The direction of a car brand’s design development can change rapidly with the arrival of a new head of design. Audi is currently experiencing such a transition. Since mid-2024, Massimo Frascella has led the company’s design department, replacing Marc Lichte in this position, who for a decade shaped the face of all the brand’s current models.
New Design Language from Massimo Frascella
Under Frascella’s leadership, Audi is preparing to introduce a completely new design language. Its first sketch was shown last year in the dramatic concept car Concept C. This model, conceived as the successor to the TT coupe, provided an early glimpse of the new direction, although these plans face certain difficulties.
Several more years will pass before the existing Audi models with their controversial designs are replaced by new developments from Frascella. However, renderings have already been created that give us a hint of what the future A6 sedan might look like under his guidance. Of course, less than a year has passed since the presentation of the current generation A6, so a full-fledged new model will not appear until the next decade.
Interpretation by Sugar Design
To give the A6 a fresh look, the Sugar Design studio used key elements of the Concept C and transferred them onto the outlines of a stylish four-door sedan. The front end of Audi’s latest concept is undoubtedly its most controversial angle. It features a tablet-shaped black grille, sharply different from the familiar Singleframe design that defined the brand for many years.
In the rendering, this grille is combined with the same narrow LED headlights as on the Concept C, along with more traditional vertical air intakes. It’s hard to claim that the front of this futuristic A6 looks better than the current one, but the shape of the sides with new doors, different rear fenders, and a revised window line does look attractive.
Expectations for the Rear and the Designer’s Statement
If the next generation A6 also heavily borrows from the Concept C at the rear, it could get slim horizontal taillights and a darkened lower bumper section with a diffuser that repeats the concept’s graphic approach.
Last month, Frascella confirmed that all future Audi models will have a grille inspired by the Concept C. He also noted that the front ends of each model will have certain differences to make them look unique, not identical. The development of Audi’s new design philosophy over the next decade will be interesting to observe, but it already seems that the brand is moving in the right direction.
The transition to a new design era is always accompanied by risks, especially for a brand with such recognizable family resemblance as Audi. Moving away from the classic Singleframe is a bold step aimed at meeting the demands of the electric vehicle era and updated aesthetic preferences. The success of this strategy will depend on how successfully it manages to combine radical innovations, such as the “tablet” grille, with the quality features and proportions that buyers expect to see in premium sedans like the A6. It will also be key to preserve the individuality of different models within a single design language to avoid the “cloning” effect that the chief designer himself warns about.