From April 15th to 28th, visitors of the Design Week will have the opportunity to discover and experience Audi firsthand within the House of Progress at iconic Portrait Milano, which is part of the Lungarno Collection owned by the Ferragamo family, one of the venues of the INTERNI CROSS VISION showcase. At the heart of the fashion district, the four rings’ brand will create opportunities aimed at generating new awareness by juxtaposing different areas of expertise and at exploring the future of mobility by providing answers to tomorrow’s needs.
Within the House of Progress, the brand’s values that underpin its holistic approach to sustainability will take shape: creativity, design, innovation, and attention to the centrality of the individual. This technical-humanistic approach goes beyond mere electric technology for getting into the heart of industrial processes with the objective of mitigating their environmental impact at the benefit of the society. It’s a vision where technological advancement is not the goal but the means for enhancing individual well-being through the use of regenerative production techniques and innovative solutions, for both individual and collective safety.
As a testament to Audi’s commitment, the installation hosted in the Piazza del Quadrilatero has been conceived for the brand by the international studio BIG – Bjarke Ingels Group that has eight offices worldwide.
The installation, named “Reflaction”, a blend of the words “reflection” and “action”, serves as an invitation to think how each of our actions reflects our essence and mirrors our existence, leaving a trace for future generations. By playing with the effects of reflection and refraction, two high mirror walls symmetrically intersect, dividing the centre of Portrait Milano’s square into four sections.
Viewed from an aerial perspective, the installation takes the shape of a plus sign, which signifies not only “plus” in an arithmetic sense but also refers to a programmatic representation. Using a minimalist selection of elements, the area has been divided into four distinct sections, symbolically embodying the four areas of the exhibition, echoing the four rings of the Audi logo.
Almost ethereal, the structure multiplies people and objects, creating four spaces which visitors can freely discover while engaging in their own personal experience.
In the “Community” space visitors can linger for ideas exchange and conviviality, before moving on to the “Knowledge” section, a reproduction of an amphitheatre that will host meetings and discussions. The “Audi Digital Light” portion showcases examples of Audi’s excellence in the field of lighting technology, where the brand has always played a pioneering role.
The exhibition space also includes the “Performance” area where the new Audi Q6 e-tron in its sporty SQ6 version in on display making its first appearance to the world. This is the first electric vehicle produced in Ingolstadt and certified as carbon neutral and a new expression of Vorsprung (Avant-garde), highlighting the brand’s innovative capabilities and its commitment to shaping environmentally conscious mobility, with humans remaining at the forefront. The Audi Q6 e-tron is the first car of the brand to adopt the new stylistic approach introduced by the sphere series concept, which prioritizes the development of the vehicle from inside: the lines and characteristics of the space around the passengers are designed first, and only then the focus moved onto the bodywork shapes.
The electric SUV also sets itself as a benchmark in its category for its range up to 625 km, and charging power up to 270 kW, allowing for a recharge of up to 255 km in ten minutes. These achievements are complemented by sophisticated dynamic performance, advanced digitization such as the AI-driven voice control and the innovative “digital stage” boasting a panoramic display.
Audi’s presence also enlivens the Montenapoleone District, with which Audi has had a solid partnership since 2014, and Università degli Studi di Milano. From Corso Venezia, Audi’s journey continues on Via Montenapoleone with a nod to “Reflaction” on a smaller scale, before heading to one of the iconic venues of Fuorisalone: the University of Milan that will host another touch point of the CROSS VISION exhibition by INTERNI, co-produced by Audi, leveraging a collaboration spanning over a decade.
