Audi 2012 Annual Report Download - page 58

An ideal way to
end the day: Eva
Padberg on her
way to her favorite
restaurant. And
that wraps up a
day’s work for her
tour guide with
the four rings.
The Audi A3 Sportback’s MMI supplies Eva
Padberg with suggestions on where to go
shopping, a recommendation for an exhibition
and the address of this great little restaurant.
Eva Padberg has traveled
the world. She has modeled
for major campaigns and
famous brands for years.
She has worked with the
industry’s best photographers. Padberg
helps charitable organizations such as
UNICEF. She is also a welcome guest
at galas and international events. Eva
Padberg has jetted around the world
umpteen times in her career. Surely
this top model is intimately familiar
with the world capital of fashion: Paris.
Or is she?
“When I’m in Paris, I generally have
to rush – from a photo shoot to a video
shoot, for example. There’s nothing
relaxing about it. I rarely have time
to really explore the city and enjoy its
ambiance,” says the 33-year-old.
She therefore set aside an entire day
during her latest trip to Paris to spend
with a friend who knows the French
metropolis like the back of his hand –
and wants to show Padberg the best
places away from catwalks and photo
studios. Eva Padberg waits for him at
Place de la Concorde. She is eager to
get started and explore the city. But
then the Paris insider has to cancel at
the last minute.
“Tant pis!” as a French person would
say. “What a pity!” concurs Eva Padberg.
Yet she is unrued as she has an ace
up her sleeve: an Audi A3
Sportback.
Thanks to its MMI Navigation
plus and
Audi connect services, it knows its way
around Paris every bit as well as the
friend who couldn’t come. What’s the
best route to shops selling the latest
fashions? Where is there an inspiring
exhibition? Where was that wonderful
little restaurant which Eva Padberg
once visited but whose name escapes
her? The Audi A3 Sportback’s MMI,
which now features a touch-sensitive
control known as the touchwheel, has
all the answers.
And that will prove handy right away!
As soon as she gets in, Eva Padberg
writes Rue Étienne Marcel with her
finger on the touchwheel’s surface.
The MMI transcribes her handwriting
into capital letters on the screen and,
within seconds, the navigation system
calculates the best route. And just
like that, the top model is taking
the shortest route to the street that
is home to one designer shop and
boutique after another.
But it would be a mistake to assume
that Eva Padberg is headed for the
prominent couturiers. She prefers to
browse the elegant smaller shops, as
to her a unique style is more important
than big-name labels. Her quest is
rewarded: a beautiful vintage dress and
a pair of shoes. Padberg then yearns
for a place nearby to relax after the
hustle and bustle of shopping in the
Les Halles neighborhood. The MMI
once again comes to the rescue when
the point-of-interest search function
recommends Square Jean XXIII. Eva
Padberg uses Google Street ViewTM
to scout out the scene and deems it
perfect. Situated on the Seine river
island Île de la Cité, Square Jean XXIII
is a small, idyllic park tucked away
behind Notre Dame. This park aords
visitors a view of the famous cathedral
as well as a chance to catch their breath.
Paris explorer Padberg decides to treat
herself to a short break here before
returning to the city’s large boulevards
in her Audi that afternoon. Her next
destination is the Grand Palais. A
majestic structure built for the 1900
World Fair, it is now one of the city’s
major museums.
And it was Audi connect that inspired
the model to go there. More specifically,
it was the new City Events function.
This online event guide provides infor-
mation on attractions such as concerts,
theatrical performances and artistic
events in a given region. One such
exhibition is an extensive retrospective
at the Grand Palais devoted to the
American realist Edward Hopper. “I
admire Hopper’s work. Thanks to the
MMI, I can drive there right now to
see many of his original pieces,” says
Eva Padberg with a smile. Before she
drives to Grand Palais, she polishes up
her knowledge of the painter with a
bit of reading. And it is the MMI and
Audi connect that make this possible.
Eva Padberg shows no sign of
slowing down as evening approaches.
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