“We have cut through the noise of distraction to once again create cars that bring us joy as engineers and as designers, as drivers and as passengers – cars that are the culmination of everything we know and of everything we are today,” announced Audi CEO Gernot Döllner. “This is the start of something new: our striving for clarity.” Standing on a stage surrounded by a rapt audience in a beautiful Milan courtyard, Döllner was priming everyone for the reveal of a brilliant new all-electric sports car: Audi Concept C. Elegant and sculpted, bold yet minimal, the EV rolled onto the stage to raucous applause. Clamouring to get a closer look, audience members flocked to the titanium-finished marvel.

For the world-renowned German auto manufacturer, Audi Concept C is a return to form: Its inspiration was found in the Auto Union Type C (1936) and the third-generation Audi A6 (2004). “Courageous yet understated – that is everything that Audi is about,” Massimo Frascella, Chief Creative Officer, explained. “So, we took this quality from our past to create a design philosophy that will set a very clear path for our future. Because Audi was not born an icon – Audi became an icon through a consistent willingness to dare, and now now it’s time to dare again.”

Concept C boldly faces the future, with a new Audi brand face featuring a vertical frame and a distinctive light signature: four horizontally arranged elements in each headlight and rear light that will signal Audi’s unique presence on the road day and night. A strong shoulder line defines the volume of the car, whose proportions – including a cabin that extends far back and sits firmly on the body – are driven by a central-battery layout.

And, in a first for an Audi roadster, the roof is retractable. In a moment that elicited many oohs and aahs during its debut, a driver demonstrated how the hardtop elegantly folds back, offering the benefits of a convertible while retaining the unified essence of a monolithic body style. At the rear of the Audi Concept C, clean surfaces and horizontal slats underscore the car’s sporty character.

Free from distractions, the minimalist interior features strong architectural surfaces and clear geometric forms. The physical controls, in anodized aluminum, provide a tactile experience that reflects mechanical prowess – augmented by the unmistakable “Audi click” – while the round steering wheel, with its metal Audi rings front and centre, is crafted with precision.

Complementing the car’s titanium finish, the interior palette is balanced by warm natural materials and soft, indirect ambient lighting. The 10.4-inch foldable display, also inspired by previous generations of Audi vehicles, provides users with information in an intuitive way that is tailored to every situation.

“When we are aligned with a software- and design-driven strategy, the journey of cultural growth never ends,” Döllner says. “And isn’t that beautiful?” Audi Concept C embodies the brand’s new design philosophy, striking a radical simplicity from every angle. “Clarity was the starting point here too, emotion and character are the results.”