Audi Luthe by Diego La Magia, Sweden

2005: Germany.

Illustrations on Display at Michelin Challenge Design™

Biography:

Paolo Corcagnani, 27, was born and raised in Cologne, Germany. In 1996, he received his University Entrance Diploma at Städt. Gymnasium Hölderlin in Cologne, Germany. He is currently pursuing an Industrial Design Degree at the University of Essen, Germany with an expected graduation in the spring of 2005. Fluent in three languages, German, Italian and English, he is proficient in all design software.

His work experience includes a six-month internship at the Sanitec Design Studio in Ratingen, Germany and a six-month trainee at Heider Print/Publish company in Berg. Gladbach, Germany. He also participated in the Erasmus Student Exchange Program at Politecnico di Milano, Italy.

In 2002, Corcagnani was a semi-finalist in the 2nd Peugeot Design Contest and was awarded 5th in the Citrux Future Design Award in 2001.

Description:

The design focuses on describing the evolution from graphic towards sculptural/3-dimensional approaches/languages in German car design. One of the main interests consists in keeping and showing the typically functional orientation. The car is understood as a machine, which is planned and optimized for its’ tasks. It has to be comfortable, safe, powerful, flexible and off highest quality. Apart from that the design is meant to be as visionary as German technology.

To me, the NSU Ro 80, designed by Claus Luthe is one of the most representative examples of these values and traditions. I tried to understand this approach and to envision/apply it on the 21st century. The surfaces clearly communicate their content and function. They are sized according to their importance and kept in an overall balance. The line work not only defines and structures the bodywork but furthermore brings it to the third dimension.

The front evolves the actual Audi face and hereby points towards alternative energy. It puts one of the most important German values into the center of attention: the material. The idea of showing material instead of ornamental features is applied on the whole car. It also helps to transform plain surfaces into sculptural objects. The car clearly orientates towards the front, playing with weights and proportions.