Concept C previews Audi’s new design direction

The Audi Concept C, unveiled in Milan, represents a pivotal moment for the German luxury brand. As the first tangible manifestation of a new design philosophy under Chief Creative Officer Massimo Frascella, who joined the company in June 2024, the all-electric roadster signals Audi’s commitment to what the designer calls “The Radical Next”, a measured but decisive shift toward radical simplicity. This transformation comes at a critical juncture for Audi’s visual identity. For years, the brand has grappled with what critics and its own leadership have acknowledged as a “repetitive” design approach.

This rejection of mediocrity finds its expression in Frascella’s radical approach: stripping design back to its essentials. “Radical simplicity is at the heart of our approach,” Frascella explains. “We achieve clarity by reducing everything to the essential.” This philosophy permeates the Concept C. While contemporary automotive design often seeks to dazzle through complexity, Frascella and his team have chosen the infinitely more challenging path of distillation. The result is what he describes as “athletic minimalism with a purity of form, precision, and solidity.”

The car’s silhouette speaks this new language. Gone are the aggressive angles that have come to define modern sports car design. Instead, the Concept C presents what Audi calls “tension created by the interplay of full and restrained surfaces intersected by a single line.”

This new design philosophy is most clearly expressed in the car’s front end, dominated by Audi’s signature “vertical frame.” Drawing inspiration from the 1936 Auto Union Type C and the third-generation A6 from 2004, this central element boldly redefines Audi’s visual DNA by blending heritage with a forward-looking vision. The vertical frame shapes the entire structural volume of the vehicle with an organic flow, seamlessly integrating the iconic four rings in metal into the frame. This vertical motif repeats throughout the design: in the metal air intakes on the face, the door line that extends to the convertible roof cutting the car in two, and even the interior door handles.

Massimo Frascella, Chief Creative Officer of Audi

It needs to be mentioned that the front end styling bears noticeable similarities to BMW’s i7. However, Audi’s vertical frame remains a defining differentiator, creating a distinct brand identity even as industry design trends increasingly overlap. Building on the bold vertical frame, the lights themselves have an all-new light signature, which features four horizontally arranged elements in both the headlights and rear lights. According to Frascella, this unique detail “will define Audi’s visual identity during both day and night, ensuring an unmistakable presence on the road.”

This creates what will become the core of Audi’s design language. Though Audi’s famed race car history may feel distant from today’s road cars, its influence still subtly underpins the brand’s racing heritage and innovative spirit.

Step inside the Concept C, and Frascella’s background at the legendary Stile Bertone becomes apparent. The interior demonstrates what he learned during his formative years in Turin: that true luxury lies not in ostentation but in the perfection of fundamental experiences. “The steering wheel forms the core of the refined tactile experience,” he explains, describing how every material contributes to what Audi calls a “pure and sophisticated atmosphere.” Physical controls, manufactured from anodised aluminium, provide what the brand describes as the unmistakable “Audi click”, a detail that Audi enthusiasts missed.

This attention to tactile experiences extends to Frascella’s broader philosophy of technology integration, which Audi calls “shy tech” — a significant departure from the industry’s obsession with ever-larger displays driven more by the perception that “bigger screens equal better technology” than by genuine user experience improvements. “Technology enables progress. It is always close by, yet never dominant,” Frascella notes. The Concept C’s 10.4-inch foldable centre display perfectly embodies this philosophy: it can literally fold away out of sight, allowing drivers to choose when they want digital interaction and when they prefer an uninterrupted, analogue driving experience. When deployed, it provides information intuitively and contextually rather than constantly demanding attention. This represents a broader industry inflection point. While Audi will complete facelifts to existing models through 2025 and 2026 using current design language, the new elements introduced with the Concept C mark a significant step toward the next era.

The Audi TT holds a special place in the hearts of enthusiasts and in the brand’s history as a bold statement of design innovation. When it was first introduced in 1998, the TT broke away from the norm with its clean lines, geometric precision, and a silhouette that quickly became a modern classic.

Massimo Frascella, Chief Creative Officer of Audi

For Frascella, the TT represents more than just a landmark vehicle; it’s a formative source of inspiration. He recalls stepping away from work in 1998 to spend hours at a Turin dealership, absorbing every detail of the newly arrived TT. “I spent hours examining every angle, every surface. I think the staff thought I was crazy,” he admits. More than 20 years later, Frascella is now guiding Audi’s design evolution with this same ethos. The Concept C is set to carry forward that legacy of clarity and bold simplicity, shaping the brand’s next chapter.

Audi’s new design philosophy is grounded in four intertwined pillars that will guide the brand’s evolution. For Massimo Frascella, the central question is simple yet profound: how should Audi feel to its customers? The answer takes shape through clarity, technical excellence, intelligence, and emotion. Clarity is expressed through radical simplicity that strips away the unnecessary to reveal essential forms. Technical excellence ensures precision and authenticity, pushing engineering and design beyond convention. Intelligence speaks to Audi’s spirit of innovation, seeking solutions that are not only advanced but meaningful in their integration. Finally, emotion gives the design its resonance — understated yet powerful, capable of inspiring a quiet awe and a lasting attachment.

Together, these four strands form a holistic approach, one that balances progress and feeling, reason and instinct. As Frascella puts it, the harmony between technology and human emotion is what will ultimately define Audi’s next chapter.

The Concept C previews not just a single production model but an entire ecosystem of design thinking that will reshape Audi’s lineup over the next decade. “Going forward, Audi will focus on what matters most: an unmistakable combination of clarity, technicality, intelligence, and emotion,” Frascella states. “The Audi Concept C marks the beginning of a new design philosophy and a defining moment for the four rings.”

Under Frascella’s creative leadership, Audi is betting that in an increasingly complex world, true distinction lies not in adding more but in perfecting less. Yet after years of calls for change, the question lingers: will Audi’s enthusiasts, who cherish tradition as deeply as innovation, embrace this bold new simplicity? In embracing radical simplicity, Audi is taking a decisive leap toward a new era—one where precision, emotion, and intelligence guide design instead of excess and distraction. The Concept C lays the groundwork for this transformation, aiming to forge a stronger, clearer identity for the brand.