Audi 2013 Annual Report Download - page 151

BASIS OF THE AUDI GROUP
STRATEGY
MANAGEMENT REPORT
148
A
All activities related to electric driving are promoted under
Audi e-tron. Our medium-term goal is to bring a car with plug-in
hybrid drive onto the market in every core car line. The intention
is to make long-distance capability, zero local emissions, excel-
lent driving dynamics and emotional appeal a reality, and to
generate enthusiasm for electric driving. In addition, we are
working systematically on refining all-electric drive systems.
Lightweight technology, too, is especially important at Audi. It
is now 20 years ago that we first unveiled the Audi Space Frame
(ASF) at the International Motor Show (IAA) in Frankfurt am
Main, and we have been among the leaders in this field ever
since. We have consistently refined lightweight technologies in
an effort to make vehicles lighter. An intelligent mix of mate-
rials and the integration of functions and systems into trend-
setting vehicle architectures bring us closer to our goal of
sustainably reducing weight across the entire product range.
In addition, we plan to position flagship lightweight models in
every vehicle segment in the future. A low vehicle weight is
also among the key fundamentals for electrification of the
drive system in order to compensate for the extra weight of
the battery and reduce the amount of energy required.
The growing connectivity and digitization of our society is
becoming increasingly significant. Audi uses the term Audi
connect to denote all functions that connect the driver with
the Internet, the car and the world around him or her. Our
customers benefit from attractive, innovative Internet and
smartphone applications that are integrated into the car as
user-friendly solutions.
In addition, Audi is working intensively to refine car-to-X tech-
nologies that in the future will enable the transfer of data
from one car to another, as well as direct communication with
the infrastructure, for example with traffic signals. Audi is
also a prime mover in the field of driver assistance systems and
is working hard to advance the principle of piloted driving. This
means that vehicle systems take charge of driving the car for a
limited period, offering the prospect of even more convenient
driving – such as piloted driving in traffic jams and when parking.
// WE CREATE EXPERIENCES
One means of delighting our customers is to create positive
customer experiences, for example by offering innovative sales
formats such as Audi City. This cyberstore principle for major
cities – currently available to customers in London, Beijing and
Berlin – gives customers the opportunity to experience our
steadily growing model range virtually, complete with the full
array of colors and equipment.
Unique events put on by the Audi brand in German cities – such
as the annual Audi Classic Open Air Festival in Berlin and excit-
ing yacht races at the Kieler Woche regatta – provide unforget-
table experiences and emotion-packed moments.
Audi driving experience, the program for driving and safety
training courses, is a way of getting to know the Audi brand’s
products first hand. A new Audi driving experience center is
currently being constructed on a 47-hectare site in Neuburg an
der Donau.
Another way in which our customers can experience Audi emo-
tionally is to pick up their new car in person from the Audi Forum
in Ingolstadt or Neckarsulm. If the buyer so chooses, he or
she can be accompanied by a customer relationship manager
throughout the whole day, gain insight into the historical
development of the brand with the four rings, and discovers on
an individual tour of the plant the sheer precision and care that
go into building the cars of the Audi brand.
// WE LIVE RESPONSIBILITY
In the area of action “We live responsibility,” Audi has strate-
gically grouped together all activities concerned with sustain-
ability. “We live responsibility” rests on the three pillars of
sustainability: society, ecology and economy. To implement
these in practice, we have focused on the five core themes
“Product,” “Environment,” “Employees,” “Society” and “Opera-
tions.” For each of these core themes, the Audi Group has
defined goals, projects and measures that were published for
the first time in 2013 in the Audi Corporate Responsibility
Report. The goals of the sustainability strategy are derived
both from internal requirements and from the expectations
of the various stakeholders.
The relevance of key sustainability topics is summarized in what
is known as the materiality matrix and regularly updated with
new findings. For example, in 2013 a total of 1,500 employees
in Germany and abroad were asked to evaluate the significance
of sustainability topics in the Audi Group. To supplement em-
ployee input, the Company regularly invites representatives of
various stakeholders to participate in discussion forums as a
way of specifically promoting the dialogue about responsibility
and sustainability. The materiality analysis reveals that product-
related topics are viewed as especially relevant for sustainability
both within the Company and by external stakeholders. The
stakeholders attribute a similar level of importance to the
economic stability of the Company.