Audi book

www.audi.in

magazine India 02/2012

electric fashion on the driveway

This issue is also available for iPad on the iTunes App Store.

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Publisher Audi India, Division of Volkswagen Group Sales India Pvt. Ltd.,Mumbai 400 051, India, www.audi.in, in cooperation with AUDI AG, 85045 Ingolstadt, Germany Responsible for Audi India Michael Perschke, Clemens Ollmert Project Coordination Audi India Srishti Sawhney, Mohan K. Wilson, Smriti Somani International Coordination Anja Weinhofer, Julia Risch Publishing House & Concept loved gmbh, 20457 Hamburg, Germany info@loved.de, www.loved.de Editor-in-Chief Sabine Cole Creative Direction Mieke Haase, Rouven Steinke Art Direction Julia-Christin Holtz Editors Jan Strahl (Duty Editor), Hermann J. Müller, Christiane Tillmann, Mimi-Rosa Stave,Timo Ahrens (Final Editing)

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The Audi Q3 represents a unique species in its class

Authors Ulf Pape, Christoph Schulte,Philipp Wente Layout Kristin Eichmann, Anke Meier, Alexandra Westphal

It takes nearly 450 hours of work to build the heavily armored Audi A8 L Security limousine for customers that need more

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Pocket watches from luxe brands

Publication Manager Peter Matz Picture Editors Penélope Toro English Adaptation Burton, Münch & Partner, 40549 Düsseldorf, Germany, mail@BMPwriters.com Cover Photograph AUDI AG

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Audi engineers answer Adui drivers‘ questions

Lithography Otterbach Medien KG GmbH & Co., 76409 Rastatt, Germany, Tel. 07222/952-0, info@otterbach.de Printing J. Fink Druck GmbH, 73760 Ostfi ldern, Germany, R.Kubitza@jfi nk.de No responsibility will be accepted for unsolicited manuscripts and photos received.

Despite careful selection of sources, no responsibility can be taken for accuracy. No part of this magazine may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission. The vehicle specifi cations listed apply to the German market. 2011 Audi magazine. All rights reserved.

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to our readers

Michael Perschke Head of Audi India

A new year has begun—that’s according to both the Hindu and the Gregorian calendar. Diwali marks the end of the harvest season in most of India and the begin-ning of a new economic cycle. First of all, let’s look back and rate our performance over the past season. 2011 has been a fantastic year, which has seen many new launches and innovations from Audi including the grand Audi A8 L, the Audi RS5—the “Beast”— and the all-new Audi A6. Sales have been outstanding in the past year, surpassing our expectations. We attribute our solid sales growth to our philosophy of thinking ahead of the curve as well as our ability to bring innovative and progressive products to India.

Clearly, the “Audi eff ect” is based on a strong brand pull, high quality, modern design, network growth and loy-al customers. Or, in the words of John Abraham who played on our Audi India football team in the Audi

Generation Cup: “a car that is fuel-effi cient, that is kind to the environment, but also a car that gives you a lot of style” (p. 64).

And we have more fi reworks in store for 2012. We are confi dent that we are on track with our vision of be-coming the No. 1 luxury car manufacturer in India by 2015 at the latest. We are focusing on strengthening our pres-ence in India and have embarked on an expansion strategy in the country.

We have opened three new showrooms in Surat, Ludhiana and Indore in the last quarter. The brand is aiming to strengthen its national footprint to 25 dealer-ships by the end of 2012 and further enhance its product portfolio over the course of the year.

We are excited to be bringing a new model of the Q family to India. The Auto Expo in New Delhi will serve as an ideal backdrop for showcasing this much-anticipated car launch.

Clemens Ollmert

Head of Marketing, Audi India

People stay up to speed—that’s what we’ve discov-ered over recent months. The Audi India Facebook page has trumped all competitors, winning the largest following among luxury brands. In total, close to 200,000 people have become fans of Audi India, keeping abreast of news about events, VIPs and products. And it’s not just social media that interests people. To bring our fans in India the Audi experience from the 2011 Frankfurt Motor Show (IAA), we leveraged online platforms such as Twitter and Facebook to share live up-dates and pictures from the show. We also created a spe-cial microsite about the IAA—and received an overwhelm-ing response with over 20,000 people visiting the site in just four days. An online poll on the site inquired which of the Audi cars showcased at Frankfurt should be the next to be launched in India. Of the total number of votes cast,

over 60 percent were for that picture of streamlined prac-ticality, the new Audi Q3, making it the most sought-after new model from the Audi portfolio in India.

So here we are. Our fans’ wishes are our command. The new Audi Q3 will not only be showcased at the New Delhi Auto Expo but can also be enjoyed in this issue. For more on this compelling car, go to page 12.What fans in India really want right now is true sportiness. That’s why we are actively engaging in sports events in India. In our very fi rst issue, we described the hundreds of talented kids in Kolkata who applied for the chance to join the FC Bayern Football School in summer 2011. Now we are delighted to present to you the “lucky six” who visited not only Germany but also the best Ger-man football club and witnessed top international players in action at the Audi Cup (p. 44). audi.in

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time travel Words jo clahsen Photos antonina gern

Once a year, a vast English park is transformed into the world’s largest garden party for historic cars, with the Earl of March’s country estate resembling a 1940s–1960s film set, complete with period costumes and racecars.

unday morning, about one-and-a-half hours southwest of London by car. A man in a hat, tweed jacket and knickerbockers exits a Rolls-Royce Phantom and opens the rear door. A delicate pair of ladies’ legs emerges, clad in high heels, followed by a voluminous petticoat, a wasp waist, the remainder of the boldly polka-dotted dress, and finally a happy, beaming face. The second woman wears tall pumps, fishnet stockings, a form-

hugging black outfit complete with mink stole, and a hat with a birdcage veil. Is this a time machine or some sort of parallel universe?

