Perfect proportions

Balancing captivating aesthetics and functionality – two elements often at odds – is the very essence of great design, according to Audi’s design head, Marc Lichte. For the automotive designer, the interplay between form and function underpins everything they do – working within physical and engineering constraints to create something that will not only appeal on first inspection, but also stand the test of time.

For Marc Lichte, theAudi e-tron GTrepresents the perfect balance not only of form and function, but also the highlight of his career. At only 51, Lichte is very much in his ‘design prime’ but the passionate designer sees in the e-tron GT (and RS e-tron GT) a vehicle that meets every aspect of an extremely difficult design brief without so much as a hint of compromise.

“There’s a tremendous transformation happening at Audi right now,” says Lichte, “and it’s the most exciting time, being able to work as a designer right now.” With the brand’s increasing focus on electric mobility, the e-tron GT represents not just another model, but the face of this new direction. To that end the car had to be inspirational and aspirational. It had to showcase the very pinnacle of the brand’s all-electric technology and engineering, but do so in a format that would not only turn heads, but ‘work’ in a real sense. A high-performance driver’s car, but a four-door boasting absolute comfort for its occupants. It had to be mindful of the brand’s rich design history but also stand as a flagship for the company’s next chapter – the very face of Audi e-mobility.

“For the e-tron GT, this package is perfect,” says Lichte. “These are the proportions I have dreamed of all my life.”

“When I draw, and I’ve done this since I was a kid, I’ve drawn a sketch with very big wheels, a long wheelbase and short overhangs logically, because that looks quite attractive. I made the cabin flat, I made it slime and put it on a wide body. And it’s exactly these proportions that I have had in mind all my life with every sketch … and exactly these proportions became reality with the e-tron GT.”

That this design had long dwelled deep within Lichte’s subconscious is born out by his earlier Prologue design. After spending 17 years in the VW design department, Lichte came to Audi in 2014 and the Prologue was not only the first Audi that he presented to the public, but also introduced a design language at the brand that is evident across the range to this day.

“It was my first highlight with the brand and basically teased the new design language in a show car,” he remembers fondly.

“The overhangs were shorter, big wheels, long wheelbase and wider track. And for the first time we made quattro visible in a dominant way, with the ‘muscles’ above the four wheels.”

The basic elements of the the Audi e-tron GT can certainly be seen in the 2014 Prologue concept car, but years later, when Lichte and his team came to design the Audi e-tron GT concept, the very real considerations of electric drive and all that that means to functionality, had to be factored in to the design.

“If you want to implement these proportions in an all-electric car, it is very challenging because of there relatively high battery in the underbody.”

“It’s a four-seater with four doors and even I can sit in the back (Lichte is over two metres tall). We managed to make this car flatter than the Audi Prologue which is incredible and was also the biggest challenge in this project.”

An absolutely driven individual, Lichte applies his ‘all in’ approach to everything he does. "I’m the type of person who’s a permanent live wire. Everything inspires me: whatever I see or eat, whoever I talk to, wherever I travel. What’s most important for my creativity is freeing my mind,” he says, and nothing quite frees his mind like sailing.

A passionate yachtsman his whole life, his boat is highly modified to deliver optimal performance. Save for the hull, most of the important components are made of carbon. So are the cage, keel, mast, the full complement of appendages, rudder and retrofitted Doyle sails. 

“The thing is so rigid, nothing budges,” Lichte raves. “Every tiny gust of wind is converted into speed. It makes for incredible sailing.” 

That same passion is present in every detail on the Audi e-tron GT – every curve in the metal and every sweeping line. Presented as the Audi e-tron GT concept at the LA Auto Show in 2018, it was applauded as a triumph of automotive design – a true show stealer.

“There was an insane response,” Lichte remembers of the unveiling of the car. “It reminded me very much of the experience in 2014 [with the Prologue] but it was clearly a step up.”

But far from being another concept vehicle, the Audi e-tron GT concept had hit an extraordinary ‘sweet spot’ in automotive design and the perfect balance of form and function. When the covers were pulled aside on the series production Audi e-tron GT last year, the car was almost identical to the concept that had stolen the show in LA in 2018.

“The surprise is that we implemented the show car one-to-one in series production,” Lichte beams. 

“Audi has never done that in this form before. One-to-one. It just gives me goosebumps.”

“This really is a car that is highly aesthetic, super emotional and still combines functionality. For me, in all honesty, it’s really the highlight of my career.

“Of course, this is a team effort and the team I have at Audi is a great one. Only this team is capable of designing a car like this at all. This really is an absolute highlight for all of us.”

Described as an obsessive, mad genius who won’t settle for anything less than absolute perfection, it seems that Lichte has been chasing that perfect balance of form and function since he was a boy sketching the cars of his dreams. With the Audi e-tron GT, he seems at last to have found it.