Audi 2008 Annual Report Download - page 39

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Half of the Audi models in Novosibirsk are pre-owned cars.
Though most come from Germany, some are imported
from Japan and so are right-hand drive, explains a service
mechanic who ventures out into the vast expanses of the
taiga every day in his Audi Q7 Service Mobile. The excellent
quality seems to be whetting appetites. “Most people who
drive a pre-owned Audi will frequently purchase a new Audi
in the long term,” explains the young mechanic on the drive
to the outskirts of the city. He certainly has his hands full,
especially during cold weather. Flat tires and dead batteries
are not uncommon in the winter. Today, it is Anna Bunyakina
who needs the help of the Service Mobile: One of her tires
punctured while she was turning. As soon as the service
mechanic receives her call, he sets out to change the tire
on the 29-year-old’s A3 in the autumn muck and mire in an
Audi Q7 equipped for every emergency. She bought her ve-
hicle a year ago in Novosibirsk. Single-minded as she is, she
drove her new vehicle straight off the lot. “I couldn’t wait
two months while a car was built to order and then shipped
from Germany,” she says. Bunyakina is the head of regional
development for a large Russian restaurant and fast-food
chain. In other words, a career woman – still a rarity in
patriarchal Russia. This self-made woman began her varied
career as an assistant manager at a modeling agency.
Nowadays, she seeks out suitable sites for new restaurants.
Next year, Anna Bunyakina is moving to Krasnoyarsk to
manage a franchise of the restaurant chain. Here, in an-
other Siberian city located about 650 kilometers east of
Novosibirsk, she will be able to rely on the same great stan-
dard of service she receives in her home city.
Beyond city limits, vehicles are plagued not only by poorly
maintained roads, but also time and again by fuel that has
either been diluted with water or falsely labeled. Often
enough, customers unwittingly fill up with diesel instead
of gasoline – and naturally don’t get very far. If they then
break down in the middle of nowhere in the Altai Moun-
tains, the service mechanic is usually greeted like a knight
in shining armor. Top-quality Audi service is every bit as
standard in far-flung Siberia as it is on the streets of Berlin
or New York City. Several times a year, therefore, the Audi
Service Mobile ventures up to 600 kilometers into the
taiga. And even in the 21st century, this means adventur-
ous road trips through sparsely populated landscapes for
the mechanics as well!
True understanding
to me means …
Peter
Schwarzenbauer,
Member of the
Board of Manage-
ment for Marketing
and Sales, AUDI AG
… not merely hanging on to the familiar, but
also questioning and scrutinizing in order to
recognize potential and discover opportunities.
Every relationship requires getting to under-
stand the other person: their notions, goals and
wishes. How this holds the key to successful
long-term relationships with our customers be-
came clear to me when selecting a top hotel on
my business trips. Though there did not seem to
be much difference in the quality offered by the
different hotels, I found myself regularly prefer-
ring the same leading establishment. On one of
my trips, I spoke with the managing director and
accompanied his team for an entire day. My
epiphany: A good hotel becomes a leading hotel
by treating its guests properly. The hotel staff
excels by understanding the individual situation
of the guest in question. They have a feel for just
the right level of service for their customers. And
guests are not simply satisfied; they keep com-
ing back.
We at Audi have every right to be very proud of
our products. Our cutting-edge technology and
outstanding design have propelled us to a lead-
ing position. By truly understanding our cus-
tomers, we will become the world’s most attrac-
tive premium brand within the next few years;
by understanding what they expect from us as a
premium brand and by understanding what per-
fect service means to them. My personal goal is
to have the most satisfied customers. And just as
I am loyal to my favorite hotel, they will remain
loyal to the Audi brand, use our services – and
recommend us to others. I am sure of it.
Photo: AUDI AG
01 Into the wild: Anyone turning off the
M51 between Omsk and Novosobirsk
has to master the muck and mire.
02 Anna Bunyakina is an independent woman –
and drives an A3.
03 Just call for roadside assistance: excellent
service in the Novosibirsk region.