Auto Design

Ever wondered what is all about a major exhibition area at an international motor show?

If you have, here is all you may want to know about AUDI’s 6,000 square metres display designed to present 34 Audi of all sorts and to celebrate the 100^th anniversary of the company.

The Audi stand at the IAA will be “Bright White and with a Big Heart” says the company which is announcing five world premieres, including what it describes as insights into electric mobility of tomorrow.

Audi S5 Sportback debuts in Frankfurt

To build it they will use 230 metric tons of steel, 560 square meters of glass, 67 kilometers of electric cable. Some 300 fitters will work 25 days to assemble the “installation” (a work of art) downloaded from 90 trucks

The result of their work will be a gleaming white stand – 6,000 square meters in size (4,000 at ground level and 2,000 one storey up) – with a dazzling design to showcase 34 perfectly situated Audi vehicles. The Audi stand spans 86 meters in length and 46 meters in width. At the center of the stand there is a huge heart show-casing key Audi innovations such as TDI technology, lightweight design/construction, and Audi history. A chrome-polished R8 will get visitors’ hearts pumping even faster.

Through the press and public day it will be the work place for 55 Audi employees as well as 85 event hostesses/hosts trained and prepared to provide details to all interested visitors.

This puts each and every one of the 34 exhibition vehicles in the best possible light. Audi’s trade-show specialists begin planning the configuration of spotlights months in advance and down to the millimeter so that no unwelcome reflections arise and that every perfectly positioned Audi’s colors and contours are perfectly accentuated.

The same applies to the stand’s steel structures, which weigh many tons and are precisely positioned by surveyors who use laser measurements. Everything must be 100 percent perfect. This is due to reasons of not only time but also safety: some 750,000 people are expected to visit the 2009 IAA! Stands must therefore be indisputably sound in design and execution.

Audi says it had managed to execute a trade-show strategy which costs far less than that of its strategic competitors. A considerable amount of the materials Audi uses at a trade show, for example, will not simply be discarded, but rather re-used at future automotive exhibitions. It could be said that Audi relies on a modular trade-show framework – an assembly concept of sorts.

Audi’s IAA Stand: Specs and Facts

6,000 square meters of overall floor space

4,000 m² on ground floor; 900 m² of elevated surfaces/ceilings

2,000 m² upper floor

34 exhibition vehicles (5 of them world premieres)

2 vehicle lounges (quattro Lounge: 162 m², A5 Sportback Lounge: 85 m²)

3 catered lounges (309 m² altogether) with 150 seats

12 months of planning; 55,000 hours of planning

90 truck loads

300 people on set-up team

24/7 set-up

25 days of setting-up

560 m² glass façade

230 metric tons of steel

67 km of cables

39 metric tons suspended from the Hall’s ceiling

8.45 meters: height of the lighting truss’s lower edge

3 km of truss crossbeams

1,400 spotlights

2,000 KW power output

Highlight LED: 14 meters wide and up to 4.70 m high

Highlight LED with 2,101,248 Surface-Mount Devices (pixels)

Heart of Audi: 40 meters long and up to 10 m wide

Heart of Audi with approx. 1,500 LED panels (á 16×16 LED points)

19 different exhibits, incl. 2 cutaway engines

Various floor coverings: laminate, genuine wood veneer, aluminum, anodized-aluminum panels, concrete scrap, glass, carpet

95 meters of leather-covered seating in Heart of Audi; 7 staircases

25 offices and conference rooms

16 climate-control units

85 event hostesses/hosts

55 Audi employees.

Absolutely on time, as expected within the world of aristocracy, here comes the Rolls-Royce “princess”. It was fist announced, early this year by the “200EX” traditional  number-and-suffix lettering at the Geneva Motor Show. Now it is ready to make its official appearance with the name of “Ghost”. The name has a long tradition and deep meaning at Rolls-Royce; however, the 2009 Ghost is really something you want to see. When you have this chance, her most striking character impress you from the very beginning: how simple, beautiful and elegant it is, despite its unusual length. Indeed, Ian Cameron, Chief Designer of Rolls-Royce, stresses that “Simplicity is the hardest design principle to follow.” in presenting the latest delivery of his team of very talented designers.

Ghost’s flowing lines are dominated by its majestic ‘Yacht Line’ styling. Large, uninterrupted surfaces flow between finely sculpted horizontal lines that provide definition. Together, the upward-sweeping sill line and low-cut roof create a powerful profile, almost as though the cabin has been pushed toward the rear. Powerful shoulders and flanks draw in sharply as they flow from the rear wings to the tail lights, while touches such as the optional chromed exhausts hint at Ghost’s more dynamic nature.

While incorporating classic Rolls-Royce design cues – the elevated prow, long bonnet, short front overhang, sharply raked A-pillar and elegant tail – Ghost exudes an informal aura. Contemporary touches include self-righting wheel centres and the Xenon headlamps that frame the latest evolution of the Rolls-Royce grille. Here the sides of the intake have been curved inwards and the vanes set back into the opening. “We wanted this to be less reminiscent of the traditional Parthenon style and more like a jet intake,” says Ian Cameron.

