Audi flaunts innovation in Guangzhou

Guangzhou, CHINA – The Hai Xin Sha Tourist Park Island is a master-planned showpiece of art and culture that had famously hosted the Asian Games in 2010. Today, it hums with local and foreign tourists who take in the cool air and sprawling, manicured sights. At its heart beside the Pearl River stands an exhibition hall. Beyond it are four immaculate white spheres a short distance from each other. This is the inspiring venue of the Audi Innovation Exhibition.

Even as Tokyo, Los Angeles, and Guangzhou itself bannered its respective motor shows, Audi chose to highlight its affinity for creative automobile solutions through technology—giving credence to its famous tagline “vorsprung durch technik” (advancement through technology).

Audi China brand marketing head Rene Köneberg remarks that it is the first time the Ingolstadt-based car manufacturer has staged something this large in Asia, and adds that the four large spheres are actually exhibit pavilions that highlight Audi’s advancements in motorsport and vehicle technology (not to mention reflect its iconic four rings).

One of them houses “The Conference of Birds,” an art installation conjured by New York-based French musician and visual artist Sebastien Leon Agneesens. Inspired by the aforementioned Audi mantra, Agneesens filled the room with hundreds of silver foil balloons on the ceiling and the floor. Dangling small speakers resonate with the sound of chirping, and at the center is a dissected version of an R8 E-tron’s chassis. This, says Audi, “presents a new stage in Audi’s development of its ultra-lightweight construction technology—a multi-material space frame in which large parts made of carbon fiber-reinforced polymer supplement the aluminum frame.” Indeed, the message of lightness is conveyed most effectively, even as the vivid red of the Audi’s chassis takes center stage. 

The second satellite pavilion spotlights Audi quattro technology, a “key strength” for the brand. The permanent all-wheel drive technology is featured through exciting 3D images projected onto the room’s domed ceiling. A locally manufactured Q5 quattro SUV holds court here. Audi is obviously proud of its quattro line; its vehicle portfolio already boasts 140 quattro variants.

As everyone knows, Audi has a long, successful history in motorsport. The third pavilion celebrates this. Dubbed simply as “Audi Sport,” video of the brand’s sterling performance on the racetrack is projected onto the wall as an Audi R 18 e-tron quattro racing car silently sits below. Back-to-back winner of the prestigious 24 Hours of Le Mans in 2012 and 2013, the car is flanked by a couple of sliding screens which visitors can move and press to see an “x-ray” of the vehicle and the tech within.

The last pavilion is another chance to divine the near future of mobility. At the center is a so-called Audi Crosslane Coupe that represents a “fusion of technology, engineering, and design,” and is a realistic, impressive glimpse into what’s next at the Audi plant. Again boasting a light yet tough multi-material space frame, the concept vehicle is envisioned as an “innovative and efficient plug-in hybrid drive based on a purpose-designed 1.5-liter three-cylinder TFSI and two electric motors… with fuel consumption of only 1.1 liters per 100 kilometer (213.81 US mpg) and CO2 emissions of just 26 grams per kilometer (41.84 grams per mile).”

Audi’s bright minds clearly have a lot more in the pipeline—such as induction-charged cars that dispenses with wires, and self-driving vehicles. Far from being science-fiction fodder, the innovations are practical, realistic solutions for the here and now.

The Audi Laser Tail Light, for instance, is a novel response to the usual problems of vehicle visibility—whether in adverse weather conditions or not. A fan-shaped laser taillight beams slightly downward to “paint” a red line on the road some distance from the car. Drivers from the rear can thus spot the car more easily even in the darkest night. When driving in bad weather, Audi says the laser can penetrate the droplets to render a red triangle of light behind the car.

A pioneer in LED light technology for automobile applications, Audi ups the ante with its proprietary Audi Matrix LED Headlights. A high-beam unit is made up of 25 individual LED arrays that smartly react to needs and conditions. Of note is its ability to adjust to oncoming vehicles at night—thoughtfully (and safely) changing angles to avoid shining in the drivers’ eyes.

While continuing to lord it over this country’s premium segment, Audi China president Dietmar Voggenreiter, speaking to media, says there still remains a high growth potential for the segment. The premium passenger car market segment in China is at nine percent, compared to 13 to 15 percent in “more mature markets.” Voggenreiter observes that the new trend in China is towards premium brands in more compact cars. “Smaller cars with higher, efficient technology,” he declares.

That means it behooves Audi to continue on its trajectory towards smarter, more efficient vehicles. A growing middle class in this large market means more people with the financial ability to get their hands on an Audi. The competitive edge in high tech and innovations should maintain, or even grow, that gap.

“The future is always ahead of us. Let’s design the future together,” the Audi executive beckons.