Month: August 2019

“We are undergoing a transformation and are developing sustainable mobility solutions for the future as well as suitable opportunities for young people to join the company,” says Wendelin Göbel, Board Member for Human Resources and Organization. “After all, our apprentices and students are an important basis for the success of Audi of tomorrow. We are therefore preparing them for future-oriented subjects in the best possible way. This also includes adapting teaching methods in order to encourage young people to learn independently,” says Göbel.

Peter Mosch, Chairman of the General Works Council of AUDI AG, adds: “Suitable qualifications are the foundation for a secure professional future. For us as the General Works Council, it is crucial for Audi to offer up-to-date training content to prepare tomorrow’s workforce for tomorrow’s mobility. For young people, the new training programs and adjustments to existing vocational training are the right steps to take.”

New study programs at the Neckarsulm site

Audi is further expanding its fuel cell expertise at the Neckarsulm location and is adapting its study programs accordingly. Students in the “Chemical Engineering, Chemistry and Bioengineering” Bachelor program will now be able to learn about physical and organic chemistry as well as thermal process engineering. In addition, the new “Mechanical Engineering – Process Engineering” Bachelor program being offered prepares students to work in the fuel cell development team.

Audi is also focusing on targeted development of future-oriented training in information technology. In the “Business Informatics – Data Science” Bachelor program offered at the Neckarsulm location, students learn the core competences in data analysis and its application in the corporate context. The courses are offered in conjunction with the Baden-Württemberg Cooperative State University.

New cooperation programs with the Technical University of Ingolstadt

Starting in 2020, Audi will launch two additional dual Bachelor degree programs and an additional dual Master program in cooperation with the Technical University of Ingolstadt: In the “User Experience Design” Bachelor program, students learn the programming, design and concept development skills needed to design user-centric products. The “Electrical Engineering and Electric Mobility” Bachelor program teaches know-how in the future-oriented field of electric mobility and energy storage. Building upon that is the three-semester Master program in “Electrical Engineering for Mobile Systems,” which teaches engineering procedures in the development of automotive electrotechnical and mechatronic systems.

Extended training program

In addition to the new degree programs, Audi will be offering training to qualify as an IT specialist in Neckarsulm starting in 2020, combining the key points of IT and electrical engineering. This occupational training is also being offered in Ingolstadt.

The program for interested school and university students is wide-ranging: Starting in 2020, Audi will offer training in a total of 20 occupations, 16 dual Bachelor and three dual Master programs.

Digitalization in training

More and more digital teaching methods are being used in vocational training at Audi. Audi is introducing a new learning platform at the start of vocational training in September 2019. The online system guarantees access to learning content across multiple locations. This enables trainers and apprentices in Ingolstadt and Neckarsulm to share and process content, knowledge and assignments using their personalized online access on company tablets and computers. The trainers use the tool to track the learning progress of the individual apprentices. Depending on their level of knowledge, young people can be supported with personalized learning measures.

Applications for the start of apprenticeships or degree programs in 2020 can still be submitted through the Audi career page until September 15, 2019. Further information is available at www.audi.com/en/career/pupils/apprenticeship.html and www.audi.com/en/career/pupils/dual-studies-bachelor.html.

In addition, school-age students have the opportunity throughout the year to complete a work-experience placement for additional career orientation. Online applications for this can be found at https://www.audi.com/en/career/pupils.html.

The Chairman of the Board of Management of AUDI AG, Bram Schot: „One of Ferdinand Piëch’s greatest strengths was that he really burned for the brand Audi. This latin word means ,listen’ – and he always listened well to both customers and staff. He lived the dream of automobility all his life and was the engine of innovation. He developed Audi into a premium brand and created a technological lead with groundbreaking developments. These include the five-cylinder spark ignition engine, quattro permanent four-wheel drive, the procon-ten safety system, the fully galvanized all-steel body and lightweight aluminum construction with the Audi Space Frame, which celebrated its premiere at the 1993 IAA in a study of the Audi A8. We will keep alive the memory of Ferdinand Piëch – a man who uniquely united genius with passion and perseverance”.

The Chairman of the General Works Council of AUDI AG, Peter Mosch: „Ferdinand Piëch was a mastermind of the automotive industry. As an entrepreneur, he combined what was technically possible and economically sensible with social responsibility. He was aware of the importance of co-determination for the Group’s success story. Audi owes its transformation into a premium brand to him”.

