- Audi’s next-gen design direction is led by Massimo Frascella.
- New look first previewed with Concept C, now applied to A6.
- Rendered A6 uses a flat black grille and slim LED headlights.
The direction of a car brand can shift quickly when a new design chief takes the reins, and Audi is right in the middle of that transition. As of mid 2024, Massimo Frascella has stepped in as the company’s new design boss, succeeding Marc Lichte, who spent a decade shaping every current model in the lineup.
Under Frascella, Audi is preparing to roll out an entirely new design language, first previewed last year with the dramatic Concept C, an early glimpse at a two door model intended to succeed the TT, though that plan is not without its problems.
Read: All Future Audis Will Have This Grille, Mustache Memes Be Damned
It will be several years before existing Audi models with their controversial designs will be replaced with new ones penned by Frascella, but these renderings provide us a hint of what a future A6 sedan from Audi could look like with him at the helm.
Of course, it’s been less than a year since the current-generation A6 was introduced, so a new one won’t be released until the next decade.
Sugar Design
To give the A6 a fresh new look, Sugar Design used key elements of the Concept C and transplanted them onto a sleek four-door. The front of Audi’s most recent concept is no doubt its most controversial angle, sporting a tablet-shaped black grille that departs dramatically from the familiar singleframe design that has defined the brand for years.
Here, that grille is paired with the same narrow LED headlights seen on the Concept C, alongside more traditional vertical air intakes. We’re not convinced the front of this futuristic A6 is any better than the current one, but we do really like the sultry shape of the sides with newly-designed doors, different quarter panels, and a revised belt line.
If the next generation A6 borrows as heavily from the Concept C at the rear, it could feature slim horizontal taillights and a blacked out lower bumper and diffuser section, echoing the concept’s graphic approach.
Last month, Frascella confirmed that all future Audi models will have a grille inspired by the Concept C, but acknowledged tweaks will be made to the fascias of each, ensuring they stand out and don’t all look identical. How Audi’s new design philosophy develops over the coming decade will be interesting to see, but it does appear to be on the right track.
