Yet we’re witnessing a power struggle between cell phone companies and automakers. Will Google, Apple, Baidu etc. have control over the data in future – and therefore over the customers?
Stadler: Definitely not. The automobile will play a special role in the networked world of the future, because its refined sensor systems mean it possesses its own sense. It is equipped with everything it needs to calculate a complete model of its surroundings wherever it is and in real time. There is no computer that can do that, never mind a smartphone. Only a piloted car has radar systems, video cameras for 3D reconstruction, ultra-sound sensors and a laser scanner delivering highly precise data on objects in front of the vehicle. We can identify everything, from cross traffic in the blind spot to all kinds of dangerous situations. Our principle is – if the sensors are in the car, then the intelligence for assistance systems and piloted driving have to be in the car, too – and not on the servers of international IT companies and data gatherers. As I said before, we see the big IT companies as partners, but we are the only ones able to guarantee our customers’ privacy.
These “data gatherers” would also end up knowing quite a lot about the driver.
Stadler: There’s a lot at stake – our customers’ personal data and therefore a big part of their life. The car is a private space, much like a second living room. The movements of my car are nothing less than a movement profile of my day. We therefore have a very clear position at Audi – the data from the car belongs to the customer. They alone decide what happens to it. We adhere firmly to European data protection standards. More than that, we invest a lot of money in our own infrastructure which ensures our customers’ data is secure. And we are also committed to full transparency in what happens to this data – without any loopholes. As far as the internet of things is concerned, you’ll see that the word “privacy” will keep gaining in value.
You joined with your colleagues at BMW and Daimler to buy Nokia map service HERE. What role does that play in your strategy?
Stadler: Real-time maps and location-based services will be the foundation for tomorrow’s mobility. Together with BMW and Daimler, we are ensuring that HERE remains an open, independent, value-creating platform for one of the best map databases in the world. It’s forming the basis for new assistance systems, ranging all the way to fully automated driving. It’s helping us further expand our leadership in the field of piloted driving, increase road safety and open up new opportunities for the development of new mobility services and other services for our customers. Access to it assures that we as automakers have the autonomy crucial to the development of importantfuture technologies. It provides us with long-term independence, particularly in the face of major IT companies.
But why is the map issue so important to you? Our world is already perfectly well digitalized. Navigation systems already know even the tiniest path.
Stadler: We’re dealing with a whole different dimension. Current maps with resolution measurable in meters are good for navigation, but autonomous driving needs completely new data fundamentals on the centimeter scale. Perhaps the word map is a little misleading, because we’re no longer talking about classic road maps. We’re talking about a three-dimensional model of space. It has to be incredibly precise, all the way down to the condition of the road surface. And it has to be alive, it has to update itself literally every second, using anonymized data from our cars, with all the information on the traffic situation, on the weather, on accidents etc. HERE is also an enormous database of information on hotels and businesses, on parking spaces and events.