Audi will shortly kill current cabin design

WITHIN the next 24 months, Audi will abandon the screen-heavy interior design direction it introduced in 2023 in favour of a return to subtler displays, tactile controls, higher perceived quality, and more traditional Audi cabin execution that buyers are demanding be brought back.

The reversal is a significant product strategy shift for Audi, and a clear acknowledgement that the car industry’s rush toward minimalist, touch-operated cabin tech has not suited all customers—particularly in Western markets such as Europe, North America, and Australia.

Speaking with GoAuto on an early drive of the third-generation Q7—which will be one of the final new Audi models launched with the outgoing interior—chief technical officer Rouven Mohr said the brand is now working to restore qualities historically associated with Audi interiors.

The change will not occur immediately, but Audi’s forthcoming product offensive will see an all-new exterior and interior design concept rolled out for all-new models like a production sports car (based on the Concept C), the Nuvolari supercar, Q7 e-tron SUV, and Audi A4 e-tron sedan and wagon.

“Audi (in the) past was always leading infotainment development. We always tried to combine the latest technology from the digital world, but doing it in a very subtle, well-integrated way,” said Dr Mohr.

“In the future, (Audi will) integrate the Radical Next interior design…we want to be very subtle on the display size and haptic elements.

“We will put a lot of attention into real materials. If you see a material that looks like metal, it should be metal. We believe it’s part of our DNA to also have some physical elements—buttons and turning wheels—and every one of these should have the classical Audi click and touch and feel.”

Audi’s frankness represents one of the first clear admissions by a premium brand that the industry moved too quickly away from high-quality physical controls that buyers may have appreciated more than originally thought.

The simplification of car interiors came in response to pressure on margins brought about by massive investments in electrified powertrains and vehicle autonomy, but also due to a view that customers—even in the premium segment—were comfortable operating more controls via screens.

Dr Mohr said customer tastes in relation to these issues varied by region, with Chinese, European, and North American buyers displaying markedly different expectations. That regional divergence is a reason Audi now has a distinct ‘four-letter’ AUDI brand operating to produce Chinese-market vehicles.

While Audi has shown more humility than most rivals in admitting its interiors didn’t hit expectations, vehicle programs continue to carry long lead times—explaining why design decisions made years ago are still flowing into showrooms now.

The planned cabin design change will mean that the ‘Digital Stage’ interior era will last just four years—remarkably short by Western OEM standards.

Audi is generally hastening its product development timelines as it moves to a war footing to fend off emerging rivals, having adopted some ‘China speed’ lessons from joint venture partner SAIC.

For example, GoAuto has learned that the new Q7 was set to use hidden door handles until late in its development (similar to the fifth-gen’ BMW X5). Months before the Q7 was set to be revealed, Audi moved back to conventional handles in rapid response to customer feedback resisting novel access solutions.

The German brand is testing so-called “project houses” on behalf of the Volkswagen Group for vehicle development with rapid access to board-level decision-making and grouping key engineering, design, procurement, validation and production personnel for specific models.

Dr Mohr said the new method was helping Audi restore clearer focus to its new products. The CTO did not blame any single decision for drift in recent years, but said broader industry instability, regulatory changes, uncertain EV demand and shifting customer expectations had all contributed to recent events.