Audi says its new 'radical' design language will set it apart from rivals

Audi is returning to its design-led brand identity, with last year’s Concept C electric sports car debuting a new design language that will set the brand apart from both its traditional German competitors and a raft of fresh Chinese rivals.

Speaking to CarExpert at the 2026 Australian Formula 1 Grand Prix – where a new Audi team competed in its first F1 race of the modern era – global sales boss and Audi board member Marco Schubert said the Concept C design will inform the look of its next era of production vehicles.

“For us, design is still the major reason why customers are buying our cars,” Mr Schubert told CarExpert. “It’s about our positioning of the brand and it’s something we see in the genes of the Audi brand.”

“That’s the first car we will have with what we call ‘Radical Next’ design – ‘Radical Next’ is the working title, more or less – but it’s really like a big step against what we have done previously.”

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“From the customer perspective, we had one major topic: simplification in terms of exterior design. So, it’s a really clear design, which really is outstanding, which is different against the competition,” the Audi board member said.

The Concept C’s look was created under Italian designer Massimo Frascella, who also worked on the upcoming Jaguar Type 00 electric grand tourer before joining Audi in 2024.

A production version is of the sports car concept is due in 2027, once again giving Audi showrooms a coupe following the axing of the A5 Coupe, TT and R8.

“What we want to create is perhaps something what we call internally like the ‘TT moment’,” said Mr Schubert.

“The [1998 first-generation] Audi TT was really a big change for the brand as well. So, moving in a positive direction, bringing young customers in, being more emotional as a brand, and obviously for us, [brand slogan] ‘Vorsprung durch Technik’ is important to really push this up again.”

‘Vorsprung durch Technik’ is German for ‘progress through technology’, a motto used by the brand for more than four decades.

“I mean, that’s not only on the exterior side, but also on the interior side, because it’s also a major step.”

“I was Mercedes before, and then I went to Audi, and obviously Audi was perceived, really, as a new brand with a new technology, and that was a big trigger for young guys at the time also swapping into the brand.

“This [the Concept C] marks the beginning then of the change of the whole product range. So, we’ll have the whole product range shifting that into the new design, with the rollout across the whole brand, then all the next models to follow.”

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