Audi 2008 Annual Report Download - page 86

here is a saying: “Don’t dream
your life away. Live your
dream!” Neckarsulm, barely
an hour’s drive north of Stuttgart,
brings you just a little closer to that
goal. The Audi plant, also home to
quattro GmbH, is near the center of
town. And there is no better name
for it than “dream factory.” It’s where
production cars are converted into
unique masterpieces. You could call
it automotive haute couture.
Upstairs in the enormous entrance lob-
by of the Audi Forum Neckarsulm stand
an extremely low-slung, white Audi R8,
and Thomas Degenhard – gray suit, local
accent. Mr. Degenhard is a customer
service representative at quattro GmbH.
But he isn’t just selling cars: He sells
dreams. Customized dreams.
While Degenhard leads the way through
the lobby, he mentions some VIP
guests he is expecting next week from
the Far East. “They are coming here all
the way from Tokyo to get some in-
depth advice.” Customers from the
United States also regularly come to
quattro GmbH to pick up their new car
themselves. They combine the car’s
maiden voyage with a tour of “Old Eu-
rope,” driving their new car to Bremer-
haven personally so that it can be
shipped onwards. Three customers
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Haute couture for the soul
An Audi unleashes feel-good hormones. That’s especially true for the creations from
quattro GmbH. This luxury manufacturer converts production cars into unique works
of art. To make sure that every customer’s wish is fulfilled, the number one rule in
Neckarsulm is: Anything’s possible.
have just arrived from New Zealand
and their faces say more than a thou-
sand words. Their eyes sparkle when
they see the white R8. Their smiles
broaden as they inspect the fine
leathers, the exquisite woods, the dis-
tinctive alloy wheels and the diversity
of colors in the adjacent showroom.
They compare different kinds of leather,
decide which wood grain they like
best and choose their favorite metal-
lic shimmer. This is where car lovers
can experience the full spectrum of
automotive feel-good culture. Making
the different choices is deliciously
difficult. Anyone who has ever sat in
a morning dew green Audi A5 with ala-
baster white leather upholstery and
ash wood inlays knows the burst of
feel-good hormones such an experi-
ence unleashes.
Later, Degenhard leads the way into
the Nuvolari Restaurant located down-
stairs in the huge building. The interi-
or looks a little like a New York design
hotel: Works of modern art decorate
the walls. This is where customers
who have come to pick up their new
car are invited to a meal.
Individuality is in demand. Audi trend
researchers confirm that “individual-
ization is one of the megatrends. Cus-
tomers of the future won’t be as re-
served as they might have been just a
few years earlier.” 20 years ago, pri-
vacy was still society’s most precious
privilege. People are a lot more
open about their personal lives now.
“People want to be noticed more,
want to be different.” This phenom-
enon is also very evident on the Inter-
net. Social networks and communities
demonstrate that the “new” con-
sumers like to display their personal
side and have no qualms about show-
ing personal vacation photos to total
strangers on the Internet.
The experts from trendwatching.com
in Amsterdam take it a step further:
This new willingness to show what
others don’t have is a new ideology.
“Consumers want other people to fi-
nally see them as they see themselves,”
says trendwatching chief Reinier Evers.
While they like to stick to known
brands, they also prefer a personal
note or a limited edition. The textiles
and fashion industry was the first to
clue into this. Sports shoe manufac-
turers started to sell individually
“tunable” sneakers early on – where
a well-fitting shoe wasn’t the only
thing that mattered. Not much later,
the luxury couturiers also “discov-
ered” mass customization. A suit off
the rack in high-end design, tailored
to the customer’s measurements and
in a personally selected combination
of colors and fabrics was just what
customers were looking for.
Incoming orders are also increasing at
quattro GmbH and thousands of unique
Audi vehicles are leaving the factory
every year. It’s the most exclusive way
Copy Robert Kittel
T
A dream comes true:
the Audi R8 V10*.
* Fuel consumption and emission figures at the end of the Annual Report.