Audi 2013 Annual Report Download - page 154

BASIS OF THE AUDI GROUP
STRATEGY
MANAGEMENT REPORT
151
A
// LEADERS IN INNOVATION
The Audi brand lays claim to the status of design and technology
leader. We have set ourselves the task of offering our custom-
ers sporty, high-quality and innovative vehicles, along with
pioneering mobility solutions. Aligning advanced technology
with customer expectations is our overriding objective.
Audi adopts an integrated view of innovations along the entire
value chain. In 2013, it thus stepped up activities designed to
generate innovations across the divisions and bring them to
production maturity. All innovations have a focus within one of
the four core technology areas – forward-looking vehicle archi-
tectures, highly efficient vehicles, integral mobility technolo-
gies and unmistakable product experience. These core topics
are firmly positioned within the research and development
strategy, and are followed up and managed on the basis of
individual projects.
The successful Audi innovation strategy is also reflected in the
significant increase in patent first filings. In 2013, these were
up 40 percent on the previous year.
Reflecting our ambition to be leaders in innovation, 2013 saw
us again invest substantial amounts in highly complex office
and test-bench buildings at our development locations. Begin-
ning in 2014, for example, we plan to test innovative technol-
ogies at our new Motorsport Center in Neuburg an der Donau
in preparation for adopting them in series production; these
include Audi lighting technology, lightweight construction,
electrification as well as our TDI and TFSI engine concepts.
Audi technologies and its design received multiple awards in
2013. For example, the jury of the renowned magazine MIT
Technology Review listed us among the 50 most innovative
companies in the world for our piloted driving concept
(www.hanser-automotive.de/aktuelle-branchen-news/
article/audi-unter-den-top-50-der-mit-technology-review.html
– link only available in German).
Further awards for our products and design are
presented under the goal “Top image position
and customer mix” on page 150.
You can read about other awards for our engines and
technologies such as Audi connect in the section
“Research and development” on pages 158 ff.
Research and development activities reached a total of
EUR 3,966 (3,435) million in the past fiscal year. This
represents 8.0 (7.0) percent of revenue.
// ATTRACTIVE EMPLOYER WORLDWIDE
In order to become the leading premium brand worldwide, the
Audi Group is reliant on the expertise and commitment of the
best and most highly qualified employees. It is important to
us to offer our workforce an exciting and challenging working
environment with wide-ranging opportunities for development,
commensurate and attractive pay, and a high level of job security.
We regularly conduct in-house surveys among our employees
in order to gauge their sentiment and maintain satisfaction
levels.
Further information on employee attractiveness can
be found under “Employees” on pages 188 ff.
In view of our continuing international expansion and global
presence, it is fundamentally important for the Audi Group to
be perceived as an attractive employer worldwide. In regions
where we have major locations and branches, we want to con-
tinue to count among the top employers in the future too. We
use national and international ratings to assess our attractive-
ness as an employer all over the world.
For example, in early 2013 we finished top of the prestigious
employer rankings compiled by the consultants trendence and
Universum for the fourth time in succession. Future engineers
and economists again voted Audi the most popular employer
in Germany (“trendence Graduate Barometer 2013 – Business
and Engineering Edition,” May 15, 2013; “The Universum
German Student Survey 2013,” May 2, 2013).