Audi’s new strategy to focus on digital technology and electric cars
It's no secret that Volkswagen AG is working on expanding their electric vehicle range. It has been reported that Matthias Muller, chief executive of Volkswagen AG is working on a new 'Together-Strategy 2025', which intends to increase the manufacturer's electric vehicle sales to 1 million units in the next decade. The company is reportedly aiming to launch 30 new electric vehicles by 2025. The company will also be focussing more on autonomous technologies.
In a latest development, Handelsblatt, a German daily has reported that Audi AG, part of parent group Volkswagen AG, is also working on a new strategy which aims to focus on electric cars. As a part of the new strategy, Audi intends to move away from traditional automobiles and focus more on digital technology.
The company aims to make electric vehicles account for one fourth of their sales over the next decade. The company is also contemplating investing one third of its research and development budget into software, digital services, autonomous technology and electric vehicles. Last year, the company's research and development budget was $ 4.69 billion.
Along with Handelsblatt even Reuters has reported that Rupert Stadler, chief executive of Audi AG, will be presenting his strategy for 2025 to company officials on Wednesday in Munich. According to both reports, to generate sufficient funds for the new direction, Audi intends to cut down on their investments in traditional cars and even discontinue some models.
Previously, Stradler had told Handelsblatt that autonomous driving technology will be introduced on the next generation A8 in 2017 and will eventually be offered on other Audi models as well. He expects fully autonomous driving technology to be introduced by 2025. He also revealed that in 2018 Audi AG will introduce a new electric car that is internally addressed as the C-BEV. The C stands for the upper middle class and BEC for Battery Electric Vehicle.
"We are too slow and traditional. In the future competition will be brutal," said Stradler. He had made no bones about the emergence of autonomous driving technology and said that it can't be left only to the 'Googles, Ubers and Apples of the world'.