Audi 2010 Annual Report Download - page 20

The future has a name at
Audi. The designation
“e-tron” is reserved for
electric cars in the future.
“Just as the name quattro has become
synonymous with all-wheel drive,
e-tron will become the Audi brand
name for electric mobility,” says
Rupert Stadler, Chairman of the Board
of Management of AUDI AG.
Electric cars are expected to no
longer be a niche product, but rather
a natural part of the product range in
not more than ten to 15 years.
“There is no getting around electric
mobility,” says Franciscus van Meel,
Head of Electric Mobility Strategy
at Audi.
This represents no more and no
less than a fundamental system
change. “Electrifi cation of the
powertrain is not simply another
engine variant,” explains van Meel.
“We have to reinvent the auto-
mobile and reposition ourselves as
a manufacturer.”
Audi is facing up to the respon-
sibility. It is a matter of answers to
global climate change, of alternatives
to the fossil raw material petroleum
and of modern mobility concepts
for the fast-growing megacities of
this world.
Audi is convinced that the future
of mobility will be characterized for
many years by the coexistence of
diff erent technologies and energy
sources. Developers want to off er the
best solution for each market and
for each customer.
The Audi e-tron studies presented
to date demonstrate the breadth
of the new technologies:
• Audi e-tron – the supercar was
a highlight of the 2009 International
18
The various studies demonstrate
the comprehensive
approach that Audi is pursuing
with electric mobility.
Audi the pioneer
PHOTOS | AUDI AG PHOTOS | AUDI AG (2);(2); AFP/GETTY IMAGES AFP/GETTY IMAGES