Neither. The “Goodwood Revival” is the title of this event, which could easily pass for the set of the latest James Ivory period film. The festival’s overriding theme – with respect to both fashion and cars – is the 1940s, 50s and 60s. The word “revival” truly encapsulates the festival experience, which immerses visitors

Young female visitors strike poses that match their period outfits (above). Others watch the airshow that is one of the Goodwood Revival’s fringe events (facing page)

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Pit crew team members and photographers intently follow one of the many races (top) that pit rare classic sports cars against one another (below)

in the trappings of the postwar era, a period often recalled in the United Kingdom as the “good old days”.

Those familiar with the name Goodwood can generally be divided into three categories.

First are the members of the European aristocracy who know Lord March personally.

He lives here, and his family’s auto racing pedigree dates back to the 1930s, when his grandfather first organized races in Goodwood House’s sprawling grounds. The second group includes those already acquainted with the Festival of Speed, the weekend gathering which takes place every summer and attracts hordes of auto racing fans anxious to watch the likes of Formula 1 drivers Nico Rosberg and Jenson Button ply their speedy trade.

Then there’s the third group, those for whom vintage automobiles are a passion, including Lord March himself and other high-profile aficionados. This group actually numbers quite

a few: 140,000 classic car devotees showed up at this year’s Goodwood Revival – the retro cousin of the Festival of Speed – whose events have since 1998 unfolded against the backdrop of throaty roars from mighty racing engines.

That’s because, when Lord March issues his annual revival announcement, he’s not merely referring to a genteel exhibition of classic automobiles polished to a mirror-like shine; he’s also talking about over a dozen competitive races involving roadworthy classic racecars. Picture an assortment of cars and motorcycles, each one worth as much as a good-sized house, hurtling around the short racing circuit, piloted not only by young ambitious racecar drivers, but also by grayhaired legends. No place else on Earth boasts a higher per capita concentration of famous racecar drivers than idyllic Goodwood (nor a greater concentration of people dressed in

At Goodwood, every vehicle is a classic – right down to the strollers

1940s–1960s period clothing). Whether it’s Giacomo Agostini, 15-time world champion motorcyclist, German racecar drivers Hans Herrmann and Jochen Mass, or Formula 1 legend Sir Stirling Moss, who celebrated his 82nd birthday on Saturday of this year’s revival, everybody – and that really means everybody – is here.

At present, however, there’s still no sign of the boisterous, colorful, crazy pageant to come. Rather than engine rumblings and constant noise, a peaceful calm pervades the sweet country air. Gradually, though, the sounds of new arrivals start filtering in. Newly arrived classic cars park in a specially reserved area. The atmosphere is respectful, the cars valuable and the clothing stylish – all evoking an era before the concept of unisex crossed anyone’s mind. Trousers don’t belong to a typical woman’s attire here, although clearly many a devoted wife has hand-tailored a pair for her husband, and in some cases even sewn entire, historically accurate collections for her children.

A bit further away on the race track’s infield, an atmosphere approaching hushed reverence is setting in. The sheer number of automotive gems on display is overwhelming.

Sparkling radiantly in the early morning sunlight, for example, is a Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR: despite its similar name, this racecar – in which Stirling Moss captured the Mille Miglia in 1955 – is not related to the famed 300 SL Gullwing, but is a sibling of the W 196.

At Goodwood, Sir Stirling himself delighted the fans by taking the Silver Arrow for a spin around the track. In honor of Juan Manuel Fangio, who made auto racing history in the 1950s teamed with Mercedes-Benz and who would have been 100 this year (see article page 3), his nephew Juan Manuel Fangio II took part in a demonstration run – in a 1954 Mercedes-Benz W 196 R Streamliner. Hans Herrmann also piloted an open-wheeled version of the W 196 R around the course. Fangio captured a total of nine races driving the two W 196 models.

More early risers arrive and stroll reverentially through the paddock. In addition to civilian fashions dating from the era when these classic cars first rolled off the assembly line, military uniforms of every variety abound, from admirals to World War II nurses. Furs, audi.in

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Pit crew team members and photographers intently follow one of the many races (top) that pit rare classic sports cars against one another (below)

parasols, walking sticks and an astonishingly broad array of hats – together with digital cameras and disposable coffee cups – form a unique visual collage that could only exist at Goodwood.

Suddenly, throaty murmurs issue from high-performance engines springing to life, index fingers poised on throttle controls setting the tempo for the powerful crescendo.

A Ferrari 250 roars; a Shelby American Cobra gasps for air.

Outside, at the other end of the pedestrian tunnels leading to the race course, the revival market is showing signs of life – featuring shops outfitted in the post-war style. Slowly but surely the crowd migrates towards the paddock, past “mods” perched atop shiny motor scooters, past a display window behind which a Rolls-Royce hood ornament is taking shape. There’s a barbershop, a store with period lingerie, and even a historically accurate supermarket selling specially made food and drinks from a bygone era.

As classic motorcycles roll up to the starting line for the day’s first race, a half-dozen vintage Spitfire fighter planes roar off into the sky.

Noblesse oblige – and Goodwood certainly does. This isn’t some sort of secondclass side show Lord March is putting on; it’s entertainment on an epic scale. Suddenly the heavens open up, and a steady downpour makes the classic course – which regularly hosted races between 1948–1966 – even more demanding for the drivers. Much to the onlookers’ delight, there’s plenty of skidding, and as three racers roar towards the narrow chicane almost right next to each other, the spectators hold their collective breath.

By the afternoon, the mélange of headgear, tulle and engines has reached its zenith.

Spectacle, raucous public festival, genteel picnic party – Goodwood is all of these.

Whether the participants are the slightly inebriated sort or those who maintain the traditional British “stiff upper lip”, Goodwood brings a motley crowd together. As evening approaches, the revival market shuts its doors and the spectators return to the parking lot, happy and relaxed. A few hours later, the last car door slams shut, and picturesque Goodwood slips back into the cozy fairytale slumber of a Rosamunde Pilcher novel. audi.in

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New models, new technology and company news

Audi wins International Engine of the Year award.

