Audi 2015 Annual Report Download - page 25

as a self-contained system or platform. In  we will be
unveiling the fi rst Audi with a top piloted speed of  kilome-
ters per hour in the shape of the new A. And obviously we
are casting our tests far more broadly. I am convinced we will
actively participate in shaping the smart cities of the future
with the help of breakthrough technologies such as piloted
parking and driving.
And what form might that active contribution take ?
STADLER : We will defi nitely drive long distances electrically
in the future. And the car will connect comprehensively with its
surroundings. We should use tra c signal phases and swarm
intelligence so that the car can process more data. We will see
huge movement in that direction. KEESE : And people’s atti-
tudes towards mobility are changing. Tesla has already pulled
o the cultural feat of delivering guilt-free pleasure. For high
acceleration and high torque, you always had to pay the price
of high fuel consumption . With Tesla you can suddenly have
both extreme sportiness and a clear conscience. People are
already thinking di erently about mobility.
So we can wave goodbye to the traditional automobile
manufacturer.
STADLER : Not if we can transform. In the future, a major
portion of a car’s added value will stem from its software. If
we can bring more IT under our corporate umbrella and under-
stand what makes the world’s major cities tick, we will be at
least as good as the guys in Silicon Valley.
Sounds like you are planning a radical rethink, and not just
for the car manufacturers. Is our society ready for all that ?
KEESE : Was society ready for the iPhone ? Yes ! Did society
know it was ready ? No ! Society doesn’t know what it’s ready
for. Innovators need to develop products that fi t the times
like a key fi ts a keyhole.
And who will be making the smart key for the car of the
future, with which car makers can set the pace ?
STADLER : We will remain a premium automobile manufacturer
in the industry. But we will be forging many partnerships on
that journey through time, including new stars from new re-
gions, whether Silicon Valley or China. All the same, I’m con-
vinced : The next big automotive innovation will be made in
Germany. KEESE : I certainly hope so ! For every technology
worldwide, there is usually only one preeminent cluster. That’s
why we need to see political and economic commitment to
keep Germany a powerhouse of automotive manufacturing
and expertise. We will then automatically be based where
the innovations are happening.
CHRISTOPH KEESE
Born in 1964. Executive
Vice President of Axel
Springer SE and responsi-
ble for the digitalization
strategy of Axel Springer.
As a freelance author,
Keese has already written
several works on the topic
of innovation. In research-
ing for his book “Silicon
Valley – What we will be
facing from the world’s
most powerful valley,” Keese spent half a year living in
Palo Alto, California, and interviewed sources ranging from
start-up entrepreneurs to Internet giants.
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