Audi 2010 Annual Report Download - page 102

J
ust one click makes 11 Audi
model lines appear. Four pairs
of eyes are glued to the large
screen. “Avanti!” And off we
go! The Puca family want to purchase
a new car. They have been customers
of the Ancona Audi Center on Italy’s
Adriatic coast for eight years. But this
visit is diff erent. This time, Audi cus-
tomer consultant Michaele Morbidoni
will not be alone in helping the family
to decide. A very recent addition will
also help: the showroom confi gurator.
A new and interactive sales tool which
portrays images in three dimensions.
Their new vehicle is going to be an
A7 Sportback* – the members of the
Puca family are agreed on that. As for
its engine, equipment package and
body color, however, the four still
have a lot to talk about. 12-year-old
Vittoria fi dgets impatiently on the
black leather couch, biting her lip.
Her father wants a black Sportback,
but she prefers white. That would be
much prettier, she feels. “I’ve already
put it all together online.”
The showroom confi gurator is
namely an extension of the online
confi gurator. Customers can thus
assemble their own personal Audi
online. Once they are done confi guring,
they receive an Audi code which they
then take to the dealership. A customer
consultant enters the code and the
customer’s preconfi gured vehicle
appears on screen. Both confi gurators
off er the same selection tools. In
contrast to the website, images at
the dealership can be viewed in 3D.
High resolution makes the simulated
vehicles seem quite real indeed – just
on a smaller scale. The Puca family can
examine their A7 Sportback from any
point of view – the interior and exterior
alike. Any modifi cation appears in a
matter of seconds on the screen, which
is on the left of the showroom.
The Ancona Audi Center is sur-
rounded by vineyards. The charm of
Gothic architecture hardly extends
to the industrial park itself. But the
dealership certainly stands out. After
all, it is the fi rst Audi terminal in all
of Italy. Moreover, the showroom
confi gurator has been assisting with
sales consulting since March 2010.
There is a simple reason for this:
Audi currently off ers 38 models and
derivatives, all of which have countless
equipment versions. No Audi Center
can display such a rich variety under
one roof – not even Audi dealer Paolo
Giacchetti in his 4,000 square meter
showroom. The 3D confi gurator, on
the other hand, can.
The Puca family and their customer
consultant, Mr. Morbidoni, are seated
in front of the screen. As the family
express their wishes, Mr. Morbidoni
uses a handheld touchpad to help
them confi gure step by step. Gianluigi
and his daughter Vittoria disagree
again. This time it concerns the color
of interior equipment. Vittoria pleads
for beige leather seats – after all, her
dad decided that the A7 Sportback’s
exterior will be black. Mr. Morbidoni
taps the touchpad and the interior
changes at once from black to beige.
Vittoria beams at her father, her braces
gleaming. “Va bene!” says Gianluigi,
yielding to his daughter. OK, the
interior trim will be beige.
They have spent some 30 minutes
with the 3D confi gurator. Giacchetti
explains that a sales consultation
typically lasts half an hour to an hour,
depending on the model. He uses the
multimedia tool with, on average,
every third customer. “Just for the
A7 Sportback, there are 13 diff erent
paint colors, 19 types of leather and
six steering wheels to choose from,”
explains Mr. Giacchetti.
“The confi gurator allows salespeople
and customers to jointly consider
all these options.”
The Puca family are now content:
They have fi nished confi guring their
A7 Sportback. Their customer consul-
tant, Mr. Morbidoni, hands Gianluigi
a CD containing their very own virtual
Audi. Until they come and pick up
their new Sportback, Vittoria can view
the simulated version at home as often
as she wants. And consider whether
white might not be prettier after all.
LEONIE THIM
Lifestyle
The Puca family (from left to right: Gianluigi, Beatrice, Elisabetta, Vittoria) want to
buy an Audi. Their customer consultant uses a touchpad to help them confi gure.
Thanks to high resolution,
simulated vehicles are like small
versions of the real thing.
Top scores
3D sales
Audi was the fi rst premium manu-
facturer in Germany to feature 3D
confi gurators at dealerships. Nearly
all Audi dealerships in Germany
will have them by mid-2011 – and
worldwide by 2012. Customers
are pleased. According to an online
survey, over 80 percent of poten-
tial Audi customers in Germany
were impressed by the showroom
confi gurator.
Thanks to the confi gurator, dealerships
will in future be able to show all Audi
models – in virtual form.
100
PHOTOS | LUIGI BUSSOLATI/GETTY IMAGES (2); FRANK BAUER/GETTY IMAGES ILLUSTRATION | CHRISTIAN EISENBERG
* Fuel consumption and emission fi gures at the end of the Annual Report
O
Watch the Puca family con-
fi gure the car of their dreams
here: www.audi.com/ar2010/
confi gurator