Nasrec got a taste of Hollywood glamour when the Audi RSQ concept, Will Smith’s co-star in the sci-fi film appeared on the first day of the Auto Africa Expo on Monday.I, Robot appeared on the first day of the Auto Africa Expo on Monday.content here
| |
Nasrec got a taste of Hollywood glamour when the Audi RSQ concept, Will Smith’s co-star in the sci-fi film appeared on the first day of the Auto Africa Expo on Monday.
The RSQ Sports Coupe was the first car made by the Ingolstadt-based firm specifically for a Hollywood picture and drops some key hints about Audi’s future design direction.
It was developed in conjunction with the LeMans concept, Martin Ertl, head of Audi’s design management, said recently.
Audi’s partnership with the film industry follows the Lexus involvement in last year’s futuristic Minority Report. Two Lexus vehicles were developed for that film – a radical red sportscar and a private pod that rode on a vast urban magnetic levitation (Mag-Lev) system, CARtoday.com reported last year.
“I thought Lexus might be interested in going into a speculative future to see what the transportation systems and cars would look like then,” Minority Report producer Stephen Spielberg said then.
The approach Lexus took in Minority Report, where a movie industry firm concocted futuristic cars to their liking and slapped on Lexus badges, did not appeal, Ertl said. That arrangement meant that the final product would not necessarily reflect the company’s design motifs.
Since is set in 2035, director Alex Proyas stipulated a futuristic concept for the car – “spherical” wheels. Integrating them into the design was one of the greatest challenges, exterior designer Julian Hoenig said. The result actually enhanced the ‘sculpted character,’ he added.
Underneath its body is a traditional mid-mounted Audi engine and drive train. The fully covered wheels connect to exterior panels that spin, giving the illusion of moving spheres.
Proyas approached Audi in 2003 after being attracted to the Nuvolari quattro concept. The first quarter-scale RSQ model was completed two days after Audi was awarded the contract and the entire car was completed in 10 weeks.
