Sound design for Audi’s e-tron models

Sound design for Audi’s e-tron models
Ferdinand Alexander Porsche 1935-2012
Audi’s Rockenfeller quickest on third day of DTM Hockenheim testing

Posted: 05 Apr 2012 12:20 PM PDT

AUDI 'e-sound', a realtime sound generator for electric cars, was developed in the 'acoustic test bed' facility shown

Video after the jump!

For future use in its electric ‘e-tron’ models, AUDI has developed ‘e-sound’, a realtime technique of generating synthetic motor sounds for the essentially silent vehicle in order to warn pedestrians and cyclists of the car’s proximity. while recent legislative efforts in the US are making it mandatory that companies add artificial engine sounds to electric vehicles, manufacturers are taking the requirement as an opportunity to experiment with the creation of a perfect sound signature to represent the brand.

Read the full piece on designboom

via gizmodo

The Audi e-tron Spyder at the 24 Hours of Le Mans

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Ferdinand Alexander Porsche 1935-2012

Posted: 05 Apr 2012 09:17 AM PDT

ONEIGHTURBO

Ferdinand Alexander Porsche next to Modell Typ 911 (1968)

Dr. Ing. h.c. F. Porsche AG, Stuttgart, is mourning Professor Ferdinand Alexander Porsche. The Honorary President of the Supervisory Board died on 5 April 2012 in Salzburg, aged 76. Matthias Muller, President and Chief Executive Officer of Porsche AG, paid tribute to Ferdinand Alexander Porsche’s services to the sports car manufacturer: “We mourn the death of our partner, Ferdinand Alexander Porsche. As the creator of the Porsche 911, he established a design culture in our company that has shaped our sports cars to this very day. His philosophy of good design is a legacy to us that we will honor for all time.”

Ferdinand Alexander Porsche was born in Stuttgart on 11 December 1935, the oldest son of Dorothea and Ferry Porsche. Even his childhood was shaped by cars, and he spent much of his time in the engineering offices and development workshops of his grandfather Ferdinand Porsche. In 1943 the family accompanied the Porsche company’s move to Austria, where he went to school in Zell am See. After returning to Stuttgart in 1950, he attended the private Waldorf school. After leaving school, he enrolled at the prestigious Ulm School of Design.

Ferry Porsche (left) in his office with his son Ferdinand Alexander Porsche (ca. 1960)

In 1958, F.A. Porsche, as he was known by his colleagues, joined the engineering office of what was then Dr. Ing. h.c. F. Porsche KG. He soon proved his great talent for design by sculpting the first model of a successor to the 356 model line out of plasticine. In 1962 he took over as head of the Porsche design studio, creating a worldwide furore one year later with the Porsche 901 (or 911). With the Porsche 911, F.A. Porsche created a sports car icon whose timeless and classical form survives to this very day in what is now the seventh 911 generation. However, in addition to passenger cars, F.A. Porsche also concerned himself with designing the sports cars of the 1960s. His best-known designs include the Type 804 Formula One racing car or the Porsche 904 Carrera GTS, now considered to be one of the most beautiful racing cars ever.

Ferdinand Alexander Porsche in his Designoffice (1963) Porsche 904 Carrera GTS

In the course of the conversion of Porsche KG into a joint-stock corporation in 1971/72, Ferdinand Alexander Porsche, along with all the other family members, stood down from the company’s front-line business operations. In 1972 he founded the “Porsche Design Studio” in Stuttgart, the head office of which was relocated to Zell am See in Austria in 1974. In the decades that followed, he designed numerous classic gentlemen’s accessories such as watches, spectacles and writing implements that achieved global recognition under the “Porsche Design” brand. In parallel, with his team, he designed a plethora of industrial products, household appliances and consumer durables for internationally renowned clients under the brand “Design by F.A. Porsche”. A strong and clear design concept typifies all product designs created in his design studio to date. The credo of his design work was: “Design must be functional and functionality has to be translated visually into aesthetics, without gags that have to be explained first.” F.A. Porsche: “A coherently designed product requires no adornment; it should be enhanced by its form alone.” The design’s appearance should be readily comprehensible and not detract from the product and its function. His conviction was: “Good design should be honest.”

Ferdinand Alexander Porsche (1989)

Ferdinand Alexander Porsche received numerous honors and awards both for his work as a designer as well as for individual designs. For example, in 1968 the “Comite Internationale de Promotion et de Prestige” honored him for the outstanding aesthetic design of the Porsche 911 while the Industrial Forum Design Hannover (iF) voted him “Prizewinner of the Year” in 1992. In 1999, the President of Austria bestowed on him the title of Professor.

Ferdinand Alexander Porsche retained a close lifelong association with Porsche AG as a partner and member of the Supervisory Board. For example, even after stepping down from front-line business operations, he contributed to the design of Porsche’s sports cars over many decades and repeatedly steered the company in the right direction. This was especially the case for the difficult period Porsche experienced at the beginning of the 1990s. From 1990 to 1993, F.A. Porsche served as President of the company’s Supervisory Board, thus playing a major role in Porsche A.G’s economic turnaround. In 2005, he stood down from his Supervisory Board role in favor of his son Oliver and assumed the mantle of Honorary President of the Supervisory Board.

Ferdinand Alexander Porsche will be buried in the family grave at Schuttgut in Zell am See, attended by his immediate family. An official funeral service will be held in Stuttgart at a later date.

Ferry Porsche (left) with his eldest son Ferdinand Alexander in the rear of the Porsche Typ 356 A Carrera Hardtop (1958)

Ferdinand Alexander Porsche turns 75

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Audi’s Rockenfeller quickest on third day of DTM Hockenheim testing

Posted: 04 Apr 2012 01:30 PM PDT

ONEIGHTURBO

Schaeffler Audi A5 DTM (Audi Sport Team Phoenix), Mike Rockenfeller

On the third of the four ITR test days at the Hockenheimring, Mike Rockenfeller set the fastest lap time. On his fastest lap, the Audi driver crossed the line in 1:33.027 minutes, thus being 0.146 seconds faster than Mercedes-Benz junior Christian Vietoris who made his first appearance in the Hockenheim tests, today. Third position on the time sheets was secured by Audi’s rookie Adrien Tambay.

Oneighturbo Audi DTM Adrien Tambay 120402 7221

Apart from Vietoris, Jamie Green (Mercedes-Benz) and Bruno Spengler (BMW) also completed their first test laps, on Wednesday. The two former team-mates finished fourth and fifth respectively. Meanwhile, Andy Priaulx (BMW), Susie Wolff (Mercedes-Benz), Joey Hand (BMW) and David Coulthard (Mercedes-Benz) also joined the test action only today. Rockenfeller was not only the quickest of day three but also the one who completed the biggest number of laps. His 122 laps at the 4.567-kilometre Grand Prix circuit represented a total mileage of 557.174 kilometres.