Digital technology is becoming the focus of competition among car companies, and software will become the core of differentiated competition. The "software determines the car" debate gradually dissipated in 2021, because this is a fait accompli, and almost all car companies are focusing on software development and application level competition.
Since the beginning of the year, Audi has intensively communicated its plans for digital research and development and application, as well as the results achieved, to China through the form of global live broadcasting. Behind these plans is Audi's rapid response to the direction of transformation – according to the new role of the Volkswagen Group, Audi is the software development highland of the Volkswagen Group. "Soft landing" has become the goal of Audi's transformation, especially in China, the world's most important automotive intelligent application market, Audi has been high-profile involved in the "software-defined car" speed war.
In 2022, as the automotive digital competition will enter a new stage, in addition to the above-mentioned internet of vehicle technology will soon be applied in Audi's domestic new cars, including OTA remote upgrades, providing users with WeChat in-vehicle versions and other Sino-German interactive software achievements, will soon be landed on domestic models. The huge user base disk and data volume will become Audi's unique "soft power".
From mechanical engineer to digital engineer
Audi has long been the vehicle for the Volkswagen Group's new technology development, and in the digital age, this role has been strengthened as never before. The automotive industry's most challenging decade, together with the entire company, Audi's technology and research and development department is driving the largest transformation in history. In August 2021, Audi unveiled its "Vorsprung2030" strategy, emphasizing that this transformation is focused on strengthening in-vehicle software and autonomous driving technology.
In its April 2021 report" "Building a Software-Driven Automotive Enterprise", PwC pointed out that by 2030, software will account for 60% of consumer perceived value, and the development of new car ownership models will further increase this proportion. On the other hand, the number of automotive software will grow by more than 300% due to the trend of connected cars, driverless cars, smart mobility and electrification. "Only software-driven car companies can continue to capture value in a complex and ever-changing market."
This seems to be the exact route Audi is on. In July 2020, the Volkswagen Group moved its software development center from its headquarters in Wolfsburg to Ingolstadt, audi's home base, and announced that the Volkswagen Group's software development would be led by Audi. In addition, Audi will be responsible for exploring data-driven business models and innovative solutions.
Strong group synergies, an open software platform, centralized procurement advantages and a forward-looking layout in the software field are the basis for Audi to build its software development strength. The basic idea is that with the Volkswagen Group's SSP platform (scalable system platform) and its software company CARIAD, Audi will carry out in-depth research and development in the field of vehicle software and apply it to all the Group's products to quickly form scale effects and reduce costs.
According to the plan, by 2025, CARIAD will develop a scalable software platform with a unified operating system and cloud interconnection for all of the Group's brands. It is reported that VW. The first production-ready version of the OS operating system will be completed in 2024, after which the operating system will be used in new cars of all brands of the Volkswagen Group.
"The E3 2.0 software platform will empower future synergies, innovation and autonomous driving," Dusman said. "CARIAD is responsible for the technical development of software-based solutions, which brands can integrate into their vehicles according to their own circumstances.
Audi, which was entrusted to the core of the strategy, began to accelerate the use of the resource synergy advantages of the entire Volkswagen Group to increase its voice on the digital intelligent track of automobiles.
At the product level, in 2020, Audi launched the Artemis project, with the goal of creating a new "highly automated" electric vehicle, and the new product can be launched as soon as 2024. 2021 is the big year for Audi's concept cars, Audi released the first two of the "sphere" concept car trilogy - skysphere and grandsphere, variable body, steering wheelless, pedal and dashboard autonomous driving mode, seamless integration of the user digital ecosystem, Audi showed the outside world the technology that may be launched in the next few years.
John Newman, Head of Audi's Digital Business, said: "Through transformation, Audi will provide customers with new digital and sensory experiences in the future, with more frequent and deeper contact with customers. ”
Between 2022 and 2026, Audi will invest 37 billion euros in future model projects, including in the areas of new energy and innovative technologies. Under the Volkswagen Group system, Audi enjoys the group's procurement advantages, not only will it obtain better prices and terms, but also effectively improve inventory control, reduce personnel costs and daily management costs of enterprises, and empower enterprise development.
From the culture of mechanical engineers to the culture of software engineers, in this transformation, how much competitiveness can traditional car companies empower the next generation of cars, Audi is giving an answer.
Integrate into China's digital ecology
On October 24, 2021, in Wuxi, the world's first L4 autonomous driving demonstration of public road fusion V2X signals was staged here. This demonstration is not implemented by new car manufacturers with high voice in the competition of automobile intelligence, but the traditional luxury car company Audi. "Audi has made an important breakthrough in the field of connected vehicle technology and is proud to be able to present road testing to the public in China." Michael Hofmann, Executive Vice President of R&D at Audi China, said, "With China's continuous investment in smart city development, China has become the world's top autonomous driving technology innovation center. ”
From bicycle intelligence to car-to-vehicle networking, and then to vehicle-to-road networking, in the "intelligent evolution theory" of automobiles, the intelligence of the entire traffic is the ultimate goal. As the world's first car brand to realize the connection between mass production models and intelligent traffic lights, Audi has also made a new footnote to its brand slogan of "breaking through technology to enlighten the future" through new milestones in autonomous driving and V2X.
The landing of digital, intelligent and autonomous driving technology in China is an important part of Audi's transformation strategy. It is reported that CARIAD has nearly a thousand Chinese software engineers, whose job is to integrate the needs and preferences of Chinese customers, as well as China's unique digital ecology, into the future global software platform.
Breaking the closed system, Audi has developed an open app ecosystem for Chinese customers, allowing third-party developers to create tailored services and applications for the Audi Multimedia Interactive System (MMI) and integrate other digital assistant services, such as Alibaba's Tmall Genie. At the same time, Audi also cooperated with Tencent last year, so that some Audi models will be able to remotely upgrade OTAs, providing users with WeChat car version and other Tencent in-car service applications.
At the same time, the Volkswagen Group's annual accumulation of tens of millions of customers will provide a huge amount of data for software development, giving Audi an unmatched data advantage in the same market.
As a leading luxury car brand to enter the Chinese market, Audi is implementing its unremitting commitment to China with practical actions. As a high-end automobile brand that has created an industry precedent and achieved dual partners in the Chinese market, Audi has also been working with two major partners to promote the digital development of the Chinese automotive market and practice "in China, for China".
For example, Audi's long-term partner faw-Volkswagen Audi in China has built a "new model" digital ecology from product to service to enhance consumers' car experience in an all-round way; to create an Audi EP business ecological digital platform, the most advanced user digital management platform in the application industry, the Audi cloud listening system, a newly upgraded digital exhibition hall, etc.; and as Audi's new business segment in China, SAIC Audi has adopted an innovative business model from the beginning of its inception, and the new retail strategy has broken down online and offline barriers. SAIC Audi's three offline physical terminals: "Enterprising Hui", Audi City and Audi City Store have all been unveiled, which will create more convenient digital experiences for customers. In addition, SAIC Audi also launched an app, set up a "Shanghai Aohui" fan club, and provided consumers with a user butler panoramic service system.
Audi actively innovates, dares to try to break the convention, and resonates with the same frequency of China's digital development with "customer-centric" digital customer service, which also allows us to see the determination and confidence of Audi to continue to lead the development of the high-end automotive industry in the future.
City Nine Song/Text