For the seventh time in a row, Audi has brought home the title International Engine of the Year for its TFSI® technol-ogy. A jury of 76 motoring journalists voted the Audi 2.5-liter TFSI power plant best in the 2 to 2.5-liter class. Available in the Audi RS 3 Sportback as well as the TT RS Coupé and Roadster, it features two core Audi technologies—turbocharging and FSI® direct gasoline injection. What’s more, with its displacement of 2,480 cubic centimeters, this engine produces 340 horse-power between 5,400 and 6,500 rpm and peak torque of 450 newton-meters from 1,600 to 5,300 rpm. www.audi.com/rs3

New Audi dealerships in India.

Audi is growing worldwide, and especially in India.

This was clearly evident at the openings of two worldclass showrooms in Ludhiana and Surat. Based on the distinc-tive Audi Terminal concept, the showrooms extended over a total area of 40,000 square feet in Ludhiana and 22,650 square feet in Surat. They represent two more milesto-nes on the road to a total of 18 dealerships in 2011. The aim is to increase to 25 locations in 2012. In the course of the expansion, Audi and its dealer partners will hire at least 600 employees. “The opening of a new Audi show-room in Surat underlines our unwavering commitment to off ering customers a luxury experience that truly refl ects our core brand values of progressiveness, high quality and sportiness,” said Michael Perschke, Head of Audi India.

Davos Audi India delegation at WEF in Davos in 2012.

AUDI AG has been the exclusive shuttle partner to the World Eco-nomic Forum in Davos since 1987. At the upcoming 2012 WEF, Audi will once again seize the opportunity to demonstrate ‘Vorsprung durch Tech-nik’ to the business and opinion leaders of the world who will be meeting and debating in Switzerland. Just like last year, the 2012 annual meeting of the World Economic Forum held from January 25 to 29 will include a strong Indian delegation. www.weforum.org

Bhutia Last match of National Football Team Captain.

He has been a role model in his entire foot-ball career when it comes to skills and fairplay. And he is still rated as the torchbearer of Indian football in the international arena. Now Baichung Bhutia visited the Audi Generation Cup, watched his friend John Abraham play football and com-mented on his performance. He also talked about his retirement from his international career. The Indian football legend will wear the jersey of the national team for the last time on January 10, 2012 playing his farewell match against German football team FC Bayern Munich which was Euro-pean Champions League fi nalist in 2010.

AUDI - INDIA Future of Change contest starts successful.

Audi India in collaboration with INDIA Future of Change is featur-ing a series of multi-disciplinary contests that reach out to students of leading business and design schools across India. Offi cially launched in August 2011, AUDI - INDIA Future of Change aims to foster and reward creativity and innovation among engineering, design and management students and young professionals.

The multi-disciplinary contests aim to encourage the participants to develop innovative ideas to ‘Design an Audi for the Indian metropolis of 2015’ and off er solutions for ‘Making Audi India’s No.1 Luxury car brand by 2015’.

DUBAI Audi quattro Cup in India.

More than 1,200 amateur golfers from India participated at the 11 regional rounds of the Audi quattro Cup. At this ama-teur golf contest in total 52 countries organ-ize over 760 tournaments involving nearly 90,000 competitors. At the national fi nals in Dubai 44 winners from the regional rounds battled for the possibility to represent India’s amateur golfers at the international fi nals at Mission Hills club in Shenzhen, China. These lucky ones were Lokesh Jayas-wal and Srikanth Rao from Hyderabad. The results from Shezhen were not available at the time of going to press.

Watch 20 years of Audi quattro Cup at youtube.com/audiofi ndia

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Old times, glorious future Words meghna sharma

Exceptional craftsmanship, understated elegance & past treasure – the pocket watch has found its place in the

Ulysse Nardin’s Locle & Geneve Chronometre

Not very long ago, carrying a pocket watch would have made you look like a time traveller from a different century, or worse, someone caught in a Hollywood character of the era gone by. Talk today, and you’d notice that the pocket watch has achieved the status of a beautiful and iconic object in its own right.

But how did this astoundingly modern twist occur? “Refurbishing the best from each era and consistently capturing the latest trends is one of our biggest responsibilities,” express the master watchmakers of the world. So, whether the loved treasure is nestling in your pocket or hanging around the neck, it is now a symbol of your ideology of looking at time differently rather than simply wearing it on the wrist.

In 2001, nearly 100 years after it was created, one of the rarest and most significant timepieces - Grand Complication No. 42500 - that had left the A. Lange & Söhne manufactory was brought back in a pitiful state. Jan Sliva, in-house head, Lange pocket watches and the man who restored the precious junk, says, “We looked at it as a chance to preserve the ingenuity of our fathers and forefathers for the coming generations. It took us nine years to restore it.”

Believe it or not but the horologists across the world have dedicated themselves to the work of saving and reviving the best for the posterity. In a small workshop nestled under the roof of the Audemars Piguet Museum, in Le Brassus, Switzerland, Jean-Charles Bratschi

makes old-fashioned pocket watches. It takes him almost a year to build these exceptional timepieces. Alone in his workshop, a glasswalled room on the top floor of the Museum, Bratschi creates pocket watches in their entirety using traditional craftsmanship.

More than ten years after the production of Girard-Perregaux’s Tourbillons, the brand has now unveiled a new expression of this unique savoir-faire. Stefano Macaluso, president, Girard-Perregaux, says, “I’m extremely proud of our three gold Bridges Tourbillon pocket watch. It’s one of the highest achievement in GP’s art of watchmaking. It’s not only a collector’s piece but a tribute to the first three gold Bridges Tourbillon of Constant Girard, which was awarded a gold medal at the Paris Universal Exhibition in 1889.” The result of more than a year’s work by a talented watchmaker, this creation is a window onto the past, revealing exceptional craftsmanship. oberoihotels.com

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Flower petals make for luxurious additions to salads, lemonades, gins, tonics, et al

Vacheron Constantin (VC) too revisited the golden age of pocket watches to present a model featuring a classic design. The Patrimony Contemporaine pocket watch created by VC – issued in a limited edition of 50 individually numbered watches – is a sensual timepiece with gentle curves and is equipped with the new mechanical proprietary Calibre 4400. It embodies a philosophy that has remained unchanged through 250 years of history.

