Audi creates digital RSQ e-tron for animated movie
BY ROBBIE WALLIS | 5th Nov 2018
AUDI has used the upcoming 2019 animated movie Spies in Disguise to show off a new virtual-only concept car dubbed the RSQ e-tron, which the German prestige car-maker says “embodies the visionary design language of the brand”.
The RSQ e-tron will debut in full in September 2019 when the movie is released, however a series of sketches and an image from the animation released by Audi this week shows an aggressively styled, angular two-door coupe that points to the design direction the company is taking for future supercars such as the next-generation R8.
Prominent features of the all-electric sportscar include an aggressive front bumper with an angular front splitter, extensive use of aerodynamic aids including air vents in front of the rear wheels and a wing spoiler, and massive alloy wheels.
According to Audi, the RSQ e-tron comes equipped with fully autonomous driving technology, a speedometer projected as a hologram and “special features for secret agents”, given the vehicle is driven in the movie by super-spy Lance Sterling, voiced by Will Smith.
One curious feature of the RSQ e-tron is its name – while the RS signifies its high-performance capabilities and e-tron its all-electric powertrain, the Q moniker in Audi language is reserved for SUVs – something the RSQ e-tron is certainly not.
However, it is not the first time the RSQ moniker has been used on a non-SUV – in fact it is not the first time in a Will Smith movie either. The 2004 movie I, Robot featured the RSQ concept that served as a precursor to the R8 supercar, further suggesting the RSQ e-tron may preview the next generation of R8, which is rumoured to switch to all-electric motivation.
The Marvel comics movie franchise has also been used for Audi product placements in the past, including an R8 driven by Tony Stark/Iron Man.
Audi AG head of exterior design studio three Frank Rimili said the RSQ e-tron concept, which was designed in co-operation with Blue Sky Studios, presented the opportunity to create a futuristic vehicle design.
“Audi takes a digital, forward-looking approach to the design process, both in developing fictional content and in the production modelling studio,” he said.
“At Audi Design, we combine state-of-the-art digital visualisation techniques with handmade precision. These processes enable us to implement futuristic design ideas with the same precision in the development of a fictional virtual concept vehicle such as the RSQ e-tron.”
An additional custom animated piece will be produced by Audi, Twentieth Century Fox and Blue Sky Studios in 2019.