A contrasting Silver Satin finish (introduced on 200EX) is an option for the bonnet, grille and windscreen surround. The finish is achieved by setting silver metallic paint under a layer of lacquer, giving a flawless matte finish. The bonnet and windscreen surround are then honed from aluminum.

The central principle of delivering simplicity out of complexity runs throughout Ghost. Everything is designed, engineered and crafted to enhance the drive and ride experience, not to complicate it.

Ghost rides on a bed of air. Double-wishbone front suspension and multi-link rear suspension work with an intelligent, four-cornered, air-suspension system and electronic variable damping to deliver the refinement that has been associated with Rolls-Royce for more than 100 years.

The new air suspension system in Ghost is so sensitive that it can detect even the smallest of changes. For example, it will sense the movement of a single rear passenger from one side of the seat to the other and compensate accordingly. A complex computer system reads multiple inputs from sensors around the car; the dampers alone make individual load calculations every 2.5 milliseconds. This ensures not only perfect comfort but also precise steering and dynamics for the driver. The air suspension system also incorporates a lift and kneel function, raising or lowering Ghost by 25mm.

Inside Ghost.

The interior design team has come up with a contemporary ambience while staying true to Rolls-Royce Motor Cars’ traditions of fine materials and peerless comfort. There are elegant, frosted lamps and chrome door handles, traditional violin key switches and eyeball air vents, frosted white dials and refined instrumentation. Deep-pile carpets can be complemented by optional lambs wool floor mats for a truly luxurious feel.

Charles Coldham, Interior Designer stresses that “Ghost is as refined and cosseting as anything this company has ever produced.”

While Ghost is 400mm shorter overall than the Phantom saloon its interior space is comparable.

Driver and passengers, enter into Ghost through substantial doors. Housed within the front doors are integrated Teflon-coated umbrellas. The rear doors are traditional, rear-hinged coach doors, opening to a generous 83 degrees. Once the passenger is inside, these doors can be closed at the touch of a button. The interior space is filled with natural light, enhanced by the optional Panorama.

Within Ghost’s ample doors and high shoulder line, occupants feel serene, cosseted and safe.

In the rear, the intimate ambience of the lounge seat is emphasized by its position behind the C-pillar, heightening the sense of privacy. The informal seating creates a convivial environment, its slight curve allowing you to turn more easily towards the person next to you. Its elevated position gives a clear view past the electronically retracting Spirit of Ecstasy to the road ahead.

Individual lounge seating is offered as an alternative to the standard lounge configuration. This allows the addition of a massage function and also perforated leather for a cooling stream of air from the seat surface. A cool box with interior illumination and integrated champagne glasses is also available.

Veneered picnic tables are another option, incorporating the finest leather and veneers matched to the rest of Ghost’s interior. Fitted to the rear of each front seat, these tables are a traditional Rolls-Royce design cue and finished with a veneered surface with leather-covered backs.

A modern Rolls-Royce.

Ghost is the most powerful car that Rolls-Royce Motor Cars has ever produced. However, Rolls-Royce power is delivered in a very different manner to other cars. It arrives in an elegant, cosseting way that some have described as being designed to lower the pulse, not raise it.

The principle of simplicity extends to the act of driving Ghost. The host of complex engineering software and technologies beneath the surface serve to make driving easier and more enjoyable, not to intrude or confuse.

Ghost is powered by a brand new, 6.6 litre twin-turbo V12 engine, unique to the model. Featuring direct injection, it produces 563bhp – enough to propel Ghost from 0-60 mph in just 4.7 seconds* and on to an electronically governed top speed of 155mph. With 780 Nm of torque available at just 1,500rpm, delivery of power is immediate and extremely smooth.

“A Rolls-Royce should be graceful in every way: the way it handles, feels and brakes.”
says Helmut Riedl, Engineering Director.

An Embarassing Comparison?

When I received the first set of official pictures of the Audi A5 Sportback, the first thought that came to my mind was how far (or, indeed, how close) the new “5 door coupé” from Audi  is from the new Porsche Panamera. The two cars are very different in many ways, starting from their selling prices to their fuel consumption and performance via their overall dimensions. You cannot compare them when the time comes to buy one.

Yet, they have a lot in common. They are both luxury cars, they both fit in the new trend of  “dynamic, coupé-like, four seater, authoban-cruisers” with that fastback design and rear hatch. Read the rest of this entry »

My latest post do not look all right. The software program has been “updated” (whatever this might mean) and I have a lot of difficulties at using it. Need another training (read waste of time) to update me.

Sorry for all inconveniences.

A month ago I posted the news about the first dream car being developed at Stile Bertone by Jason Castriota, as reported by the new www.insideprojectm.com. Ever since I have been watching the posted development quite regularly, hoping to get some good piece of information worth reporting.

I have seen a bit of Bertone heritage, a bit of the Stile Bertone facilities, I enjoyed James -Jim – Glickenhaus interesting contributions but not much more. I am wrong, I saw something more: the full scale model being shipped to the wind tunnel for aerodynamics tests.

