Design excellence: the Audi Customizing Club—By Audi
Three creative concepts were the top choices in the “Audi Customizing Club” design contest. The talented tuning trio of Alexander Christ, Michael Horn, and Hubert Plaikner captivated the high-caliber panel of judges by proposing unique designs of accessory parts. Audi had got to know the contestants at this year’s Wörthersee Tour. In 2010, the winning designs will contribute to the development of an Audi show car.

Audi Customizing Club contest submissions ranged from an extremely sporty front apron to an Audi featuring a hot-rod look. Of 32 designs submitted, three particularly impressed the panel of judges, consisting of Michael Dick (Member of the Board of Management for Technical Development at AUDI AG), Stefan Sielaff (Head of Audi Design), Heinz Hollerweger (Head of Total Vehicle Development), and Mattias Ekström (Audi DTM factory driver).

In his proposal, Alexander Christ created a unique interpretation of a front apron by allowing a single frame to merge into a black bumper. His design renders the entire front end emphatically horizontal and remarkably broad.

Michael Horn unveiled two methods which had allowed him to incorporate graphics and artistic patterns into unpainted outer panels. This amateur designer used a laser to produce dazzling line drawings. And a special brushing technique results in artistic patterns which create in the metal a shimmer effect that changes with the angle of incident light.

Hubert Plaikner scored high by imparting a hot-rod look to an Audi A3. He used polished-steel wheel rims, whitewall tires, a matt gray paint job, and discreet pinstripes on the sides to create a subtle yet sporty design. Mr. Plaikner remained true to the “less is more” spirit by relying on a handful of perfectly employed accessories to skillfully underscore Audi’s design philosophy.

Stefan Sielaff, Head of Audi Design, presented awards to the three victors at the 2009 International Frankfurt Motor Show, where they were honored guests at the Audi stand. They also got to further develop their ideas with representatives of Audi Design in an exclusive workshop. In addition, Audi has invited the three winners to attend a special event next year. A show car is to be presented which will embody numerous ideas and flourishes from the victors’ submissions.

As part of the 2009 Wörthersee Tour, Audi had invited 100 exhibitors from the legendary GTI get-together to participate in the Audi Customizing Club design contest. This competition was conducted exclusively online. Participation was restricted to people who were invited by Audi directly or by an existing participant.