“The wheels make the car”

Valencia Pollex explains: “The Audi Q5¹ wheel lineup is extremely multifaceted, in part because the customers and their demands are so diverse.” He says designing the 17-inch wheels in silver was the biggest challenge: “With an aero cover for this entry-level wheel, we managed to combine advantages from both worlds: good aerodynamics and light weight.” Particularly with wheels in 19-inches and up, Audi offers nearly everything “a design-savvy customer could want, whether robust, sporty or a combination of both.” For instance, in keeping with the character of the Q5¹, there’s a very powerful-looking 20-inch five-spoke wheel and a dynamic five-double-spoke wheel. The “most expressive wheels are the forged 21-inch S-design wheels, such as the high-gloss version with elements in neodymium silk matte.”

Valencia Pollex explains his vision: “It’s an exciting time to work as a designer. Design plays an extremely important role at Audi, and yet form always has to follow function – because we want to deliver technically outstanding products to our customers. The zeitgeist is prompting us to improve vehicles’ efficiency. Wheels are a product of this interplay. Wheel design is strategic design.” Through this process, Valencia Pollex is trying to explore the limits of modern aesthetics, or even to redefine them. On top of that, he wants to tell a story through wheel design. The same is true for the new Q5¹: “The first-generation Q5¹ wheels had prominent notches in their spokes. In tribute to them, I seized on this design once again in a 19-inch version for the new Q5¹.”

But what’s the key to good design, and what does it come down to? The industrial designer explains: “Design is a craft that can be learned. Of course, it also has a lot to do with feelings and passion. But everyone involved in innovation, regardless of what field they’re in, can be just as inspired or creative as a designer. If you strictly follow a few rules, it leads to design quality which, in the best case, lends a certain timelessness to the end product.” Beyond that, technical demands such as longevity need to be taken into account. Valencia Pollex stresses: “Even after 300,000 kilometers, the wheels still have to function and look good.”

Audi also has a completely black 20-inch wheel on offer for the Q5¹. Valencia Pollex calls it the Batman wheel: “I often use superheroes to describe design approaches. Their stereotypical characteristics are well known, which saves time, and everyone knows what we’re talking about. Batman, for instance, is mysterious but morally righteous in my opinion, and a lot of people aim for that. Besides, he’s just cool.” To show the geometry of the completely black wheel, Audi developed the color black metallic. Valencia Pollex said: “This color moves between light and shadow. Just like Batman!”