Audi interiors: Subtle screens, more buttons, better quality

(Motorsport-Total.com/Motor1) – Car manufacturers rarely speak as openly as Audi did in a Motor1 interview last year, when a company representative surprisingly admitted that the brand’s interiors are no longer what they used to be. They openly admitted: “We were definitely better in terms of quality in the past.”

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In the same conversation, the premium manufacturer also promised a return to former strength: “We will get back there.” Since this interview, Audi has introduced a new design language, internally called “Strive For Clarity” and also known as “The Radical Next.”

It made its debut in the Concept C, a preview of an electric two-seater with a targa roof, which is expected to arrive next year. The interior of the sporty electric car differs significantly from the current models with the four rings. It relies on fewer screens, brings back some physical controls, and uses higher-quality materials throughout the interior.

The production-ready Concept C is intended to mark the start of Audi’s interior revolution. An attempt to bring back what made the brand’s cockpits special before creaky plastic displays and cheaper materials took over. In an interview with the Australian magazine GoAuto, the company’s CTO announced the intention to restore those qualities that once earned Audi top marks for interior design and craftsmanship.

Audi wants smaller screens and better materials

“In the future, Audi will integrate the interior design of Radical Next … we want to be very restrained with display size and tactile elements. We will place great value on real materials. If a material looks like metal, then it should be metal. We believe it is part of our DNA to also have some physical elements – buttons and rotary controls – and each of them should convey the classic Audi click and touch feel.”

Audi’s CTO pointed out that customer preferences vary depending on the global market and that there are significant differences between China and the rest of the world. This is also one of the reasons why the company, together with SAIC, has created the separate AUDI brand (without the iconic four rings) specifically for the Chinese market.

Photo series: 2025 Audi Concept C

Cars like the E5 Sportback and the E7X rely on minimalist interiors with huge screen surfaces and very few physical controls. For the rest of the world, the traditional Audi brand has announced that it will say goodbye to oversized displays and reconnect with the fascination of its interiors from the early 2000s. However, this will not happen overnight. New vehicles are developed years in advance, and their design is finalized long before the first production car rolls off the line.

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The A4 e-tron from 2028 is expected to lead the way

The first volume model to embody Audi’s new philosophy will arrive in 2028 when the A4 returns – then as a fully electric sedan. Until then, the soon-to-be-introduced flagship SUV Q9 and the electric A2 e-tron are likely to be the last representatives of the old guard, so more of the familiar can be expected there. Audi has already significantly improved the tangible quality in the Q9. Strictly speaking, however, Ingolstadt has already presented a production model that adopts the new approach.

Yes, we are talking about the Nuvolari. However, the hybrid supercar derived from the Lamborghini Temerario is limited to 499 units and therefore does not play a decisive role in the big picture. Given its character as an electric sports car, the Concept C will also not be an everyday sight, but at least its production is not limited. These two performance models serve as blueprints for what is yet to come – and we are curious to see how Audi transfers their ideas to the next generation of mass-production models.

Hopefully, other manufacturers will follow this path and realize that cost-cutting in favor of higher profit margins has its limits. When companies cross this line – and let’s be honest, most have already done so – they risk losing buyers who neither want a flood of glossy black hard plastic nor obtrusively placed screens.

The Concept C and the Nuvolari are promising steps in the right direction. However, the crucial factor will be how Audi implements its new interior philosophy in regular production models. The A4 e-tron is likely to give us a much better idea of what the marketing term “Radical Next” actually entails.

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Audi A3 (2026): This is what the new interior looks like
Audi Q7 (2026): Seat test and all information about the new edition

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Source: GoAuto