles. Audi specifically provided Test Chief Valia with the prototype of the optimized e-tron GT quattro for the occasion. Alessandro Valia: Both models undoubtedly have a substantial amount of power and both meet the prerequisites to safely deliver this power to the road.
The concept car itself is on display at the Audi booth, along with its entire range of possible equipment, such as e-bikes, golf bags, e-foils, and other water and winter sports gear. What makes this car special is that the crossover coupé transforms into a pickup truck at the touch of a button in seconds, with a cargo area perfect for carrying recreational equipment. There is even an integrated ski rack in the center of the roof. Design presentations and panel talks with leading Audi designers The concept car was conceived and designed at the Audi Design Studio in Malibu. Charles Lefranc, Design Manager, and Ryan Schlotthauer, Interior Designer, will travel from Malibu to explain the car’s design live at the booth twice daily. A panel talk with the designers on ‘The Future of Mobility – Designed for Well-being’ will also take place on the opening day of the Design Forum event. Aidan Walker, the curator of Design Shanghai, will offer a short introduction and then hand over to Esther Francis (Vice President, FAW Audi Sales Co., Ltd.).
Claudio Domenicali, CEO Ducati: “For the first time in our history, we passed the 60,000-bikes mark and we overtook 1 billion euros in revenue. This establishes 2022 as the best year ever for Ducati in several aspects, starting from the great sales and financial performance to the successes in MotoGP and WorldSBK. We are on a positive trend that in the last years has seen Ducati grow and establish itself as an increasingly solid company. As a brand that is an expression of Made in Italy, innovation, design and technology, we keep our focus on delivering exciting experiences on and off motorcycles to passionate Ducatisti all over the world.” Henning Jens, CFO Ducati: “I am glad that for the second year in a row we are able to announce a record financial performance and a growth in the profitability level for Ducati. Reaching such results despite the supply chain disruption that has heavily affected the automotive sector during the course of 2022 is a remarkable achievement of the whole Ducati Group. We were also able to pursue the self-financed investments plan in R&D, infrastructures and digitalization that was in our agenda for 2022.” The Sales network continued to grow over the past year, getting closer to Ducatisti around the world. At the end of 2022, there are 821 Ducati dealerships, the highest number ever, which, with the addition of the new markets Brunei, Ecuador, El Salvador and Mongolia, represent Ducati in as many as 96 markets. For 2023, Ducati has presented to the public eight new models to complete its wide range, able to offer all Ducatisti the most suitable bike to express their passion for two wheels. Among the most awaited models there are certainly the Multistrada V4 Rally, the bike for great travelers and the new Diavel V4, the model that won the "Most Beautiful Bike of the Show" award at EICMA.
Since the end of 2020, the first all-electric Audi model made in Germany is also manufactured here: the Audi e-tron GT quattro. With around 15,500 employees at the Neckarsulm site, AUDI AG is currently one of the biggest companies in the economic region of Heilbronn-Franken. Everything started 150 years ago with ten employees – what a history, what dynamism, what a development! Exciting chapter in NSU advertising: Creative, innovative, groundbreaking “Fixe Fahrer fahren Fox”, “Kluge Köpfe kaufen Konsul”, “Nicht mehr laufen – Quickly kaufen!” – a lot of NSU advertising slogans are legendary. In his book “Fahre Prinz und du bist König. Geschichten aus der NSU-Geschichte” (Drive Prinz and You’re a King: Stories from NSU’s History), NSU’s former head of advertising Arthur Westrup explains that NSU didn’t have a lot of money on hand in the 1950s, which made him and his team all the more creative. In addition to their catchy phrases, the marketing experts came up with special campaigns. For instance, a special ad for the NSU Quickly appeared on the back of the BILD newspaper every Monday, sometimes addressing current issues. One ad after an international match between Germany and England read: “You see the beaten players heading home from Berlin, and all the strikers wanly groan, ‘Blessed is he who has a Quickly!’” Another big advertising hit came in the year 1971. “Ro 80. Vorsprung durch Technik.” was written in big letters on the advertising poster for the NSU Ro 80. The famous Audi slogan was thus created in NSU’s Advertising department. It would stick in people’s minds worldwide: “Vorsprung durch Technik.”
The Sportback rear of the activesphere can turn into an open cargo bed (“active back”) at the touch of a button – perfect for carrying recreational equipment such as e-bikes or water and winter sports gear.
