It's got looks to die for and a well known badge on the grille, and it could end up on a forecourt near you Dramatic Locus has already attracted 13,000 visitors to designers website Raised haunches and flared wheelarches give it the look of a muscular, aggressive TT The Audi Locus is the brainchild of Turkish stylist Ugar Sahin, who says the curvy concept has been inspired by nature, and it's one of the entries in this year's prestigious Michelin Challenge Design competition. But cues from the German brand's existing sports car line-up are also apparent - including the sweeping, dome-shaped panoramic roofline, which creates steeply raked screens. Raised haunches and flared wheelarches give it the look of a muscular, aggressive TT. There is also a deeper version of the Audi grille, plus a curvaceous waistline and low sills - and it all makes the car a strong contender for the tyre giant's coveted title. (AutoExpress) The Locus's dramatic styling has already attracted 13,000 visitors to designer Sahin's website. The event traditionally pulls in entries from students to professional stylists alike, and this year the contenders come from 51 countries across the globe. They're all competing for a chance to see their work brought to life and earn themselves a place on the stands at the Detroit Motor Show in the US. Michelin's Tom Chubb explained the 2007 competition reflected real-world challenges faced by makers. "As with economy and the impact on the environment, safety is a major consideration when it comes to design, research and development," he said. Meanwhile, Audi is celebrating a record-breaking first three months of 2007. An expanding range, including the new TT, boosted the brand's sales in the UK in March by 19.8 per cent to a rec-ord 19,242. This increase has contributed to a 16.6 per cent improvement on the company's first quarter total, taking it to an unprecedented 31,232 sales.
(from Ugur Sahin) The name LOCUS means a condition that defines a continuous figure which is a curve. The main characteristics of the design are the way its surface shapes are formed with a continuous flow from front until the back of the car. Inspiration for that was obviously the Mother Nature we deal with daily but somehow we usually do not realize that everything in the nature has somehow its specific curves and flowing lines it is very rarely to spot perfectly straight lines. The main goal was to implement this design aspect into a car which creates a relaxing, energetic, vibrant and confident feeling. It is clear to see a curved sharp edged line that starts at the very front, flowing through the middle section, slightly curved down after the A pillar and then going back up again at the rear wheel arches to follow its way back until the diffuser. This same curve language is also applied to the greenhouse and the way windows are shaped. The front is somehow aggressive looking with the traditional AUDI grill and air intakes that are shaped very much like the headlights to create a coherent feeling. The rear section is obviously very organic with defined curves and subtle details, tail lights are designed to have integrated air outtakes underneath them to avoid any unnecessary details. With dual exhaust and fairly empty rear section, it creates a feeling of subtleness. Another feature is the air intake at the end of the roof which is designed to avoid any distracting design elements on the top of the car combining elegance with functionality.
"It's got looks to die for and a well known badge on the grille, and it could end up on a forecourt near you" yea looks to die for is right,,, if i saw that i would die cuz its so ugly
I don't think so. But it's not Audi for me, too. It's more in the Seat design line. Besides that, the name 'locus' is a bit unfortunate, inappropriate associations...
You would die because you are ill-equipped to handle such levels of awesome as this. The light emitted by the car would enter your eyes with such force that your ocular fluids would instantly boil. Shockwaves would be sent through your optic nerves, and your optic chiasm would rupture. Your visual cortex would become overloaded with electrical activity, and your pressure would increase in your brain until it began to hemorrhage cerebrospinal fluid. Storms of electrical activity would ricochet throughout every area of your brain, and your bodily functions would cease. You would fall to vegetative lump where you stand, and you would die a horrible, painful death. Because you cannot handle this car.