Since Audi’s acquisition of the Ducati business last year, BMW is no longer the only German premium automaker that also has a motorcycle division – BMW Motorrad. Inspired by Audi’s foray into the world of motorcycles, French designer Thibault Devauze imagined the first model of a new motorcycle range from the brand with the four rings. Its name? The 'Audi Motorrad Concept'.
A former Audi, Ducati and Land Rover design intern, Devauze penned a futuristic bike with sharp edges, tight surfaces and a distinctive silhouette, with the raised tail being its dominant element. The designer says he got the idea following a visit to the Audi museum in Ingolstadt, where he saw many DKW bikes.
"The idea was pretty simple: the first competitor of Audi is BMW, and BMW sell bikes. Audi has a massive heritage in terms of bikes with the DKW brand and is always looking for new markets – so bikes represent a good opportunity," Devauze says.
On the technical side, the Motorrad Concept is powered by a Ducati-sourced 850cc, Desmodromic 2-cylinder engine mated to a double-clutch gearbox. The bike’s chassis uses Audi’s Ultra lightweight technology, combining carbon fiber with light alloys. Devauze says an E-tron version of the bike could easily be done as well.
Thibault's brother Marc Debauze, also a designer, and Clement Couvreur, a digital modeler, helped create project. While the Motorrad Concept is simply a design exercise, we can’t help but wonder whether Audi should one day consider making motorcycles. We’d like to hear your opinions on this as well.
By Dan Mihalascu
Photo Credits: Thibault Devauze , Story References: Carbodydesign
5 Comments:
Astonishing!
DKW was one fo the companies that formed the original Auto Union in the 1930s and produced motorcycles bearing the four ring logo. So technically those might be considered the first Audi bikes.
Copy of another project.....
2-wheel drive?
Wait... Ducati already does well (and has ton of fans)
And this concept... well, they skipped the front suspension (bad bad bad...)
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