A more modern interpretation of the pocket watch is Hublot’s Masterpiece MP-03 Liberty, which is in the form of a gun cartridge.

“More watchmaking, mastery and innovation,” this is how Jean-Claude Biver, CEO, Hublot, defines the future of the brand. He adds, “The Masterpiece houses a Tourbillon. It symbolises power and luxury, and the promise of escaping conventional interpretation. The MP-03 is a contemporary interpretation of the traditional pocket watches.” Even LUC Louis-

Ulysse of the Swiss jewellery house Chopard transforms from a pocket watch into a (rather large) wristwatch simply by clipping it on to a wrist strap. It has a pocket watch movement designed in collaboration with the Geneva Watchmaking School and is based on a Chopard patent from 1912 for a “convertible” model.

Ulysse Nardin’s Locle & Geneve Chronometre is another fine pocket watch.

A dazzling piece in 18K pink gold and silver, it was specially designed for the Chicago exhibition in 1893 and is admired for its beauty even a century later. Truly phenomenal as much for its mechanism and for its looks, is Breguet’s Classique 1907. Assuming the highest title among Grandes Complications, it is accompanied by one of Breguet’s greatest inventions: the Tourbillon. This timepiece, which houses an entirely new manually wound movement produced at the audi.in

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with alice in wonderland Words Chandler Burr

In 1961, a small shop called Diptyque opened on the Boulevard Saint-Germain in Paris. It was the creation of three friends, all artistes and dreamers: Desmond Knox-Leet was a painter, Yves Coueslant, a theatrical set designer and Cristiane Gautrot, a textile designer. They sold potpourri they’d found in London alongside 1960s’ children’s toys, fabrics they had designed and whatever else they found interesting.

None of the three knew anything about perfumery, but they loved scents, and they eventually asked a perfumer to create one for their label. In 1963, Diptyque’s first scented candle, Aubepine, joined the fanciful articles at the shop. Five years later, the co-founders added their first scent, L’Eau. Shadowy and deeply silent, it pushed the eau de cologne genre – the citrus-and-aromatic formula – into a strange and interesting place.

The perfume collection grew. L’Autre, which Knox-Leet, Coueslant and Gautrot commissioned from perfumer Serge Kalouguine, came out in 1973. It was a superspice; coriander and cardamom heaped on caraway and patchouli. L’Autre was truly a blow to the senses. Its beauty took an extreme form: thick, resolutely opaque and almost dangerous. L’Eau Trois, another Kalouguine creation, followed in 1975. An aromatic, it featured a generous helping of myrrh. The effect was like sorcery’s aftermath.

At first, Diptyque’s scents were simply another part of its whimsical inventory. But by the late 1980s, the shop exclusively sold candles and scents. The central theme of its scents is exquisite, indefinable strangeness – a

Diptyque may not be a household name when it comes to perfumes but the brand’s latest offering, the Vetyverio, is

marvelous, refreshingly different tack from the high-gloss, flash-bulb perfumes that luxury brands tout in glossy magazines. (Diptyque does not advertise its scents.) As such, the Diptyque collection is one of the most interesting on the market. Smelling one’s way through it is like entering Wonderland as Alice, having downed the small bottle marked ‘Drink Me’. Not all the scents are wearable; or, to put it differently, some are wearable – but only if you’re one of the delightfully odd creatures Alice might meet.

Lately, Diptyque has begun to depart from this inaccessibility, offering scents that are not only eminently wearable but are works of limpid, crystalline artistry. Olfactory artist Olivier Pescheux created three of its newest eaux de cologne – L’Eau de Neroli, L’Eau des Hesperides and L’Eau de Tarocco – and they are small marvels. Pescheux, starting from the same template as 1968’s L’Eau, brought Diptyque into a different orbit: instead of darkness, silence and opacity, the newer and brighter order features less menace. However, the scents remain slightly strange.

© 2010 Chandler Burr Chandler Burr is the perfume critic for T: The New York Times Style Magazine and author of “The Emperor of Scent,” “The Perfect Scent” and a novel, “You or Someone Like You.”) Distributed by The New York Times

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a new Q is born Words Hermann J. Müller Photos Rouven Steinke

Sporty driving dynamics and progressive designcombined in a compact body—welcome to a whole new dimension in the SUV segment. The Audi Q3 represents a unique species in its class.

Merriam-Webster, that traditionally authoritative source of American English, defi nes an SUV as “a rugged automotive vehicle similar to a station wagon but built on a light truck chassis.” The Oxford English Dictionary pegs it succinctly as a “high-performance four-wheel-drive vehi-cle.” Neither is technically incorrect—nor does either do jus-tice to the conceptual variety of vehicles on off er in the SUV class. Nowadays there’s a huge number of generously-pro-portioned high-riders on the market, to which Audi has con-tributed two major players in the Audi Q5 and the Audi Q7.Now the brand with the four rings has added a third mem-ber to the ranks: the Audi Q3.

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28 After all, times change, and so have the expecta-tions of a new generation of drivers.

A car should be pow-erful but not ponderous, light but not to be taken lightly, generous but not a Goliath. That was the mandate for the Audi Q3—and an acknowledgement of the fact that three letters are simply not enough to do justice to the latest ad-dition by Audi to this segment. One glance is all it takes to spot its exceptional qualities. The Audi Q3 doesn’t just look fresh and compact—it is. “Great doesn’t have to mean big,” says its designer, Christian Winkelmann, and at just 4.39 meters long, the design of the body accordingly bears no resemblance to those awkward, boxy vehicles so common-ly found in the SUV segment.

Quite the opposite: With its strongly rearwardsloping roofl ine and its forward-leaning silhouette, the Audi Q3 feels much more like a coupé—an association underscored by its wide C pillar, which makes the vehicle appear fl atter overall. The belt line rising to-ward the rear and the optically contrasting wheel arches plus the vertically-oriented Singleframe grille and sloping rear window emphasize its sporty character.

The complete package projects an overall sporty feel while its aerodynamic sophistication aff ords a very functional benefit.

