Automotive Design and Production

MAY 2014

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23 combine this with some sex appeal, some sensual design." Which brings them to designing the various lines and creases in the car, to providing tension in select surfaces. He notes, "We don't design just with lines, but with light and shadow, as well."* The sheet metal of the body side has a crisp line running from the top edge of the LED headlamp back along to the top of the tail lamp. It has a small radius. "We always made the lines really, really sharp," Garand says, and recalls that when they talked to the people in production who would have to stamp the body panels, they were concerned that it couldn't be done. He explains that the toolmakers had to apply some knowhow because given the sharpness of the lines, there would be a tendency for the steel to wrinkle in the areas where the tool frst hits the metal; this wasn't something that could be reworked, so the stamping has to be performed correctly from the start. (The A3 Sedan is produced at Audi Hungaria in Györ, Hungary. To accommodate it and other models, Audi invested some €900-million to build a new two-million m2 production facility that includes a stamping, body, paint, and assembly shops.) *Speaking of sexiness, Garand cites the 2006 version of the James Bond movie Casino Royale. Specifcally, a point at 1:04:44 in the movie when Bond is wearing a tailored dinner jacket from Vesper Lynd. "He knows he looks good. She knows she made the right decision. They feel great. Good and confdent. This is how we feel about the car." t Audi made a €900-million investment in its factory in Hungary to manufacture the A3 Sedan (and other models). Shown here is a robotic laser welding station installed in the plant. q LED headlamps, an original Audi design cue, are available on the A3 Sedan. u Although the A3 may be the entry vehicle in the U.S. Audi showroom, the Audi A1 is available in other markets. Consequently, from a global perspective, this is not an entry-level car for Audi. As a result, the car is available with features including actual aluminum, high-end Bang & Olufsen audio, AT&T; 4G LTE connectivity, and Google Earth-based navigation. 0514ADP FEATURE Audi.indd 23 4/22/2014 1:31:05 PM

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