A giant Audi TT is the new landmark of Ingolstadt city
A new landmark has arrived in the city of Ingolstadt just in time for Audi's 100th anniversary. The giant Audi TT was presented this morning in the grassy area within the Audi roundabout by Dr. Werner Widuckel, Member of the Board of Management for Human Resources at AUDI AG, and Mayor of Ingolstadt Dr. Alfred Lehmann. The steel-frame construction, which has already been shown in Berlin, Beijing, Hong Kong and Munich, is 10.2 meters long, 4.5 meters wide, 3.25 meters high, and weighs about 10 tons.
"We're delighted that this car has found a new home in this prominent and highly frequented traffic junction in Ingolstadt," Widuckel said at the official presentation of the sculpture. "From now on, the sculpture will both adorn the center of the Audi roundabout and serve as a symbol of the company's strong ties with the city and region."
The large-format Audi TT is a true high-tech product: the model car's components include glass-fiber laminate and Neopor foam, and it features 150 square meters of painted surface.
Produced especially for the "Germany – Land of Ideas" initiative, the sculpture stood at the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin back in 2006, and later featured in Beijing and Hong Kong, as well as at the Allianz Arena in Munich. It was brought by heavy transporter to Ingolstadt last week, and last Friday was lifted by crane onto its base in the middle of the Audi roundabout.
"The TT sculpture will be a true landmark for all of the drivers coming from Neuburg and Eichstätt. It gives the entrance to our city a modern face," Mayor Lehmann emphasized. He sees the new look of the Audi roundabout as a symbol of the Ingolstadt region as an attractive location.
Presentation of the sculpture is also one more step in the prelude to the "100 years of the Audi brand" anniversary celebrations. A major ceremony featuring German Chancellor Angela Merkel will be held July 16 at the Audi Forum Ingolstadt; on July 17, the band "Die Fantastischen Vier" will appear in Ingolstadt for the "Audi Rocks 100" party. Motorsport is the focus on July 18, when scores of fast cars from Audi's successful racing history will lap the historic Donauring circuit. A concert in Ingolstadt's Klenzepark on July 19 will conclude the week of celebrations. The Czech Philharmonic Choir and the Brno Philharmonic Orchestra will perform Beethoven's Ninth Symphony; admission is free.