“Treat resistance as a challenge” was the task project aerodynamicist Dr. Thomas Schütz set himself. Taking the rear end of the Audi Q3 as an exam-ple, he debunks an old prejudice: “Spoilers are no longer a cheap fallback these days, they are design elements.” But they still perform an essential function: With a drag coef-fi cient of 0.32, the Audi Q3 sets a new benchmark in its class. At the same time, the proportions between its glass surfaces and body, plus the wrap-around tailgate and overall muscular presence so typical of Audi, clearly announce this newcomer as a member of the Q family.

The same is true of its interior, where the Audi DNA is expressed in both the sterling workmanship and the strongly horizontal emphasis of the slim dashboard. Inte-rior designer Christian Becker made it his chief

Designer Christian Winkelmann.

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Drive two engines specially for the Audi Q3, both as powerful as they are ef-fi cient, both directly injected and turbocharged—from the 2.0 TDI delivering 177 horsepower to the 2.0 TFSI® with 211 horsepower. These engines will be paired with quattro® permanent all-wheel drive and a seven-speed S tronic®, which switches gears at lightning speed. The results speak for themselves: In terms of response, power delivery and top speed, all the engines produce the subjective sense that you’re driving a very fast and highly maneuverable car. But all this feisty spirit doesn’t mean sacrifi cing economy. Each model in the new series comes equipped with a whole raft of features that boost its effi ciency even further: The intelligent start-stop system and recuperation, electrome-chanical steering, tires with improved rolling resistance and consumptionoptimized transmission all make for thrift.

The sporty overall feel is further enhanced by yet another Audi specialty. In the Audi Q3, intelligent light-weight construction doesn’t stop with the body. From the forged alloy wheels and front fl ap to the chassis components, almost everything in the car contains aluminum. This, in addition to the vehicle’s exemplary low weight,also enables perfect axial load distribution and an optimal center of gravity—and fi lls its creators with unabashed pride. Dr. Heiko Wetter, project leader complete vehicle for the Audi Q3: “Once again it’s the ideal mix, the perfect bal-ance, that lets the Audi Q3 cut around even the sharpest of turns so lightly and nimbly. That makes it the new ace in its class in terms of driving dynamics.”

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In short: Sporty, progressive design coupled with generous ground clearance and the high seats, superior driving performance despite low consumption numbers—that’s a combination you wouldn’t have expected in a tra-ditional SUV. And who knows, maybe the new expectations Audi has brought to the new Audi Q3 might help those dictionaries make more sophisticated distinctions in their defi nition of an SUV down the line.

box Engine EngineAudi Q3 2.0 TFSI (211 hp) Audi Q3 2.0 TDI (177 hp) Drive/transmission Quattro permanent all-wheel drive, Seven-speed S tronic.

Standard equipmentIncludes 16-inch forged-aluminum wheels optimized for weight reduc-tion, dynamic chassis, electromechanical steering, auto air conditioning, chorus radio, front, side and head airbag.

Optional extras Include connectivity package,

mission “to create a sense of security in an increasingly complex world.” And he fulfi lled that mission completely: As in the Audi A7 Sportback and Audi A6, a continuous belt line highlights the wrap-around principle. What’s also new to the Q fam-ily is the pop-up display familiar from other Audi models,which lends the cockpit a cleaner and more sophisticated feel. Additional special accents include the new leather-covered sports steering wheel in the signature Q three-spoke design.

The true performance qualities of the Audi Q3, however, don’t become fully evident until you press the starter button on the center console. “Spirit and effi cien-cy shouldn’t be mutually exclusive; they should create a consistent whole,” was the goal Dr. Heiko Wetter, project leader for the Audi Q3, kept in mind while engineering the new vehicle. This goal was put into action by engine developer Marc Deblaize: True to his imperative, “reduce weight, increase performance,” he optimized

Audi Sound System, Audi parking sys-tems, deluxe air conditioning.

More images of the Audi Q3 can be found on the Audi magazine iPad app.

See footage with the Audi Q3 in action at www.audi.tv.

(L) Master of the motor: Drive developer Marc Deblaize.

(R) Electronics expert Petr Kozak.

Find several fi lm clips about the Audi Q life at www.youtube.com/ audiofi ndia. audi.in

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Munich’s newfound livability can be summed up in the Westend

touring munich Words Evan Rail

Want to tour a beer garden or cry over fiery dosas at an Indian restaurant... head to Munich.

We offer a 36-hour fun trip of the historic city

Munich is a major destination for beer lovers, history buffs and music fans, but lately the Bavarian capital has been recognised as a great place to live. Monocle magazine ranked it the world’s most livable city in 2007, citing its high-quality housing, low crime and ‘general feeling of Gemutlichkeit.’ Its public transportation was recently deemed Europe’s best by a leading automobile club. And its storied beer culture is so ubiquitous that Lufthansa just installed its own beer garden at the Munich airport.

Friday 4 pm WESTENDERS Munich’s newfound livability can be summed up in the Schwanthalerhohe, aka the Westend, a mixed-use neighbourhood with an attractive blend of artists’ studios, cafes and immigrant communities. Take the area’s pulse while perusing the English-language titles at Kunst & Textwerk, a bookstore and cafe with comfortable couches and chairs for browsers.

Next, stop by the ateliers of Stefanie Duckstein, a quirky artist, and Beatrice Pedersen, a

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The decor is dark, sparse and minimalist, leaving plenty of

The decor is dark, sparse and minimalist, leaving plenty of space for the enthusiastic student

Swedish-born ceramicist who makes ornate porcelain bowls by hand. And for a pick-me-up, the Marais is a cafe cum antiques store where you can shop for glass pitchers (Rs 570 approximately) while sipping your milchkaffee.

7.30 pm TEUTONIC PLATES For more than a century, the luxury Bayerischer Hof has been one of the city’s best addresses. Last September, the hotel’s seeand-be-seen garden restaurant reopened with a cool new decor – modern, open and airy that feels like a cross between an Apple Store and a greenhouse. The menu was freshened up, too, with refined Mediterranean and German cuisine that looks south for inspiration. Dishes include a black-rice risotto with braised cherry tomatoes and leeks, a hearty oxtail ravioli and a praline panna cotta.