By combining opposites in perfect synthesis, the Audi activesphere proves to be a versatile crosser of boundaries, with a drive system and suspension which make it equally adept on both on and off the road. The steering wheel and pedals allow the driver to actively control the car, while also offering autonomous driving for a more relaxed time on the road. As a coupé that is as elegant as it is dynamic, it features classic proportions and lines, but in just a few seconds, the car transforms into a pickup for transporting top-class sports gear – there is even enough space for two e-bikes in the cargo bed. The concept car was conceived and designed at the Audi Design Studio in Malibu, just a stone’s throw away from the Pacific Coast Highway, the legendary coastal road. Studio manager Gael Buzyn and his team are the creative minds behind the project. He describes the idea behind the project: “The activesphere is unique. It is a new type of crossover that cleverly combines the elegance of an Audi Sportback, the practicality of a SUV and true offroad capabilities.” With an electric drive and quick-charging technology from Audi’s PPE modular system, the Audi activesphere joins the sphere family of concept vehicles. With no local emissions, a range of over 600 km, and extremely fast charging times thanks to 800-volt technology, it combines the sustainability, dynamics and long-distance capability of state-of-the-art electric vehicles. Oliver Hoffmann, Member of the Board of Management for Technical Development: “The sphere concept vehicles show our vision for the premium mobility of the future. We are experiencing a paradigm shift, especially in the interior of our future Audi models.
Additionally, two 55-inch screens draw customers’ attention among other things to the broad service landscape at the hub, which includes food and fitness offerings as well as shopping and e-bike sharing facilities in the direct vicinity. More compact than the site in Nuremberg, the Audi charging hub in Zurich is also based on the same modular design that enables the construction of a variously sized charging hub with or without a lounge. “The system’s modular design lets us react flexibly to on-site conditions,” explains Audi project leader Hollmig. Ongoing rollout for 2023 and mid-2024 with a focus on Germany After Zurich, Audi is planning additional Audi charging hub sites for the second half of 2022. Two compact versions, similar to the Zurich site, will open in Berlin and Salzburg later this year. Three additional sites in German metropolises will help meet the increased charging demands in urban spaces starting in 2023. Moreover, Audi is planning to open even more sites in German cities by mid-2024. To this end, the Four Rings are currently on the lookout for attractive locations and on-site partners. Locations close to downtown in particular, ideally with paved surfaces and services in the direct vicinity, are being sought for the ongoing rollout of the concept.
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Audi exhibits concept for an executive class Avant with electric drive system Unmistakable design for the electric age Fast charging with 270 kW – 300 km (186 miles) range in just 10 minutes
Audi A6 e-tron concept, the second: as part of its 2022 Annual Media Conference, Audi is presenting the next model in its future electrically powered A6 Luxury Class: the Avant. The company with the four rings introduced the Audi A6 Sportback with an electric drive system almost a year ago at the Shanghai Auto Show in April 2021. The production-oriented A6 Avant e-tron concept car now illustrates the synthesis of pioneering drive technology and Audi’s traditional design world: the Avant.
Like the Audi A6 e-tron concept that was exhibited in 2021, the A6 Avant also has an exclusively electric drive system based on the forward-looking PPE platform, developed under Audi’s leadership. At the same time, it represents a new design concept with the same dimensions as the A6 Sportback e-tron. At 4.96 meters (16.3 ft.) long, 1.96 meters (6.4 ft.) wide, and 1.44 meters (4.7 ft.) high, its body puts it in the luxury class. Its lines are a consistent development in Audi’s contemporary formal language. Significant elements like the closed Singleframe and the continuous strip of lights in the rear emphasize its kinship with the other electrically powered Audis in the e-tron fleet. The Audi A6 Avant e-tron concept exterior model that is making its debut in March 2022 is no more a simple design exercise than the Sportback. On the contrary, its lines and elegant proportions anticipate future Audi production models and offer clues about how dynamic and elegant the electrically powered luxury class from the brand with the four rings will look. “With the Audi A6 Avant e-tron concept, we are offering a completely tangible look at future production models on our new PPE technology platform,” says Audi Board Member for Technical Development Oliver Hoffmann.
One example is the Audi Triathlon Ingolstadt, which will take place on 29 May 2022 and where numerous Audi employees too will again try to break their swimming, biking, and running records. The event will draw to the starting line some 3,000 athletes – including beginners, ambitious hobby triathletes, and professionals – from all over Germany and beyond. “Sports are to me the best way of competing with oneself and others,” says Markus Duesmann, Chairman of the Board of Management of AUDI AG. According to Duesmann, the Triathlon Ingolstadt has gained in importance and brings an increasing number of people to the region. “We are excited to strengthen the event by expanding our sponsorship role as the name partner.” Audi reaffirms its commitment in the region Audi has a longstanding pledge to support sports in the Ingolstadt region. AUDI AG has been the main sponsor of the Triathlon Ingolstadt since its inception and will now act as the title sponsor starting in 2022. Member of the Audi Board of Management Sabine Maaßen states: “At Audi, corporate responsibility means standing up for social and environmental causes in equal measure. That’s why we assume responsibility not only for the people who work in our locations or buy our products, but also promote social activities – especially at our locations. We are committed to diversity and networking, in education and culture through to elite and mass sports in the region.” FC Ingolstadt 04 and ERC Ingolstadt, both also longstanding partners of Audi, will also send their own teams to compete in the Audi Triathlon, affording participants and spectators alike a special highlight along the course. Organizers pursue sustainable strategy Together, event organizers and partners are also pursuing the goal of making the event as CO2 neutral as possible.