…and Andrew Thomas should be fired! He should win John Grubers, Jackass of the Week Award. Andrew, you just slapped a whole generation of new designers in the face. You slapped 400k facebook users. You’ve alienated yourself from the auto industry. You probably drive a BMW, more than likely a 325.

To call these designers basement dwelling nerds, bottom-feeders and an outfit spewing crap is low. I have no idea if you even have design experience or even social media experience aside from getting traffic via your ridiculous article.

In terms of social interaction, brand awareness, brand loyalty and more, Audi just proved it works. Who wouldn’t want the opportunity to try and maybe get their work or idea noticed. It’s one channel to go through out of many. These are way future designs and thinking. That’s how concepts work. Throw it on the wall, see what sticks, revise etc.

I highly doubt Audi has the intentions to save cash and hire talent or buy designs on the cheap. If it was to be true, would they be this obvious?

The complete article is after the jump and please post your thoughts on this.

Audi, the car manufacturer that unexpectedly gave BMW new street cred by poaching all the crap and inconsiderate drivers who used to give Beemers a bad name, has asked basement-dwelling nerds and other bottom-feeders to come up with new designs for its 2030 model range, thus saving loads of cash.

In a frankly-ghastly video, a selection of Audi design gurus (you can spot them by their black clothing and tragic facial hair) extol the virtues of ‘engaging’ people who have no idea about designing cars to, err, design cars.

And before you reach for the green crayons to tell me that I’m an idiot, please consider the following statement from Audi and then ask yourself who is the idiot here:

“As part of the design process, the Audi design team leveraged social media as an interactive forum through which to solicit consumer insights.”

Do you really want to buy a car from a company that can come out with bullshit like that?

400,000 Facebook users responded to Audi’s design challenge and came up with, well, bugger all, to use a good old Anglo Saxon term.

Let’s just allow Audi’s official statement to speak for itself for a bit here:
“As part of the design process, the Audi design team leveraged social media as an interactive forum through which to solicit consumer insights. Using the Audi Facebook page as a central hub, the team was able to engage Audi fans – and regular Facebook users alike – in a variety of ways, including discussion threads, polls and feedback on photos and videos. This resulted in an active conversation between the Audi designers and the consumers they were targeting.

“With its nearly 400,000 fans, the Audi Facebook audience is composed of passionate brand enthusiasts who have a mutual affinity for automobiles. They yielded feedback for the design team that proved uniquely thoughtful. Additionally, the broader Facebook community was welcome to participate as well, increasing the potential input. Collectively, Facebook participants played a key role in shaping the design and functionality of the Audi models submitted for the competition.

“Case in point: the prevalence of communications tools in the final Audi designs. When engaging with Facebook users for input on the topic of connectivity, the Audi Design Team received overwhelming demand to stay in touch with users’ digital worlds – even behind the wheel. Taking this insight to heart, the design team developed a driving experience that, while solitary, enabled seamless communication through a host of channels including messaging and social networking integration via mobile broadband.”

God help us all. Who, in their right mind, would want to buy a car from an outfit capable of spewing such absolute crap?

The theme of this year’s competition, titled YouthMobile 2030, asked the world’s five-year olds to ‘envision automobiles appealing to young people of the future’. The Audi Design Team has apparently taken the ideas submitted by these pre-pubescents and designed ‘next generation vehicle control logic’, that takes ‘even the smallest body movements and gestures of the driver into consideration to provide an unsurpassed command of the drive’.

Let’s see if you can guess which gesture this writer currently has in mind. Hint: it only involves raising one finger.

And just in case you think a jaded old Jaguar driver is making all this crap up, check out the video here. If you even consider buying an Audi after watching it, we’d really like to know why.

- TG Daily

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Could this be the rumored Audi R4? A cross between the Audi R8 + e-tron + VW Concept BlueSport? Auto Express has put out a few renderings of what could be the Audi R4. It is heavily borrowed from the Concept Blue Sport but thats pretty obvious as the chassis would probably be shared across brands.

With petrol versions being offered, this could become a wicked track car and an e-tron like R4 would knock the Tesla right out.

Pics and more on the possible Audi R4 at Auto Express

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Speechless! Mark Wells has some amazing work especially the Audi R8 renders. Look closely and you will see the different details on these. Mark specializes in motorcycle design but his overall portfolio is outstanding.