Dinner for two Rs 11,000 approximately.

10 pm ROOM TO DANCE Yes, the crowd might be young, but the tracks of hard techno and trance played at Neuraum (Arnulfstrasse; neuraum.net), a monstrous new dance club, can actually be surprisingly cool and sophisticated. Set in a bomb-shelter-like space under the main bus station, the club claims to have room for more than 2,000 revellers, spread over various rooms and floors. The decor is dark, sparse and minimalist, leaving plenty of space for the enthusiastic student crowd to dance, drink and check one another out.

Saturday 10 am SCIENCE, NEW AND OLD The Deutsches Museum (Museumsinsel; deutsches-museum.de) was already one of the world’s largest technology and science museums. Then, last fall, it added a wing, the Zentrum Neue Technologien, devoted

to pioneering nano and bio-technology.

Learn with touchscreens and hands-on demonstrations, then have some fun gawking at the Messerschmitts and Fieseler flying bombs in the vast aviation room next door.

12.30 pm RUSTIC RESTAURANT A few minutes walk from the museum will take you to the Glockenbachviertel, a familyand gay-friendly neighbourhood with lots of shops and cafes that can easily make you consider a much longer stay. Peruse the real estate section of Suddeutsche Zeitung, the South German newspaper, with the young families, gay couples and students at Maria Cafe (Klenzestrasse 97), a rustic restaurant at one end of Klenzestrasse, the area’s main drag. There’s no rush, as the breakfast menu is served until 6 pm, overlapping both the regular lunch menu and daily specials like a big green salad with fragrant grilled porcini (` 350 approximately) and fettuccine and trout in creamy dill sauce (` 480 approximately). audi.in

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time trackers We get up, close and even personal with the monarchs of the watch world

Words jo clahsen Photos antonina gern

in general, and the watch market is the perfect combination of both. My studies in economics gave me an excellent background to understand the different aspects of the industry.

What does time mean to you?

It is first a luxury but it also represents life!

Having time is the most beautiful gift. And what could be more beautiful but to read it on a watch that is a true artwork of craftsmanship.

What is the most significant breakthrough in the world of horology?

The watch industry was revolutionised by several big inventions and notably by the arrival of the El Primero in 1969, developed

by Zenith. The El Primero movement is the first integrated automatic chronograph with the high frequency of 36’000 VpH capable to measure 10th of a second. This mythical caliber was recognised by several prestigious watch brands, which decided to equip their watches with our movements. In 2010, Zenith has launched the El Primero Striking 10th; a new El Primero patented movement that is not only able to measure the 10th of a second but can also display it precisely on its dial. So, we were the first brand in 1969 to invent an automatic high frequency chronograph and today we are the first to display it.

Jean Frederic Dufour CEO, Zenith

What motivated you to join the watch industry?

I entered the watch industry by chance, but I was always fascinated by it and art

On your wrist…

I am wearing the El Primero Striking 10th, which embodies to me all the know-how of a real watch like Zenith. I own several watches and each of them has a specific meaning for me as they all represent an important step of my life.

Laurence Nicolas

CEO, Dior Timepieces & Dior Fine Jewellery What motivated you to join the watch industry?

I worked for 11 years at Cartier and my job was to reorganise the after-sales service for the timepieces. So I had beautiful antique watches in my hand and I fell in love with them.

What does time mean to you?

Something I am always running after but also something that lasts, like Dior’s Fine Jewellery and Timepieces collections, which take months to be created. Time is precious and deserves precious timepieces.

What is the most significant breakthrough in the world of horology?

Mysterious movement for wristwatches such as the Quinting’s one that allowed us to create our Dior Christal Mystérieuse.

On your wrist…

I own 20 watches but wear three regularly

(depending on the day of the week): a yellow gold mini D de Dior with a satin strap and a diamond and mother-of-pearl dial, a Chiffre Rouge A05 in black rubber, and a Dior Christal on black patent calf with diamonds. I am close to my first watch, a gold Cartier Pasha that I bought with my first salary at Cartier, as well.

Are you loyal to any watch?

I am loyal to La D de Dior, because of its refinement and timeless spirit.

What is special from Dior this year?

This year sees the continuation of the La Mini D de Dior story that began in 2009. There is also the launch of a 38-mm La D de Dior in a limited series of five timepieces. In 2010, Chiffre Rouge is proposing its styles A03, A05 and D01 on a military style strap in black or khaki fabric, a more sportive alternative to steel bracelets or rubber straps.Finally, we are launching limited editions of one hundred T01 timepieces, equipped with a new ‘Dior 8 fuseaux horaires’ movement developed by two watch movement designers, Orny et Girardin. audi.in

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fashion’s latest fixation Words Meghna Sharma

Luxury designer brands are leading the fashion pack when it comes to the ‘tux and tie’ revival in women’s clothing.

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O n the streets of fashion capitals around the world a sexual revolution is emerging. But this modern movement has got nothing to do with free love, it’s about androgynous fashion. For years women have raided their man’s wardrobe and hell, they have worn it better, be it the boyfriend jeans and jackets, oxfords and brogues or man suits and bow ties. And the designers have loved the women in it as much as we have. But when they present to us models strutting down the runway wearing mannish attire, the question that crosses our mind is, how can a woman wear ‘man pants’ and still look so chic?

The tuxedo revolution in women’s clothing began over 70 years ago. Singer and actress Marlene Dietrich pushed the envelope of the fashion-world by pioneering an androgynous look that has transcended into today’s trends.

During her career, Dietrich was frequently seen incorporating menswear into her wardrobe with boxy sport coats and high-waisted trousers. Her look evoked a stark contrast to the gentile and feminine silhouettes that were popular during the 1930’s.

