Audi 2012 Annual Report Download - page 102

backdrop of internationalization, how
connected a company is will also criti-
cally determine how competitive it
is. We address that issue through our
Ariba network, which has over 800,000
member companies. But this issue isn’t
limited to companies; connectivity
applies to people and machines, too.
There are already more mobile terminal
devices on the planet than people. And
let’s be honest, from a professional
perspective a car is nothing other than
a mobile terminal device on wheels.
Strotbek: Yes, I think that’s a valid
point of view. In its early days the car
was already a form of communication
in that it got people from A to B, and
so enabled them to talk to other people.
Each one of our vehicles is now an
intelligent communication system
in its own right. So not only can Audi
drivers be permanently online when
they are in their car, and use navigation
systems, Twitter®, Facebook® and
Google®, have their e-mails read out
or dictate them. That is just one aspect
of the digitalization of the automobile.
The next step will be piloted driving.
In other words, cars that drive them-
selves. All the driver has to do is enter
the destination. We have just become
the first car manufacturer in the world
to secure a permit to trial piloted
driving in the U.S. State of Nevada.
We will now find out in practice how
the system works.
Dr. Brandt: We are involved in a perma-
nent exchange of ideas with your
industry on the topic of connected cars.
We participate in the development of
intelligent connectivity and are helping
vehicles to communicate directly with
each other. One benefit of this machine -
2-machine communication, for
example, is that a car automatically
brakes before a bend because other
cars have warned it that there’s a
tailback coming up. Finding a parking
space is another example. Studies
have shown that about 30 percent
of all congestion in urban areas is
caused by drivers looking for a parking
space. If the system knows where the
vacant parking spaces are, it can guide
drivers straight to them. And with
the vehicle becoming increasingly a
mobile terminal device, it will soon
be
able to submit a sales representative’s
travel expenses claim automatically
and – linked to the company’s IT net-
work – allow the driver to process work
assignments while out and about. Those
are visions for the future that combine
technology and mobility.
Strotbek: Many of those applications
already exist today, so in our industry
the future has already begun. But
just like you, we are always thinking
ahead. At the moment, for example,
we are developing mobility concepts
for the megacities of the future, hand
in hand with architects and urban
planners. Anyone who has ever sat in a
trac jam in Shanghai, Beijing or São
Paulo knows just how important such
proposals are. Those are important
markets for us, and we have to respond
with utterly new concepts if we want
people to continue enjoying living and
driving there – and of course, buying
our cars. «
“Each one of our vehicles is an intelligent communication
system. But that is just one aspect of the
digitalization of the automobile. The next step will
be piloted driving.” Axel Strotbek
Small talk next to a supercar: Axel
Strotbek and Dr. Werner Brandt in the R8
Lounge of the Neckarsulm plant.
Find out more:
Axel Strotbek on the develop-
ment of the Audi Group.
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