In its annual general meeting held today in Ingolstadt,
Germany, Audi outlined two key areas of focus for the future: electrification
and digitization.
No doubt spurred on by the emissions cheating scandal Audi
is embroiled in together with its Volkswagen Group parent
, the automaker is accelerating the electrification of its
fleet.
Instead of the piecemeal efforts we’ve seen so far—currently
there’s only an A3-based plug-in hybrid
on sale here—Audi will launch an electric
SUV in 2018 and launch at least one electrified car per year in
subsequent years.
“Starting in 2018, we will launch another electrified car
each year,” CEO Rupert Stadler said at the general
meeting.
In the area of digitization the scope is much wider.
However, one important area is the integration of the HERE digital map business
Audi acquired last year with fellow German automakers BMW and Mercedes-Benz.
Highly precise maps linked with real‑time data will be the basis for example
for many future digital services, particularly autonomous driving.
According to Stadler, fully autonomous cars will be
available “by 2025.” His comments come just days after Fiat Chrysler
Automobiles [NYSE:FCAU] CEO Sergio Marchionne said he thinks fully autonomous
cars are more likely to be just five years out
and not decades as others have suggested.
Audi is a bit behind automakers like Mercedes, Tesla Motors
[NSDQ:TSLA] and Volvo in the area of autonomous driving. Audi’s first model
with a high level of autonomous capability will be the next-generation A8 arriving next year. It
will be able to drive itself in certain situations at speeds of up to 37 mph.
source: http://www.motorauthority.com/news/1103920_audi-to-launch-at-least-1-electrified-car-per-year-from-2018
by Viknesh Vijayenthiran
http://www.boscheuropean.com
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