Audi R8 LMS GT3

Class wins at the Slovakiaring: In round five of the Eset V4 Cup, several customers were successful with the Audi R8 LMS in sprint and endurance races. Marcin Jedlinski from Poland in an Audi R8 LMS from the Olimp Racing team in the one-hour race across the long distance achieved first place in his class and second overall behind a prototype. In the first sprint, the Slovak Christian Malcharek in his home round won the GT3 classification in front of Richard Chlad jr. in another Audi. The second sprint race saw another Audi one-two result in the GT3 classification by Marcin Jedlinski finishing in front of Richard Chlad jr.

Audi Sport R8 LMS Cup

Victories for Andrew Haryanto and Bhurit Bhirombhakdi: Two drivers shared the victories in the fourth event of the Audi Sport R8 LMS Cup. Andrew Haryanto won the first race at Suzuka in rain ahead of Alex Au and Bhurit Bhirombhakdi. In the second race, in brilliant sunshine, Bhirombhakdi prevailed against Haryanto while third place went to Yasser Shahin. The advantage of leader of the standings Shahin over Alex Au shrunk from 15 to eleven points in Japan. Consequently, at the finale in Malaysia in November, the top five drivers in the standings still have mathematical title chances. In addition, last year’s champion Haryanto enjoys a special award: he scored the largest number of points among all entrants at Suzuka, which has secured him a place in the cockpit of an Audi R8 LMS that will compete in the 10 Hours of Suzuka with the best Cup driver from this season in exactly one year’s time. In the GT4 class, the Japanese Shozo Tagahara in his Cup debut celebrated a class win in both rounds with the Audi Team AS Sport.

Audi Sport Seyffarth R8 LMS Cup

Paul celebrates double victory: Maximilian Paul was the dominant driver on the fourth race weekend of the Audi Sport Seyffarth R8 LMS Cup at the Lausitzring. In his first commitment in the GT4 one-make cup in the current season, the merely 19-year-old up-and-coming driver had started both races from pole position and in his Audi R8 LMS GT4 scored victory twice in front of Rahel Frey. Current champion Kris Heidorn, who also competed in the Cup for the first time in the 2019 season, on finishing the second race in third place, achieved a podium finish, too. With a third and fourth place at the Lausitzring, Robin Rogalski defended the lead in the drivers’ classification.

Audi RS 3 LMS (TCR)

Victory in chaotic race: Team Fast MD Racing celebrated its first victory with the Audi RS 3 LMS in the TCR class of the IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge. After a thunderstorm had previously caused qualifying to be canceled, changeable weather also marked the race in Virginia and led to numerous interruptions. During a safety car period, all competitors switched to rain tires. Only Nick Galante in his Audi from Fast MD Racing stayed on slicks and subsequently lost ground on a wet track. About halfway through the two-hour race, the opponents switched to slicks again. In the last 25 minutes, rain led to three more safety car deployments. When race control released the round for a last remaining lap Galante’s teammate James Vance took the lead and won, marking the second victory this season for the Audi RS 3 LMS. Third place went to Michael Johnson/Stephen Simpson from JDC-Miller Motorsports in another Audi. After eight of ten rounds, Gavin Ernstone/Jon Morley in the fourth spot remain the best Audi drivers.

Trophies for three Audi drivers: Three different drivers of the Audi RS 3 LMS returned from the finale of the Canadian Touring Car Championship at Mosport with trophies. Jean-François Hevey, in race one, achieved third place in the TCR classification for the TRC/M1GT team. In the second race, his teammate, Matthew Taskinen, took second place in front of Travis Hill from Team TWOth Autosport. In the final championship classification of the class that, with twelve entrants, was well-filled, Jean-François Hevey finished runner-up, trailed by three other drivers of an Audi RS 3 LMS, Travis Hill, Matthew Taskinen and Ron Tomlinson from TWOth Autosport.

