Audi A1 promo refresher – part 1

Late last year Audi started to build the hype for it’s upcoming A1 model. They even recruited Justin Timberlake to be the car’s brand ambassador. He repaid that faith by allowing the paparazzi to snap some undisguised pics of the A1.

This is a car that Audi says will be the first premium model in the compact car segment. You might think BMW’s 1 Series could lay claim to that title, but it is more of an Audi A3 rival, in what would now be called the small-medium car segment.

Since launching their A1 microsite Audi have been drip feeding promo pics and videos in the lead up to the car’s official premiere at the Geneva Motor Show in early March. If you’ve missed them, here’s the first of a two part update that will bring you back up to speed.

In this update you will see a few Audi big wigs setting the scene for the A1. They explain what it will look like and why it is being made. You’ll also find out about the LED headlight technology filtering down from the R8, before seeing more info on the car’s exterior design.

Stay tuned for more on Audi’s “next big thing”.

Audi A1: Premium car for new target groups

• Audi moves into subcompact segment for first time with A1
• Schwarzenbauer: “The A1 fulfills the requirements of urban mobility”
• Sales target: 80,000 units in its first full year

Ingolstadt, January 13, 2010 – The new Audi A1 is the first premium car in the subcompact segment. The agile, sporty Audi is perfect for use in big cities owing to its compact dimensions and its excellent fuel economy. Its wide range of customization options helps its young, urban target group in particular to express their own personal style.

“The subcompact segment is forecast to grow in Europe by the year 2015 – in Germany alone growth of 30 percent is anticipated. We’re currently expecting to sell 80,000 units of the A1 in its first full year,” says Peter Schwarzenbauer, Member of the Board of Management for Marketing and Sales at AUDI AG. “People who for practical reasons choose a small car want not only the basic functions, but an exciting design and the latest technology as well. With the A1, we’re giving these customers what they want by launching the first premium car in the subcompact segment.”

The new A1 also benefits from innovations taken from larger Audi models, such as the A3 and A8. As well as its state-of-the-art engines, examples of what the A1 has to offer include a start-stop system, brake energy recuperation and an on-board computer with efficiency program. These technologies are complemented by an array of infotainment items which are otherwise only found in luxury-class models. There is also the option of customizing various details of the car.

“The A1, as is only to be expected, is a true Audi through and through with the usual high standards of quality and emotion,” emphasizes Schwarzenbauer. “It’s the perfect entry-level model for young customers in particular. And of course we’re confident that we’ll be able to delight these customers with the new A1 so that they will stay with the Audi brand and will later want to drive our larger models.”

Audi A1: We light up the dark

• Sporty: The Audi A1 is ready to go
• Headlights with LED daytime running lights give the car character
• The wings of an eagle inspired the design of the lights

Ingolstadt, January 15, 2010 – Can a car look concentrated and decisive? Yes, it can. The headlights play an important role in this; they are the eyes of a car, so to speak. People convey emotions such as happiness, joy and sadness with their eyes. On a car, the lights influence the character of the front end – and this also applies to the Audi A1, which in future will be the smallest member of the Audi family.

The innovative LED lighting technology provides the designer with completely new levels of freedom. And on the A1, the headlights display decisiveness and concentration, similar to an athlete poised in the starting blocks – with a sparkle in the eyes.
“On the A1, the front gets its character from a completely new form of LED daytime running lights. We have given our newcomer the sportiness of the R8 and the elegance of the A8,” says André Georgi, light designer at Audi. “The new LED technology with fiber optics enables us to draw extremely precise, continuous lines. In this way complex graphics are created in the interplay between the daytime running lights, the turn signals and the dipped headlights.”

The form of the daytime running light, also known as the “wing”, was inspired by the lightness of an eagle’s wing on the A1. The dipped headlight is incorporated into this graphic element. The turn signal is located a little way below the “wing” in order to ensure that it is easily visible.

Audi plays a leading role in the automotive industry with regard to the development of LED light systems. All models can be ordered with LED daytime running lights; the Audi R8 and the new A8 can in fact be ordered with full LED headlights. The daytime running lights have become a striking hallmark of the Audi family. The technology is very efficient, has impressively high light intensity with a pleasant “color temperature” and an almost unlimited lifespan.

Audi A1: An all-around successful design

• New design: The shoulder line appears to clasp the A1
• The color-contrasted roof arch is an important distinguishing feature

Ingolstadt, January 18, 2010 – The new Audi A1 is dedicated to emotional design, as two details on the body make abundantly clear. First, the shoulder line, also known as the tornado line, has been very subtly redesigned so that for the first time it encompasses the entire car. Second, the new color-contrasted roof arch gives the silhouette of the A1 an entirely new shape and is simultaneously a distinctive detail for customizing the car.

This is new: For the first time ever, the shoulder line wraps completely around an Audi model like a clasp. It begins up front with the single-frame grille, extends over the front lights and the side to the tail lights and the rear hatch. “The shoulder line is the most important design element of the A1. The clear separation between the front, side, and rear has been eliminated to produce a holistic sculpture,” says Jürgen Löffler, exterior designer of the Audi A1.

“This detail is best explained with reference to a track and field athlete. The more muscular and broader the shoulders of a 100-meter sprinter, the more solid his or her starting position. The broad shoulders of the A1 likewise give it a powerful road stance.”

Another important design characteristic for the silhouette of the A1 is the color-contrasted roof arch, which begins in the A-pillar, runs above the side windows and ends at the rear of the car. “The contrasting roof arch traces the roofline of the A1 when viewed from the side. This is something new that we are doing here for the A1,” says Löffler.

“The windshield is a bit more upright; the rear window, on the other hand, is more inclined and flowing, giving the car a very sporty and dynamic appearance.” The contrasting roof line is an important feature for customizing the A1. Customers will be able to order the roof arch in a variety of colors, regardless of the body color of the car.