The arrival of Italian designer Walter Maria de'Silva at Audi in 2002 sent an electric jolt through the auto industry. The 52-year-old won acclaim for his stylish remake of troubled Alfa Romeo in the 1990s and was lured by Volkswagen to inject Spanish unit Seat with a more dynamic and sporty look in 1999. Now, he faces one of the toughest challenges in the industry: The metamorphosis of Audi, whose design and styling is widely admired as the apotheosis of German-Nordic minimalism, with its pure clean lines. Form follows function now meets Mediterranean flair. And some traditionalists are already apprehensive.

"Creativity is not flowing from total liberty. The more limits we have as designers the more creative we have to be."

"My DNA is Italian. I come from the Italian tradition of auto design. I like cars with equilibrium -- I like to work on the architecture before styling."

"Audi has been more understated, sporty in its technology -- but elegant in the look of the wheels on the street. BMW has been more extroverted, Audi more understated, rigorous. I want to give [Audi] more sculpture and make it sexier and more dynamic. When you choose a new and risky path, only the market will give the final word."

"Design can't stop -- it has to look forward. You have to change design just when it's most appreciated. That's the only way to envision the future. The competition is not standing still -- they would overtake us. The new face on the A8 [model with a V-12 engine], and the concept cars, such as Nuvolari and Le Mans, take the history of Audi as a starting point but look to the future."