This look was then cemented as a fashion classic in 1966 by the iconic Le Smoking suit. Created by the famous couturier Yves Saint Laurent, the Le Smoking tuxedo suit for women was the first of its kind to earn attention in the fashion world and in popular culture. It pioneered long, minimalist, androgynous styles for women, as well as the use of power suits and the pant suit in modern-day society. Sequinned, cropped, belted, double-breasted, long, mini-dress-like, caped, draped, shaped and uncollared but always black, the Le Smoking was a perennial favourite of Saint Laurent with a new design practically every year. He’s famous for calling black a “refuge” and has described the Smoking as an “essential” because it makes a woman feel “constantly fashionable”. “It’s an item of clothing of style and not of fashion.

Fashions pass, style is eternal,” Saint Laurent had said in an interview. Pierre Berge, former chairman of the YSL couture house had remarked, “By appropriating male apparel and enabling women to wear it, Saint Laurent transferred the attributes of power from one sex to the other. For a woman, Le Smoking is an indispensable garment with which she finds herself continually in fashion, because it

is about style, not fashion. Fashions come and go, but style is forever.”

An alternative to the traditional LBDs or evening gown, the French designer took the Smoking and in 1968 teamed it with Bermuda shorts. In the mid-70s it became a jumpsuit, while in 1996, it had adopted a belted safari jacket look.

While Dietrich and YSL are instrumental in triggering androgyny in the world of fashion, many brands like Gucci, Chanel, Dolce and Gabbana, Prada, Ralph Lauren, Abaete, Balmain, Hermes, Salvatore Ferragamo, etc, have joined the bandwagon. Priya Sachdev, COO and creative director, TSG International Marketing Pvt. Ltd, that represents a host of international brands like Stella McCartney, Dian Von Furtsenberg, etc, in India, says, “Androgynous fashion definitely kicked off with YSL and it’s still a big part of runways season after season. YSL and Stella McCartney tuxedo jackets and trousers make their women look strong, beautiful and chic in them.”

The very beating heart of fashion – as all style divas know so well – is change, a thirst for something new. While many would argue that the androgynous trend is anything but new, it has made a roaring comeback indeed.

Gucci’s women’s Autumn/Winter 2011-2012 collection floats on the clouds of colourful fur, elusive transparency, masculine accents, and glimpses of patent leather. Talking about the androgynous touch in the collection, Frida Giannini, creative director, Gucci, says, “This is a contemporary female dandy who fuses glamour and seduction using the iconic codes of the House. She is a polished woman with a decisive personality, who is attentive to detail and willing to dare.” Giannini adds, “The season’s collection is influenced by a vision of the Forties. The line drops down to the knee and flares. Stoles emphasise shoulders, tight on small masculine jackets with striking lapels and on coats with military detailing and a synched waist. The masculine side returns with extrawide pants, in lightweight nabuk or in British mélange fabrics. And the pant-skirt becomes a signature, paired with a caban and over-theknee boots.”

Many who witnessed the Salvatore Ferragamo’s show at the Milan Fashion Week live, were pleasingly shocked!

Massimiliano Giornetti, creative director of

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Holistic disciplines like yoga are now being branded and protected by the Indian government as irrefutably India’s very own legacy

The line drops down to the knee and flares. Stoles emphasise shoulders, tight on small masculine jackets wi

the brand, designed sharp suits in pinstripes, houndstooth, and Prince of Wales check. Like so many other designers who participated in the event, Giornetti also played the masculine against the feminine. He then resurrected the Eighties, too. How did the designer make a pinstripe jumpsuit worn with matching blazer and trench as sexy as his second-skin knit dress in a patchwork of houndstooth and leopard print? It’s all down to cut – as in cut down to there.

Giornetti’s muse was referred to “an elusive woman,” and the fantasy was seductive from where we were sitting. Add a crisp white button-down to the racks, though, and there will also be plenty of eager customers for Ferragamo to reckon with.

It’s true that we expect certain design houses to create magic every season, but the one brand that stole the show when it comes to this trend is Chanel. Known as the epitome of feminine silhouette and style, Chanel let go of the conventional feminine clichés with the Boy Chanel Bag. Its ambivalent design has a hint of the androgynous woman and opens the way to a new kind of a woman. The designs are clean, bold, simple and appealing.

In fact, the duality of the design is inspired by a cartridge bag that was originally made for hunters. Karl Lagerfeld suggests this with a new interpretation of boyish charm saying, “Chanel used men’s underwear to make dresses; she had this boyish attitude, in fact it is the very spirit of Chanel. She got it from

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high spirits Words jo clahsen Photos antonina gern

They are the power couple of Indian contemporary art. Million dollar records, association with top-notch international galleries and unwavering media attention has catapulted them to dizzying heights of super stardom. But Subodh Gupta and Bharti Kher seem unperturbed by it all, even criticism about how “Gupta’s high-selling days are over”. They would rather focus on their upcoming shows - Gupta is taking his solo, ‘A Glass of Water,’ to Hauser & Wirth, New York and Kher her show titled ‘Leave Your Smell’ to Galerie Perrotim in Paris - for which frenzied activity of packing and repacking is taking place at Kher’s four-storey studio in Gurgaon when we arrive. But the artists are composed and forthright - each adding to the other’s unfinished sentence – even when they look visibly annoyed at the suggestion of donating work to a public museum or when they turn sentimental speaking about a shared journey of initial struggle to becoming the poster couple of the Indian art boom.

An intoxicating & winning cocktail or may be a breathtaking work of art. We bring you the poison for the season.

Just like you eat with your eyes first, you also drink with your eyes first! This, we came to believe when a chilled glass of Amalia Redifinido arrived on our table. A noiseless-delicate purple orchid hue mixes with a subtle- graceful red watermelon shade to give this cocktail the colours of a winner, literally. Amalia Redifinido will be competing in the global finale round of the Bacardi Superior Rum Legacy Cocktail Competition 2011 in Barcelona this month.

We clink glasses with the creator of the cocktail, Harinath P, in the capital, as his hands work their way to infuse the Latin drink with Indian aromas and flavours.

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The interior looks just as sophisti-cated as a regular Audi A8, apart from some special controls such as the alarm button or the panels for oxygen supply.

safety first class Photos audi AG

It takes nearly 450 hours of work to build the heavily armored Audi A8 L Security limousine for customers that need more

Direct gunfi re with armor-piercing ammunition, a terrorist’s hand grenade under the car or an attack with poison gas?

