Audi Sport GmbH is celebrating its 40th anniversary by looking into the future. As part of the festivities, the company published an interview with Marc Lichte, who is Audi’s head of design.
In it, Lichte said “the muscles, the blisters, the extra wide fender flares, can be found on every current [RS model]” and “will be found on every future RS model” as well. He went on to say these elements are “so deeply anchored in Audi’s DNA” that they can keep reinventing them without ever diluting their essence.
Lichte didn’t go into many specifics, but noted aerodynamics will play a more important role in the future as Audi embraces electrification. He also said future RS models will have more differentiation from their base vehicle as well as a further reduced design “without gimmicks.” The designer added his aspiration is for “every RS model, in a purely aesthetic sense, … fit any situation in life and any setting.”
More: Audi’s Electric RS6 E-Tron Caught Hiding Bulging Fender Flares
The changes will be more than skin deep as Audi is adopting a new philosophy that calls for vehicles to be designed from the inside out. This reflects the idea that the interior is a focal point and the place where owners truly experience a vehicle.
Lichte said “We’re already specifically working on the new RS interior and I can share with you that it radically differs from what people today are familiar with in an RS model with an IC (internal combustion) engine. In other words, how the driver will be sitting, what the seats are going to look like, and how the entire ambience is perceived.”
He added the company started working on the RS interior before the interior of the base vehicle and hinted it will be “highly unique.” While specifics were few and far between, Lichte said future interiors will embrace sustainability and incorporate partly recycled materials. He went on to say we can expect a “warm atmosphere” with “maximum quality.”
Speaking about electrification, Lichte noted that, in the future, they’re “going to mainly build cars using two platforms – the PPE (Premium Platform Electric) platform for electric vehicles and the PPC (Premium Platform Combustion) platform for vehicles with conventional powertrains.” He said this has them asking a lot of questions about how they can bring RS excitement into the electric age. The RS e-tron GT provides some hints and we’ve already gotten a glimpse at the upcoming RS6 e-tron.