Click here for the Audi R8 images and here for his complete portfolio

© Mark Wells

Graduated from the University of Northumbria’s Ba (hons) Transportation Design course with a first class honours degree in 2000. Directly after graduation established Xenophya Design to specialise in design and development for the motorcycle industry. We are proud to have developed a client list of some of the best known brands in the industry for product planning and concept design in the motorcycle and scooter markets.

http://www.xenophya.com/

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Volkswagen Group has unleashed a wicked array of automobiles at this years Frankfurt Motor Show. Their portfolio is so diverse now and so full of vigor it is amazing. Think of the other brands out there and name one that is like or better than than that of the Volkswagen Groups. From the Volkswagen E-Up! to the insane Bugatti Sang Blue Veyron. Electric to gas guzzlers! Small to huge, speaking about Scania here.

We’ve put together a great gallery with all these and more from their debuts on stage so have a look!

Some 2,000 representatives from national and international media enjoyed a unique evening of world premieres at the Volkswagen Group Night on the eve of the Frankfurt International Motor Show.

The motto of the evening was that a successful group has the answer to all mobility issues, and the nine brand chairmen presented their latest models and ground-breaking technologies. The newcomers made their debuts on an impressive ‘Via Vision’ pathway that wound its way through the specially converted Kuppelsaal of the Jahrhunderthalle in Frankfurt

The elegant Škoda Superb Combi with clever detail solutions and a very impressive cargo volume, the new Multivan from Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles, the SEAT Ibiza IBZ concept car, the Bentley Mulsanne with its luxurious fittings, the Bugatti Veyron 16.4 Grand Sport ‘Sang Bleu’ – a special model celebrating the brand’s centenary –, the 525 HP Audi R8 Spyder and the Lamborghini Reventón Roadster. Ulrich Hackenberg, the Volkswagen brand board of management member for development, presented the Volkswagen E-Up! Depending on driving style, the 135 km/h zero emission study can cover a driving distance of up to 130 kilometers. Scania was present at the Group Night for the first time, too. A live link to the gigantic exhibition vehicle parked outside the hall presented the new generation of the R truck series with ‘Scania Driver Support’ to the media. This system supports drivers en route and brings a significant cut in fuel consumption.

Stephan Grühsem, Head of Group Communications, was the moderator for the evening, and once the vehicle presentations were over he was delighted to welcome Michael Macht, CEO of Porsche AG, on stage. Following a brief chat among auto experts, it was the turn of Group Chairman Martin Winterkorn to say a few words. Winterkorn drew the attention of his audience to the fact that the Volkswagen Group knew better than any other automaker how to meet the wishes of drivers both today and tomorrow. ‘Here in Frankfurt, Volkswagen is making a strong and positive statement in favor of the car and in favor of Germany as a nation of car-makers and car lovers,’ Winterkorn said, and continued: ‘The future belongs to sustainable, low-emission mobility.’ He added that the Volkswagen E-Up! was a prime example of this – everyday utility, affordable and safe. Large crowds gathered round all the vehicles at the end of the presentations – a sure sign that each Group brand knows how to inspire!

- Volkswagen AG

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Audi has launched a new ‘Electricity Untamed’ microsite, which refuels rumors of a possible R8 ePerformance Concept.

The site, ElectricityUntamed.com, boasts several viral videos as well as a countdown to the Frankfurt Motor Show. This likely means Audi will introduce some kind of electric vehicle (or hybrid) at the show, and all indications point to the long rumored R8 EV as hinted by the attached image.

Check out all the videos after the jump!

The site, ElectricityUntamed.com, boasts several viral videos as well as a countdown to the Frankfurt Motor Show. This likely means Audi will introduce some kind of electric vehicle (or hybrid) at the show, and all indications point to the long rumored R8 EV as hinted by the attached image.

As we have previously reported, the R8 ePerformance Concept is expected to be an electric vehicle which is powered by a massive lithium-ion battery and a series of electric motors. While Audi has vehemently denied its existence, the original rumors suggested the car would debut at the Frankfurt Motor Show.

If the R8 EV does exist, and is planned for production, it would square off against the Mercedes SLS AMG eDrive. As Mercedes has already confirmed, the SLS AMG eDrive features four electric motors with a combined output of 392 kW (526 hp) and 880 Nm (649 lb-ft) of torque.

- Worldcarfans

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