Say what you like about Audi's styling. But it could have substituted Nurburgring endurance testing for laps of M25 bereft of prototype camo and it's unlikely anyone would have noticed. Yes, this really is the next generation A4 and, as you'll notice, it's hardly a revolutionary design step from the existing one.
What, you were expecting a revolution?
Squint and you'll see a slight sharpening of the lines and a rear end treatment pretty much identical to that of the A3 saloon. Up front expect a suitable improvement in uberholprestige from an updated DRL/headlight 'signature' too but overall the look is conservative even by Audi's standards. With this and announcement of an updated 3 Series it's clear the Germans are ready to counter the threat of the
impressive Jaguar XE
too, the battle for the nation's motorways and service station car parks about to become a proper England v. Germany showdown.
For all their seemingly different mindsets, from chatting with the Ian Callum and his colleagues at Jaguar it seems there's a great deal of mutual respect between them and their opposite numbers at Audi. Callum seemingly admires the discipline of Audi's look; for its part Audi's design team apparently respects Jaguar's more sensuous and creative edge. Who'd have thought!
Lichte: sartorially eccentric, professionally conservative
And if the A4 isn't quite the "bold new direction" promised
in the interview
our colleagues at Autocar had with Audi design boss Mark Lichte it'll certainly preach to the converted. The brand's design language may be conservative but Lichte's personal style most certainly isn't - a relatively new appointment to the role after moving across from VW last year maybe some of that eccentricity will be reflected further down the line. Then again, as lead exterior designer for Passat, Golf and Phaeton perhaps Lichte is a safer and more conservative pair of hands than his hairstyle suggests.
What of the substance beneath the new A4 though? As, again, reported in Autocar it introduces the new longitudinally engined MLB platform that will do what the MQB equivalent has for the VW group's hatchback range and underpin a vast array of models from brands across the group. In volume terms the A4 is the big one though so Audi will be damned sure to get it right. Downsized engines, the latest gizmos from the TT and other recently launched Audis will of course feature along with a choice of front- or four-wheel drive configurations and, further down the line, an Avant estate. More when we have it.
Spy pics: Stefan Baldauf/SB-Medien