"The current scenario of the transformation of the automotive world is extremely challenging both when seen behind the scenes but also by the customer, who is increasingly projected towards sustainability and electric mobility."
"But this moment is also extraordinarily fascinating because it is leading to the change of aspects that for too long had remained untouchable and almost indisputable."
This is how Fabrizio Longo, director of Audi Italia, effectively summarized the theme of the meeting on electric mobility organized by ANSA in the studios of the Rome headquarters.
"The world of mobility is changing its skin - said Longo - but purchasing behavior and the very position of the car within social dynamics are also changing.
The innovations will bring safety and virtuousness from the point of view of emissions and consumption" as part of what the director of Audi Italia defined as "a sort of renewed economic and social pact, much healthier and useful for all those who will have to rewrite the connective tissue of our cities and our mobility" .
Video Audi leads the mobility transition
"Today there is a need for a lot of vision and at the same time determination, because in this discussion, which is sometimes a little hysterical, we arrive at a moment in which we have to make a decision, follow it and show determination in doing so".
Longo then explained that - despite operating in a world that is evolving in many aspects - for 15 years Audi has continued to maintain leadership in the premium market in Italy with a share of 4.7%.
"There is no winning recipe. I rather believe that it is a chemistry that the brand has established towards the market. And that is made up of numerous variables, an equation that contains many of them."
"Leadership is a sort of recognition, it derives from everything that the brand has been able to convey to customers also in terms of perception. The product has something to do with it, the cars have something to do with it, technology has something to do with it, but there 'The way in which we communicate and the territories that Audi has intended to promote in some way also come into play."
As part of the holistic relationship with changes (i.e. trying to bring forward all technologies while letting the market decide) Audi has taken a main path, that of electric.
"We consider electric to be the most efficient technology ever for building sustainable mobility - underlined Longo - Today it has no rivals, it has no alternatives at least until the next few years. It is obvious that from the international scene we receive answers on the speed of diffusion of 'different electric vehicles depending on the markets'.
"In Italy Audi has sold almost more than 50% of electric cars compared to the previous year, so those signs of progress are there. The fact remains that Italy is still struggling to have that specific weight in electric vehicles that we find in markets like France, Germany, Spain. We need greater clarity of messages, plans that instill some courage, tax relief plans and intelligent incentives to actually move the market."
The director of Audi Italia recalled the 28 billion in investments over the next three years, the strongest plan in the history of the Four Rings.
We continue clearly with ten new models in two and a half years from now.
And we will do it with an eye on what the Italian market will give in terms of signals."
"This important investment plan will be the first to bring the Q6 onto the roads in 2024, which is the first model ever generated by a platform called Ppe and which is natively electric and is responsible for generating other electric models".
Longo also focused on the changes in the types of purchases depending on the new approach of the Italian customer towards mobility.
Compared to owning a car, "the signal coming from the world of long-term rental, but also from that for private individuals, indicates that the market is shifting a bit. We believe in it a lot, because we spend less and we free ourselves from maintenance problems."
"I very much support the Italian customer's tendency to work towards usage patterns. Today, subscriptions are very fashionable, that is, the possibility of renting from an hour to a day, a quarter, a year. We must be ready to respond to this change in demand".
On the subject of artificial intelligence, Longo said that "it is helping us to rewrite industrial processes by operating within car manufacturers on a purely technological level. But I believe two mistakes have been made regarding autonomous driving. That is, the fact that it was ready to take off only because it was fascinating. But also because there was a lack of concreteness in infrastructural, regulatory and insurance changes."
But autonomous driving - concluded Longo - "has given us back the driving assistance systems that help us resolve complicated situations, limit the level of accidents by safeguarding human lives or limiting the enormous costs of automotive accidents on the healthcare system".
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