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The futuristic film car, known as the Audi RSQ, was presented to the public for
the first time yesterday at the New York International Automobile Show.
Tackling its most ambitious product placement project ever, Audi created the
RSQ concept specifically for the epic event motion picture “I, ROBOT” which will
be released by Twentieth Century Fox in the U.S. on July 16 and in Australia in
late July.
Audi Design developed the spectacular vehicle, which helps leading actor Will
Smith - a homicide detective in the year 2035 - solve a mystery that could have
grave consequences for the human race.
In the near future, technology and robots are a trusted part of everyday
life. In “I, ROBOT”, that trust is broken and one man, alone against the system,
sees it coming. The film employs spectacular visual effects innovations beyond
any ever put on screen, to bring a world of robots to life. The film is directed
by Alex Proyas (Dark City, The Crow) and is set in a world created by famed
science fiction writer Isaac Asimov in his short story collection “I, ROBOT“.
This is the first time that Audi has developed a car specifically for a major
Hollywood motion picture with the company's engineers creating a vehicle
suitable for “I, ROBOT's” incredible world of 2035.
The resulting Audi RSQ sport coupe is a visionary interpretation of Audi's
typical design language. Despite its extreme character, one of the most
important considerations was to ensure the car whould still be recognized as an
Audi. The cinema-goer will therefore see the new Audi front-end with the typical
single-frame grille.
The RSQ includes special features suggested by movie director Alex Proyas.
The mid-engined sports car operated by the story's police department, races
through the Chicago of the future not on wheels but on spheres. Its two doors
are rear-hinged to the C-posts of the body and open according to the butterfly
principle.
In addition to the RSQ concept car, Audi supplied further volume-production
cars which appear - in disguised shapes - in the movie's traffic scenes. Audi
also supplied the interior mock-up used for interior car scenes.
With this project Audi opens up a new chapter in product placement.
Previously, the brand with the four rings has always supplied volume-production
cars to movie productions. In individual cases, such as “Mission: Impossible
II,” these cars were even used in movies before their market launch. With “I,
ROBOT” and the systematic development of a “car of the future,” Audi goes far
beyond its previous product placement activities.
Audi has been participating as an automobile partner in major movie
productions for several years. In addition to John Frankenheimer's action
classic “Ronin” with Jean Reno and Robert de Niro (1998), the brand with the
four rings played the automobile lead in "The Insider" (1999) featuring Academy
Award Winner Russell Crowe, “Mission Impossible II” (starring Tom Cruise, 2000),
“The Mothman Prophecies” (starring Richard Gere, 2002), “About a Boy” (starring
Hugh Grant, 2002) and Reese Witherspoon's “Legally Blond 2“ (2003).
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