GERMANY’S FIRST VIRTUAL SHOWROOM: AUDI CITY BERLIN OPENS ITS DOORS
- Further enhanced technology for digital sales concept
- New “Audi select” serice for flexible premium mobility
- Sales chief Luca de Meo: “We are bringing the flagship of our exclusive customer approach to one of the world’s most exciting metropolises”
- Moscow to be the next Audi City location
A new brand hub in the capital: After successful launches in London and Beijing, the world’s third Audi City opens on “ Kurfürstendamm”, one of the most prestigious downtown locations in Berlin. In the German metropolis, the next development stage of the digitalized showroom will be on display: For the first time, visitors can experience the virtual Audi world also in stereo 3D.
Audi City also stands for innovative solutions for the brand’s dealers: In the future, key technologies of the cyberstore will be available for tailor-made implementation at dealerships. With the launch of Audi City, the brand is also piloting a very flexible usage model for premium mobility in Berlin: Under the name “Audi select”, the company will be offering customers of Audi City Berlin the option to switch between up to three different Audi models per year at an all-inclusive monthly rate.
“Audi City is showing the way to the future of sales. We are combining the best of two worlds with this concept: new digital possibilities and even more personal cus-tomer consultation,” says Luca de Meo, Member of the Board of Management for Sales at AUDI AG. “We are now bringing the flagship of our premium customer approach to Berlin, one of the world’s most exciting cities. Therefore, we have significantly pushed the development of Audi City – with new technologies and exclusive services.”
Audi City presents the brand’s entire model line-up in fully digital form. Using in-novative media technology, visitors can customize their automobile from several million options and experience it in realistic form on a 1:1 scale on ceiling-high powerwalls. Afterwards, customers can schedule a test drive or directly place the production order for their car. Since the Audi City concept made its debut in London in July 2012, Audi has established itself as front-runner in digitalized car sales and has been continually pushing this development. With the opening of the Berlin location, the cyberstore offers an even larger range of display options and enables customers to configure their own cars by selecting from all the functions, techno-logies and features offered by AUDI AG. The company is also introducing an additional presentation technology there – a stereo 3D powerwall, which lets customers experience the Audi world in a very emotional way for the first time with the extraordinary spatial effects of stereo 3D. Awaiting visitors to the Ku’damm location in Berlin is a space measuring 375 square meters of floor area distributed over two levels, and 87 square meters of digital projection area.
For the premium car manufacturer, Audi City is an important innovation laboratory for digital technologies in sales. Now, Audi is taking the next step of integrating the digital showroom into its international dealership networks. The company has syste-matically developed Audi City technologies in order to prepare them for use in classic dealerships. In the future, Audi dealers will be able to integrate individual modules into their dealerships flexibly – such as the touch-sensitive “multitouch tables” for model configuration, the “powerwall” for car presentation and the “customer private lounge” for consultations in a more private ambiance. This year, Audi City technologies will make their way into 16 dealerships worldwide.
The next Audi City will open in Moscow – it will be the fourth location after London (July 2012), Beijing (January 2013) and now Berlin. In Berlin, Audi City represents the company’s intensified commitment in the German capital. AUDI AG will for example partner the Berlinale movie festival for the first time this year. In the future, Audi City Berlin will develop beyond the brand’s core business to become an important platform for events.
Audi select
On the important Berlin market, Audi is also launching a new and very flexible format for premium mobility: Audi select. As an alternative to classic car purchases or leasing, customers of Audi City Berlin will have the exclusive opportunity to drive three different Audi models consecutively over the course of a year at an all-inclusive monthly rate. With Audi select, customers can choose from a broad range of Audi models and technologies and create their individual package.
“From the A3 Sportback e-tron, our first plug-in hybrid, to high performance from Audi Sport: with Audi select, the customer experiences more Audi than ever,” says Luca de Meo. “We are combining the independence of owning a car with the wish for more flexibility, creating a customized mobility experience for special demands.”
The personalized pick up and delivery service from Audi select makes exchanging the selected models extremely convenient for the customer. Audi select will be available at Audi City Berlin from April 2014 on.
