Audi connect – The car in the cloud

Audi is appearing at CeBIT in Hanover for the first time ever. Under the “Audi connect” banner, the brand will present current and future solutions for mobile IT applications at the world’s biggest trade fair for information technology from March 6 to 10. One highlight will be the next-generation Audi A3: the first Audi model to use the modular infotainment platform. 

 Audi has attained a leading position in automotive infotainment, well aware that this engineering field is already key and will grow rapidly in importance. “Digitalization is not only accelerating change in society but also transforming mobility,” says Rupert Stadler, Chairman of the Board of Management of AUDI AG. Michael Dick, Member of the Board of Management for Technical Development, adds: “Under the ‘Audi connect’ banner, we are making individual mobility efficient, safe and convenient.”

Axel Strotbek, Member of the Board of Management for Finance and Organization, remarks: “IT applications and automobiles are converging increasingly quickly; cars are becoming active players in networks.” Strotbek will give the opening address at “Automotive Day” on March 8, which is associated with the trade fair.

Audi presented its infotainment innovations earlier this year at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas; now the brand will share them with a European audience. CeBIT in Hanover is the world’s most important and largest IT trade fair as well as a venue for showcasing many innovations in networking and connectivity. Audi recognized this early on and will be the first premium automotive manufacturer to have a substantial presence at CeBIT.

Information technology plays a pivotal role in Audi’s Vorsprung durch Technik. Intelligent IT solutions ensure the development and construction of top-quality vehicles. They allow employees to network, make our vehicles even more appealing and facilitate Audi connect services.

In contrast to many other manufacturers, Audi is not just a customer of IT companies. On the contrary, the Company has developed its own broad spectrum of expertise. Its joint ventures – such as e.solutions GmbH, a joint venture with Elektrobit – raise the bar. These partnerships enable Audi to add to its software excellence. Audi is similarly pursuing a new, integrated strategy regarding semiconductor technology.

The term “Audi connect” concerns the engineering field of networked mobility. In a rapidly changing world, people develop new needs. Networked IT communication solutions became part of everyday life some time ago – be it work-related or personal. Many people, especially younger ones, desire uninterrupted connectivity.

Audi connect satisfies these needs by linking the vehicle with the driver, the Internet, the infrastructure and with other vehicles. Audi connect not only puts the Internet into cars but also puts the car online – and into the world of cloud computing. Cars will be a part of Web 3.0, the intelligent Internet, which will interconnect everyday objects to make them smarter and handier. Innovative technology on board will grant Audi customers more safety, more comfort and more driving pleasure. In short: more experiences.

Audi owners with a Bluetooth online car phone can connect to the Internet via a UMTS module, and soon via LTE – the next-generation mobile communications standard. LTE can also play an important role in future car-to-X communication. It is a new technology which networks cars with each other and the transportation infrastructure to make driving cheaper and safer.

Audi connect provides drivers with customized services ranging from Audi online traffic information to Audi music stream, a new app which makes it possible to integrate online radio stations and a connected device’s music collection within the vehicle’s user interface. Audi will rapidly expand its portfolio of such services, by means of apps in many instances. Apps make it possible to remotely configure a car, for example. This is particularly intriguing with regard to future e-tron vehicles with electric drive units, as shown by current mobility plans for the Audi A1 e-tron.

Constantly connected in no way equates to distracted drivers, however. Indeed, new Audi connect technologies will make driving more convenient and further ease stress on drivers. Audi is therefore working at top speed on new control and display concepts. The new A3 – which Audi will show for the first time in Germany at CeBIT – boasts a great many control innovations, including its touchpad, its monitor, and the Audi Phone Box, a universal interface between cars and cell phones.

Moreover, Audi’s modular infotainment platform will debut in the new A3. It is a giant leap toward tomorrow’s mobile communications electronics. Its architecture makes it possible, for the first time, to easily update hardware to ensure it is always cutting-edge. A key component is the speedy graphics processor from Nvidia, the market leader, with whom Audi enjoys a very successful partnership. Going forward, the very latest Nvidia chips will always be used in Audi vehicles.

The success story of IT technologies is changing not only our means of transportation but also the world’s cities. Audi created the Audi Urban Future Initiative (AUFI) in 2010 to encourage people to analyze the future of cities with an eye on matters of mobility as well as make suggestions for urban renewal.

There will be a dedicated Audi Urban Future Initiative exhibit at CeBIT. It will showcase the five international proposals by the architects’ offices which participated in the first Audi Urban Future Award. In 2012, Audi is fostering discourse on “Cities and Mobility of Tomorrow” by means of the second award.

The equipment, data, and prices specified in this document refer to the model range offered in Germany. Subject to change without notice; errors and omissions excepted.