Coming up next week

28/08–01/09 Bangsaen (THA), rounds 5 and 6, Thailand Super Series

30/08-01/09 Most (CZ), rounds 9 and 10, Audi Sport Seyffarth R8 LMS Cup

30/08-01/09 Barcelona (E), round 6, 24H Series

30/08-01/09 Nürburgring (D), rounds 7 and 8, Blancpain GT World Challenge Europe

30/08-01/09 Watkins Glen (USA), rounds 11 and 12, Pirelli GT4 America

30/08-01/09 Watkins Glen (USA), rounds 11 and 12, Pirelli GT4 America SX

30/08-01/09 Watkins Glen (USA), rounds 7 and 8, Pirelli GT4 America East

30/08-01/09 Watkins Glen (USA), rounds 11 and 12, TC America TCR

30/08-01/09 Imola (I), rounds 9 and 10, TCR Italy

30/08-01/09 Imola (I), round 5, TCR DSG Endurance

30/08-01/09 Barcelona (E), rounds 5 and 6, GT4 South European Series

31/08-01/09 Nürburgring (D), rounds 11 and 12, GT4 European Series

31/08-01/09 Winton (AUS), rounds 13 to 15, TCR Australia

31/08-01/09 Ušče (SRB), round 13, FIA CEZ

31/08-01/09 Bangsaen (THA), rounds 9 and 10, TCR Asia

31/08-01/09 Shanghai (CN), round 3, China Endurance Championship

– End –

Lake Bled lies idyllically on the edge of the Pokljukaplateau in northern Slovenia. Here three Audi e-tron 55 quattro models, each with three journalists onboard, set off on a particular challenge: 10 European countries in 24 hours. The 1,600 kilometer-plus (994.2 mi) tour took them through Austria, Italy, Lichtenstein, Switzerland, France, Germany, Luxembourg and Belgium to Amsterdam in the Netherlands. On stages where the topography could have hardly been more different, the Audi e-tron showed just how comfortable, dynamic and suitable for long journeys the first electric car from the brand with the four rings is.

The Audi e-tron is on the cusp of a new era of mobility – and it makes a bold statement. “Our electric SUV is an excellent long-distance car because it perfectly combines a high degree of ride comfort, performance and efficiency,” explains Hans-Joachim Rothenpieler, Audi Board of Management Member for Technical Development. “On the journalists’ tour we’ve also shown that, apart from the range itself, fast-charging capability with 150 kW is crucially important.”

Saves time: fast-charging with 150 kW

Thanks to direct-current charging at high-power charging stations, the lithium-ion battery of the Audi e-tron reaches 80 percent of its capacity in just under 30 minutes – fundamentally saving time on long stages. The basis for the high charging output is the complex thermal management, which also ensures a long battery service life combined with consistently excellent performance, even under high load. All seven charging stops on the tour – in Kärnten, South Tyrol, Vorarlberg, in the Canton of Zurich, in the Breisgau, in the Eifel and near Liège – were completed at this type of fast-charging station. These are also integrated into the e-tron Charging Service, along with the AC charging stations where the Audi e-tron can recharge using up to 11 kW of alternating current. Audi’s proprietary charging service covers around 100,000 charging points altogether in 19 EU countries – with numbers growing all the time. The customer simply needs a single card to start the charging process at these charging points. Customers have to register one time on the myAudi portal and conclude an individual charging contract to use the service. Billing is automatic via the user account. No physical means of payment is used. Standardized, country-specific prices mean that you can travel freely and easily without having to constantly compare prices.

Stage winner: perfect mix of performance, efficiency and comfort

Thanks to the different route profiles, the Audi e-tron 55 quattro (combined electrical consumption in kWh/100 km*: 26.4 – 22.9 (WLTP); 24.6 – 23.7 (NEDC), combined CO₂ emissions in g/km: 0 (0 g/mi)) also managed to demonstrate its specific dynamic handling strengths. In the Alps it made full use of the maximum power of up to 300 kW and 664 Nm (489.7 lb-ft) of torque on the uphill climbs. Downhill it reaped the benefits of its superior recuperation concept that allows it to recover up to 220 kW and 300 Nm (221.3 lb-ft) when braking and convert it into electricity – a benchmark figure among the competition. The electric all-wheel drive also delivered optimum traction and dynamism on the winding stretches in South Tyrol. This system ensures the continuous and fully variable regulation of the ideal distribution of drive torque between the two axles – within a fraction of a second.

On the flat stages along the Rhine, in Belgium and the Netherlands traveling at constant speeds, the sophisticated aerodynamics with a drag coefficient of 0.27 contributed substantially to the low fuel consumption. And over the entire tour, the electric powered SUV put on a brilliant performance with its outstanding ride and noise comfort, which is also on a par with vehicles in the full-size class. So too is the amount of space, which is increased in the foot area in the rear in particular thanks to the drivetrain configuration. Leather seats with massage function, an ionizer for first-class air quality and the contour/ambient lighting, which transformed the interior on the night stages into a feel-good lounge, add the finishing touches to the outstanding long-distance qualities.

• Information on fuel/electric power consumption and CO₂ emission figures given in ranges depend on the equipment selected for the vehicle