Deutsche Welle:
Mr. Sielaff, when people buy a car today, how important is the design?
Stefan Sielaff: For
Audi it’s the primary factor behind any purchase. I think that the
entire decision-making process has shifted from the head to the heart in
the last couple of decades. That is certainly connected to the
increasing level of affluence. Customers can now afford to pay for
aesthetics and they're not just looking for a car which drives them from
A to B. And that’s because a customer always makes a statement about
themselves with their choice of car – who they are or how they would
like to be.
To what extent must
design take into account national preferences? Do Americans like the
same designs as Germans, for example?
We certainly put a
European or even German statement into our designs at Audi and that is
what an American or Asian customer is looking for when they buy an Audi.
I mean, when you go to a Japanese restaurant, you don’t want imitation
food but authentic sashimi or sushi like you would eat in Kyoto or
Tokyo. And I think that is our strength and that is why all Audis –
except for the small regulations in some countries which force us to
make small changes – are the same. Whether you see an Audi A4 in
Vladivostok, in Hong Kong or here in Detroit, it is always the same Audi
A4.
At the start of the
motor show here in Detroit, the experts were very optimistic about the
US car industry in 2010. Do you share this optimism?
Bildunterschrift: Großansicht des Bildes
mit der Bildunterschrift: Audi
has presented its e-tron as an environmentally friendly concept car,
but it will never go on sale.I think we have to be
careful that we don’t fall back in past ways of thinking. As a designer,
I have to say very clearly that our aim must be to break the mould. We
can’t continue like we have done in the past. When I talk to the younger
generation, the attitude towards the automobile has changed
drastically, especially in western society. We have to consider the
environmental aspect very clearly now. To bring about a change in
propulsion cannot happen overnight. Even electrically-powered cars are
not the magic solution as long as the electricity comes from traditional
power sources. We have to look at the total energy footprint. I think
the competitive edge in the future will be found in the ability to
deliver a technologically progressive product with a high aesthetic
value.
On the subject of
electrically-powered cars: what chance, what future has the
electrically-powered automobile in your opinion?
There definitely has
to be a combination of environmentally friendly propulsion and emotion.
At the present time, I don’t think that electrically-powered cars can be
sold on the basis of rationality; they have to have an aesthetic appeal
as well. I always compare that with the subject of cooking.
Twenty-five, thirty years ago, no one wanted to eat vegetarian or
organic food and the few that did were derided. Today, you can go into
restaurants selling this food and order a top-class dish that looks
great - but, most of all, tastes great. And such an acceptance of
something new requires time. It will be the same with the propulsion of a
car, whether it be electric or hybrid. But these are all plans for the
future.
Interviewer: Christina
Bergmann/as
Editor: Michael Lawton
http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,,5111660,00.html