Audi 2011 Annual Report Download - page 55

»Tet, sum aliscilit velit, si blam errassim erassimo este«
52
_ Innovation
When Michael Dick,
Member of the Board
of Management for
Technical Development at AUDI AG,
meets with his closest colleagues,
the subject is almost always the cars
of tomorrow. After all, the job of
the developers is to focus fi rmly on
the next model generations while
never losing sight of great visions.
“I have been in the automotive
industry for more than 30 years,” says
Michael Dick, “and it has never been
as exciting, never as challenging as it
is right now.”
What will we be driving in 2015 and
beyond? What will the automobile
of the future look like? These are the
questions considered by the group
gathered around AUDI AG Board
Member Michael Dick in Ingolstadt:
Peter Fromm, Head of Superstructure
Development; Dr. Horst Glaser, Head
of Chassis Development; Josef Habla,
Head of the Pre-Series Center; Heinz
Hollerweger, Head of Total Vehicle
Development; Ricky Hudi, Head of
Electrics/Electronics Development;
Franciscus van Meel, Head of Electric
Mobility Strategy at Audi; and
Markus Auerbach, Concept Vehicle
Exterior Design.
At the meeting that is beginning
in the presentation hall of the Audi
Pre-Series Center (VSC), the Audi
developers will be discussing new
ideas of mobility to address the major
challenges of rising energy prices,
fi nite resources and the need to reduce
fuel consumption and emissions.
Added to this are global megatrends
such as urbanization – the creation of
increasingly large metropolises –
and the breakneck pace of the digiti-
zation of society. Michael Dick and
the leading developers have defi ned
specifi c task areas in order to keep
the promise of “Vorsprung durch
Technik” in the future. Besides the
typical Audi design, these include
lightweight construction, networking
and the electrifi cation of the drivetrain.
These technologies – ultra, connect
and e-tron – for which the Company is
known today will continue to be among
the brand’s core competences in
the future. “Development processes
are becoming more complex,” explains
Michael Dick. “We have to prepare
today for the issues of tomorrow.”
What will we be driving
in 2015 and beyond?
What will the car
of the future look like?
Michael Dick, Member of the Board of Management for Technical Development at AUDI AG (4th from left), talks with leading developers
in the presentation hall of the Audi Pre-Series Center (VSC) in Ingolstadt: Josef Habla, Markus Auerbach, Peter Fromm, Heinz Hollerweger,
Ricky Hudi, Franciscus van Meel and Dr. Horst Glaser (from left).
Fuel consumption and emission fi gures at the end of the Annual Report