The Continental: Carrying Quattro and M GmbH Forward, a New Design School, and Sayonara, Daihatsu

Each week, our German correspondent slices and dices the latest rumblings, news, and quick-hit driving impressions from the other side of the pond. His byline may say Jens Meiners, but we simply call him . . . the Continental. Audi is reconsidering its styling language. Many journalists and critics have weighed in over the past few years, claiming that the differences between members of the brand's lineup are unimaginative and tough to distinguish. Hard-to-please dealers are trumpeting the line as well. The recent Crosslane Coupé crossover concept, with its unique interpretation of Audi's grille shape and its sculptural lines, is no accident: In the future, there will be more differentiation between the automaker's models. Audi wants to put the talk about the indistinguishable front ends of its cars to rest. You might remember that BMW was exposed to similar criticism fifteen years ago, which led to a radical departure from its proven and successful styling language. Chris Bangle and Adrian van Hooydonk were set loose to create a very different look for the brand. Will Audi do the same? Hopefully only in spirit, but not in style. I hear that the strategy for Audi's quattro GmbH, led by shooting star Franciscus van Meel, is under discussion as well. The Neckarsulm-based performance division could remain a high-tech, low-volume company with a sharply defined focus; or it could grow aggressively with more models, high-powered SUVs, and more glamour—at the expense of purism. Audi executives are weighing the options. Meanwhile, quattro GmbH's direct competitor, BMW M GmbH, is preparing for the launch of the upcoming M3 and M4. Yes, M4 is what the next high-performance 3-series coupe and convertible—whose names also are being changed, to 4-series—will be called. The four-door variant will be called the M3, like before. There will be no station wagon version, sadly, but BMW will continue to offer both a six-speed manual and a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic. The new cars will have just a bit more power than the outgoing ones, but they likely will weigh less. And while wishful talk of a mid-engined supercar, an M1 successor, is just that—wishful talk—M GmbH is looking very closely at a high-performance derivative of the next-generation Z4 roadster. "It is an extremely emotional concept," my confidant tells me. He adds wistfully: "We invented the high-performance roadster." He makes it sound as if BMW wants to come back to the segment with a vengeance. A New Design School Former Renault chief designer Patrick Le Quément has created a new design school, the SDS (Sustainable Design School) in Nice, on the French Cote d'Azur. Christian Contzen, former head of Renault Sport, is just one of the advisory board's illustrious members. The school will train future designers in the areas of transportation, housing, health, and energy, among others. Le Quément is one of the most prolific automotive designers in history, and he had a congenial relationship with Renault's former general director Louis Schweitzer. His clout was matched by few other designers; GM's Bill Mitchell, Chrysler's Tom Gale, and Kia's Peter Schreyer come to mind. Under Le Quément, Renault Design took a leadership role. Some of his cars were risky; he was responsible for the diminutive Twingo and the Scénic compact minivan, which were a smashing success, but also for the slow-selling Avantime two-door van, and the high-roof Vel Satis executive sedan. Virtually all of Renault's cars of the Le Quément era are revered by the design community—until Carlos Ghosn came about and forced some of the worst contemporary designs on the roads. Think current Laguna, or Latitude. Now Le Quément is back with a fantastic project; I expect great things of the SDS design school. It starts taking applications on January 7. Check out the-sds.com if an education to become a designer interests you. Instrumented Test: 2013 Audi S5 3.0T Manual Instrumented Test: 2013 BMW X1 xDrive28i Link here Little Big Cars Daihatsu has left Europe. Wildly successful in some Asian markets—it is the leading producer of tiny "Kei cars"—it has become a losing proposition on the Continent over the past few years. That is a real shame, as there are a number of cute, stylish, and fun-to-drive cars in the brand's history. The all-wheel-drive Rocky and Feroza served as the basis for the BMW-powered Bertone Freeclimber premium SUV. The late-1980s turbocharged Charade GTti is unforgotten. And even today, the Sirion is an unusually well-designed little car. But it's all history now; perhaps the brand will return some day. Another little car is leaving a big impression: In a commercial devised by Leo Burnett, the Fiat Panda 4×4 is transformed into a monster truck. The vehicle was built in just two weeks on a Jeep CJ7 4200 platform, and it is taller than it is long. This "Bigfoot Panda" will obviously remain a one-off, although it is a fitting display of technology sharing between the Chrysler Group and Fiat. Could it be a highly indirect precursor of to a jointly developed Fiat/Jeep SUV? from Car and Driver Blog http://blog.caranddriver.com

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