AUDI | Ryutaro Matsui vs. Audi R8 (3): Redefining the Supercar

Vol.1 Tatsuya Matsui vs. Audi R8

Chapter 3: The Definition of a Supercar Is Changing

“Audi’s espoused ‘everyday usability’ is a challenge to us.” The designer’s perspective on the modern sports car, finally, the conclusion.

—It was a short time, but we had you drive it.

MatsuiAudi, a company I deeply respect, has poured its technological prowess into the R8. I had the honor of driving it with a sense of reverence. And I was able to feel the sublime that technology can achieve.
The vibrations and sounds resonate deep within, instantly transporting you to an extraordinary realm. But in congested Tokyo, you can only experience a fraction of its sublime engineering. It feels like such a waste.

—So, even the R8, with its urban image,
is actually not suited for the city?

MatsuiIf you calmly observe modern Japanese life, isn't it like a horse in a zoo? To say it's being kept from its potential might be an exaggeration, but I believe the urge to let it run where it can unleash its innate wildness is irrepressible. Otherwise, it would be an insult to the engineers, wouldn't it?

However, in terms of its overall dimensions, like the Gallardo, I surmise it anticipates the scale of modern cities and presents the dimensions of future mainstream supercars.
I went to Kumamoto the other day, and I think you could really enjoy it in a place where the city and mountainous areas are close.

—Perhaps Audi’s espoused “everyday usability” is an assertion that the difficulty and compromised stability of past supercars, due to their very exoticness, have been overcome by their high engineering precision?

MatsuiI’ve driven Audi’s A8 before, and the sense of security I felt in that sedan has been carried over to this car. The R8 also possesses an unpretentious smartness. I thought it was a model of exemplary design.

However, I believe the everyday usability Audi is advocating with this car is a proposal for a lifestyle that can truly utilize the R8.

Considering the current position of automobiles, realizing the potential of a car like the R8 is impossible if you are bound by time. I want it to be a symbol for those who have achieved true freedom, living independently of time and spirit, radiating an aura. For someone like me, constantly on the move for work, it's still a ways off. I recently bought a Prius, which is another extreme example of living in Tokyo.

—A perfectly valid choice for today…

MatsuiOn the other hand, for both manufacturers and true car enthusiasts, supercars are irreplaceable. To ensure their survival, we must experience wonder and fascination in the realm of design.
I teach at a university, and very few students aspire to design cars today. As an economic powerhouse, people's attachment to material possessions is vastly different from the past. Today's students often don't understand the reason for drinking alcohol and view the unrefined car choices of the newly rich with cynicism. This is a psychologically and biologically understandable phenomenon. The allure of cars themselves is also different from before.

That's precisely why I believe supercars should appear occasionally, like the Olympics. Past supercars evoked emotion because they contained innovations that anticipated their times.

And I think future supercars, if their powertrains and structures are sublimated into design with new morality, will define the next generation of 'supercars'.

The ideas of young developers are constantly evolving. What I hope for is that 'speed' is not seen as the defining characteristic of a supercar, but rather that it is called a 'supercar' for its ability to inspire a completely new way of life. Personally, I believe 'power' is a concept that is not very 21st-century.