Audi at Design Miami/: Filling up on creativity

HERNDON, Va. and MIAMI, Nov. 30, 2010 /PRNewswire/ --

• Audi exhibits futuristic "e-den" charging station at Design Miami/ 2010
• A matter of time: charging takes longer than conventional fueling
• Audi takes an active part in discussions on electromobility

Fill it up, pay, and get on your way. It probably won't be that easy with electric cars, since charging takes longer than filling up with gasoline or diesel. At Design Miami/ 2010, Audi takes a playful look at this aspect: What can drivers do in the meantime? What amenities will charging stations of the future have to offer?

Wood furniture and fresh potted herbs, organic food, magazines and coffee-table books – this futuristic service station is a wellness oasis featuring fair-trade products and sustainable materials. A real paradise, hence the title of the installation: "e-den." The "e" stands for electromobility. Munich-based graphic design studio Mirko Borsche created this vision imagining a greener tomorrow where traditional gas stations no longer exist, but have transformed into more intimate places of encounter and relaxation.

The installation is dominated by reflective glass that mirrors the resplendent Audi e-tron Spyder, a study in electric vehicle design. The architecture is also reminiscent of a 1950s American gas station, with an old gasoline pump encased in glass like a museum piece serving as a reminder of the oil-dependent past.

"Our aim in creating this installation is to heighten the public's awareness of the wide range of challenges electromobility presents. And we provide food for thought – not just about electric vehicles themselves, but also about the infrastructure that will have to be created to support electric mobility," says Peter Schwarzenbauer, Member of the Audi Board of Management for Marketing and Sales. "Design Miami/, the global forum for design, is an excellent venue in this regard."

"Design is the art form aimed at imagining a better, richer, more comfortable everyday life. Today we find the most compelling design work stretches farthest in imagining a better future," adds Wava Carpenter, Acting Director Design Miami/. "Audi's proposal for a gasoline-less filling station for electric cars which is shown at Design Miami/ is a perfect example of this."

At Audi, conventional ways of seeing and thinking are continually challenged in order to advance the company and to play an active role in shaping the mobility of the future. As part of the Audi Urban Future Award 2010 architectural competition, Audi took a close look at individual mobility in the city of the future. Furthermore Audi presented four electric vehicle concepts with its e-tron family within just one year – and the small-series, 100% electric R8 e-tron supercar will be on the market in 2012.

Together with a new generation of hybrid vehicles, the e-models form a strong cornerstone of Audi's strategy for helping shape trends in society and developments in the market. The development of these different technological concepts demonstrates the holistic approach pursued by Audi as regards to sustainable mobility, rounded up by Audi's core competences of aluminum lightweight construction and other key technologies such as TDI clean diesel, TFSI and research for new fuels and intelligent vehicles.

As Exclusive Automotive Sponsor, Audi has experimented at Design Miami/ with themes such as mobility, technology, material and design since the partnership's inception: installations ranging from the spectacular "Ignition R8" exhibit in 2006, where are an approximately 10-meter-high sculpture symbolized ignition in the mid-engined Audi R8 as the "big bang of dynamism" to last year's "Art of Progress" immediately following the A8's world premiere where the full-size car turned into a miniature collectible on a coffee-table surrounded by supersized furniture.

About Audi of America

Audi of America, Inc. and its 275 U.S. dealers offer a full line of German-engineered luxury vehicles. AUDI AG is among the most successful luxury automotive brands globally. During 2009, Audi outsold all other luxury brands in Europe, while in the U.S. market Audi posted the largest market share gain of any luxury automotive brand. Between 2010 and 2012 the Audi Group is planning to invest around euro 5.5 billion, mainly in new products, in order to sustain the Company's technological lead.  Visit www.audiusa.com or www.audiusanews.com for more information regarding Audi vehicle and business issues.

ABOUT DESIGN MIAMI/

The sixth edition of Design Miami/ is marked by an increase in returning galleries, who represent the world's leading dealers specializing in limited-edition design. Design Miami/ is the most prominent and substantive forum for international design, representing a convergence of commerce and culture. Its annual shows in Basel, Switzerland (June) and Miami, USA (December) bring together the most influential designers, collectors, dealers, curators, and critics from around the world. For further information, visit www.designmiami.com.

Audi continues to be the Exclusive Automotive Sponsor of Design Miami/ since 2006. As 'designer among designers', Audi does not only fulfill a traditional sponsor role at Design Miami/, but actively participates as an exhibitor and provides content, underlining the brand's commitment of fostering design culture and working innovative concepts.

About the Audi Urban Future Award

In 2010, with the creation of the Audi Urban Future Award, the brand continued to develop visions of a sustainable future bringing together five stellar members of the international architectural community. For the first time merging the disciplines of city planning and architecture with the car manufacturer's technological insights, the participants worked on integrated concepts for urban mobility in the year 2030. The award was bestowed for the first time in August 2010, and thereafter every two years. Being endowed with 100.000 Euro, the AUFA is the most highly remunerated German architectural prize.

SOURCE Audi of America