The Audi A8 L Security takes it all in its stride with no more than a few scratches, dents or damage to the paintwork. Visually, the car is virtually indistinguishable from its unarmored counterpart.

But special hot-formed steel, aramide fabrics, multi-layer ceramics, glass several centimeters thick and a vehicle fl oor that is strengthened with aluminum alloy make sure the occupants stay safe in situations that even James Bond doesn’t face too often. As subtle as the dif-ference is optically, it’s all the more obvious on the scales, as so much additional armor inevitably adds bulk. But the 6.3-liter twelve-cylinder engine with 500 horsepower still takes the Audi A8 L Security from zero to 100 kilometers per hour in 7.3 seconds.

It’s not only the materials but also the

special equipment that increases the weight of the Audi A8 L Se-curity. There’s a two-way communication system, for ex-ample, so the occupants can contact the outside world.

For fi re safety, an automatic extinguishing device is installed. Activated by sensor or button, it sprays an extinguishing agent from canisters in the luggage compartment into the wheel arches, onto the underbody and onto the tank. In the hopefully rare event of traveling through an area with toxic air, there are two tanks with clean oxygen on board. The system prevents harmful gases from penetrating the cabin by generating positive pressure inside. If an armored car has an Achilles heel, it must be the tires, right?

Not in this case. Should a malfunction occur, synthetic rings on the rims allow the vehicle to continue driving at speeds of up to 80 kilometers per hour. The Audi A8 L Security is practically unstoppable.

box Audi A8 L Security equipmentOptions available for the Audi A8 L Security include a smoke extractor, a siren, a preparation for offi cial or police radio and a holder for state fl ags, national emblems or even corporate logos. A security start system is also available, enabling the driver to start the engine remotely via a radio signal. In case this tank-in-a-business-suit should ever run into serious trou-ble, an emergency exit feature allows the doors to be detached from the body for a quick escape. To explore the Audi A8 L Security,

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space escape Words gero gĂźnther Photos peter neusser

Tourists staying in the former palaces of Rajasthan can enjoy the same luxury as their princely denizens once did

The dolls, a group of dancers in traditional Rajasthani costumes and musicians playing the dholak, could have well been made of brass or terracotta, but the fibre glass makes them modern. The hotel, designed to resemble a Rajshthani haveli, has an art gallery above the lobby that hosts works by contemporary Indian artists. Unlike other ostentatious palace hotels in the region, this property is all about clean open spaces with pronounced art accents. The lobbies of the hotel serve as art galleries, each designed according to a separate theme. So we have the padgi lobby, which showcases paintings of various types of pagdis used by Rajshthani men and the jewellery lobby with paintings on local jewellery. While most of

The hotel is home to many antique and priceless marble statues

Falaknuma, Hyderabad If a walk with the Nizams of Hyderabad is what your royal heart desires, step into the grandiose Taj Falaknuma Palace, the former residence of Nizam Mehboob Ali Khan of Hyderabad. Restored over a period of 10 years, the hotel now offers its guests a chance to live like a king amid its opulent Venetian chandeliers, rare antique furniture, grand marble staircases and gurgling fountains, priceless statues, stained-glass windows, unique sketches and murals encased in ornate frames, a world-class collection of crystal.

While no corner of the hotel can be termed pedestrian, its gardens, Mughal, Rajasthani and Japanese, personally conceived by the Nizam, impress the most. The Palace Library, a replica of the one at Windsor Castle, is home to the rarest of manuscripts, books and one of the most acclaimed collections of the Holy Quran in the country

The fibre glass dancing dolls by Madhumita Panwar;

Sheraton Rajputana, Jaipur The Sheraton Rajputana at the heart of Jaipur city will not impress the creative soul unless you walk into its lobby where a group of fibre glass Rajashthani dancing dolls hang in air. Interestingly, the dolls, designed

by Madhumita Panwar of Mumbai, canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t be ignored even by the busy executive.

Resembling metal sculptures, the greenishgrey installation tells the story of merging traditional ideas with contemporary medium.

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50 the artwork is done by local artisans, there are works by more popular artists too like a painting of the Jai Garh Fort made by Sanjay Bhattacharjee and one of a royal procession by S Kripal Singh.

Le Dupleix, Pondicherry If you can step into this charming and intimate boutique hotel and look beyond its antique wood carvings, you will discover the love for heritage that its hosts. With 14 wellappointed rooms nestling in an 18th-century French colonial villa, originally built for the “Maire” Mayor of Pondicherry, the Le Dupleix offers a fusion between the rich, colonial heritage and a contemporary flavour.

The hotel displays antique textiles lent by couture embroidery master John Francois Lesage and a custom design stone courtyard.

Architects Eric Locicero & Neils Shonfelder helped restore the ancient building following the traditional methods of construction from the 18th century. The old building was completely refinished with a lime plaster in the old process known as “Chettinad Egg Plaster,” which consists of covering the walls with layer after layer of egg white, powdered sea shells and yogurt.

Grand Hyatt, Mumbai You may have visited the Grand Hyatt in Mumbai and even noticed the quirky woks of art displayed throughout the property, but not many are aware that this busy hotel’s lobbies, gardens and restaurants are unique galleries of art with specially commissioned installations. Conceived by curator Rajeev Sethi, Grand Hyatt Mumbai reinterprets the Shiva myth as envisioned by seers centuries ago. The complex showcases over 100 commissioned artworks by both established and upcoming artists such as Laxman Shreshtha, Jitesh Kallat, Hema Upadhyay, Chintan Upadhyay, Nalini Malani, Atul & Anju Dodiya, Tanuja Rane, Krishnamachari Bose, Sudershan Shetty, Prabhakar & Jyotee Kolte, Yogesh Rawal, Jaideep Merhrotra, Sunil Gawade, Daroz, Bhupinder and Mohan Malviya among others.

The hotel has several antique wooden pillars The latest addition is an abstract done by renowned abstractionist Laxman Shreshtha at the lobby.

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