Audi 2014 Annual Report Download - page 83

What kind of added value do
you mean ?
STROTBEK : Here is a simple example :
Product diversity is making it more and
more di cult for us to o er every ver-
sion of our models at every single dealer,
for instance for test drives. We need to
fi nd a solution to that – and one solution
is the intelligent use of data. It is already
the norm for online retailers to give me
personalized product recommendations
when I indicate I am interested in a
particular type of goods. By applying the
same logic, our sales division can anti-
cipate customer preferences to the point
where we have the right vehicle avail-
able for a test drive at the right moment.
At precisely the dealership that the cus-
tomer prefers. That is exactly the sort of
issue we are working on.
MAYER-SCHÖNBERGER : We expect
the digital tools of the future to solve
problems and make everyday life easier,
even more than they do already. And
they certainly have that potential. The
latest developments – such as the use
of swarm intelligence, which is only
made possible in the fi rst place by Big
Data – could help to improve tra c
safety, for example.
AXEL STROTBEK
Member of the Board of Management of AUDI AG
for Finance and Organization
Axel Strotbek studied Industrial Engineering at the Univer-
sities of Karlsruhe and Linköping (Sweden) before earning
his MBA at the University of Illinois in Chicago. He joined
the Volkswagen Group as Board of Management Assistant
for Controlling and Accounting in 1991. After other posi-
tions within the Group, he served as Executive Vice President
of Volkswagen Group China from 2004 to 2007. He has
been Member of the Board of Management for Finance and
Organization at AUDI AG since 2007.
STROTBEK : That’s actually quite simple.
We have been working on making the
automobile safe for over  years. Our
customers rightly trust us to protect
them physically. We think it goes with-
out saying that we protect our customers’
data as well.
What does that mean in specifi c ?
STROTBEK : At Audi, there are two
important aspects to data protection.
On the one hand, we protect our data
against unauthorized access from out-
side. We do that by implementing state-
of-the-art IT security structures at all
corporate levels. On the other hand, we
handle our customers’ data responsibly.
We attach considerable importance
to self-determination and transparency.
Self-determination means that customers
decide for themselves what data we
receive from them. Transparency means
we make it clear to them how we use
their data. And another important point
is that our customers are putting their
trust in us. In return, we will o er them
added value.
PHOTOS : Katrin Ebner