The image posted shows the car from the back and what I see reminds me of a recent “one off” designed by Ercole and Paolo Spada, the Chevrolet Corvette based “Coda Tronca”. The treatment of the surface is radically different. The Spada’s surface is squared and sharp, looking very high-tech. In the Stile Bertone’s latest Dream car the treatment is very soft and round but the here too to roof end up in water-drop style, extending almost to the rear bumper and looking very aerodynamics.

Now from a very reliable and official sources I have learned that the car will be unveiled at the Concorso d’Eleganza di Villa D’Este on the latest week-end of April and that it comes with a powerful V8 engine at the front. This rules out of the list of possible optional for the donating platform the Lamborghini, leaving only Aston Martin and the Chevrolet Corvette, if we have to consider only the brands listed by the Stile Bertone officially sponsored www.insideprojectm.com  website.

However, if the selected chassis is from one of the listed brands I wonder if any of these other brands (all offering top performance V8) have been considered:

• Audi
• BMW
• Bentley
• Jaguar
• Infiniti
• Lexus
• Mercedes-Benz
• Porsche.

Perhaps the next Dream Car by Stile Bertone will be built on one of their chassis. Which one should it be?

As expected, BMW  will soon be ready to launch another X-series model. This time, after the king-of-the-hill BMW X6 coupé, the all-new addition to the range taks position in the “compact premium” class. A sort of entry-model, if you can call it so.

As usual BMW is not disappointing and it seem that the new X1 will be the sort of SAV you would expect from the company: consequent with the range and the brand quality. Read the rest of this entry »

SPD STUDENTS’ LOOK INTO ALFA ROMEO FLAGSHIP.

What will be the look of the next Alfa Romeo flagship? The car that will lead the return of the Italian brand to the U.S. market sometime around 2011.

The students graduating this year from the “Scuola Politecnica di Design” (SPD) of Milan, worked on the question with the support of the Alfa Romeo designers and following the direction of Mario Favilla. Recently they have presented their work to a selected audience, among which was Lorenzo Ramaciotti, vice-president design for the entire Fiat Group Automobiles (FGA) and Maserati.

Read the rest of this entry »

WHAT A VINTAGE FOR DESIGN!

Post your wishes and your opinions, here.

Leonardo Fioravanti (link) -  Marcello Gandini (link) – Giorgetto Giugiaro (link)

Is it just a chance that the three most talented and creative Italian car designers were all born within a period of seven months?

Even more striking is the fact that two of them were born only 19 days apart. Giorgetto Giugiaro and Marcello Gandini were both born in August 1938, in Garessio and Torino, only 80 km apart.

One was named Designer of the Century and induced into the Automotive Hall of Fame, the other is credited with the design of the Lancia Stratos and Lamborghini Countach, just to name a couple of the most dramatic sports car ever built.

The third top designer of the same vintage, and born just some 130 km from Torino, is Leonardo Fioravanti, the man who has penned some of the most successful Ferrari among which we shall here name the Ferrari 365 GTB 4 “Daytona” and the Ferrari 365 GT4 Berlinetta Boxer (BB).

Car design seems to preserve these men and their creativity very well.

No one among them is thinking of retirement and they are all very busy and motivated at creating new car design. They are all having fun with it.

What has shaped their passion for sports car, their creativity, their approach to car design and to life? These are question that might have many different answer? Have you got one?

Would you tell me what you think and see how they are perceived, loved, criticized or appreciated around the world?

To start with, please vote your favourite designer.

[poll=2]

If you like, you can also post the name of the car(s) you love most among those they have designed.

• Leonardo Fioravanti (link)
• Marcello Gandini (link)
• Giorgetto Giugiaro (link)

Giorgetto Giugiaro is simply the most talented, productive and successful car designer of all times. The only one nominated “Designer of the Century” by an international Jury, he is celebrated by the Hall of Fame and has been awarded several Honoris Causa doctorate as an architect. With more than 50 years of very intense work as a car designer he is the president of a company that employs more than 1000 specialists and create cars from a white piece of paper (including the Chinese Brilliance Zhongua) and still enjoy himself at designing cars, as well as any sort of products. In his spares time he love to paint, ride his cross-country bike and crossing the Africa deserts.

About being 70, in a fast interview between two meetings he has answered our direct questions, with a smile. Here is his opening statement.

Mr. Giugiaro, you seem to be positively committed to follow the example of (the world-wide famous painter) Pablo Picasso, who at the age of 90 was still enjoying painting. You are still more than 20 years away from that age and – if we are right – you continue to personally design some of the cars created by Italdesign-Giugiaro. Is it really so? Read the rest of this entry »

 ”Gandini is fantastic. Unbeatable when it comes to creating way-out sportcar with overpowering aggression: some of his coupes seem to bite the ground even when they are standing still. With the Renault Superfive he gave a demonstration of detail work, the refinement of an existing concept. An impeccable job worthy of a miniaturist: the little Renault rings with class”.
This words were written in 1989 and are not from a critic or a friend but from his thoughest rival and competitor: Giorgetto Giugiaro, the most acclaimed car designer in the world for the past two decades. At that time Giugiaro had already seen the Gandini’s Cizeta V16T but not the Lamborghini Diablo yet. Read the rest of this entry »