Audi launches design initiative to deal with criticism that all models look alike

The accusation began when the Audi A8 took on rather similar detailing as the smaller A4, and it was all but confirmed with the arrival of the latest A6: Audi was making the same car in different lengths. BMW, in fact, has been accused of the same thing with its sedans. Unlike BMW, though, Audi is apparently working to change that. It has begun a design overhaul called AQR that is claimed will "a set of individual themes for each of the three major model families."

The acronym AQR stands for Audi sedans and hatches, Quattro SUVs, and R sports cars, and from the way it sounds, each group will get new detailing that sets it apart from the other group. According to Audi design honcho Stefan Sielaff, "the design details will be different."

The initiative is occasioned by people saying Audi cars look alike, but based on the description of AQR, we can't tell how that's really going to change. Sielaff specifically said the project would address the proportions of the sedans in order to combat the 'one sausage of different lengths' perception, but we look forward to seeing if the sedans will really look less like one another, or whether it's that the three groups of vehicles will look more dissimilar.