Today we took an hour bus ride another morning ride through rural Bavaria, travelling from Augsburg to Ingolstadt to tour the Audi headquarters. This facility in particular produced multiple trims for the Q2, A3, A4, and A5 models; we toured the side making the Q2 and A3. But first, we toured the Audi museum adjacent to the plant.
The museum housed the entire history of Audi and its subsidiaries, with the earliest exhibit dating back to 1899. Throughout the course of the tour, it was incredible to see the advancement in technology from the early 20th Century through today. The earliest motorcycles on display were truly “motor-bikes”, equipped with both a small 2-cylinder engine in addition to traditional foot pedals, as a bicycle would. Power was transmitted from this engine to the rear wheel by a leather belt, and the engine itself had an external hand crank to start. The tour then moved into the beginnings of early Audi, then Auto Union, luxury, with large engines and passenger compartments. Even early grand prix cars, the Auto Union Types C and D where on display, a long time away from their racing days prior to World War II. The formation of the Audi brand as we know it becomes more visible through the 1970s onward, to the sporty and high-end vehicles we know today.
The history of Audi is very similar to that of American automakers, especially the early story. The two groups began as small companies only selling a handful of vehicles, using then innovative, now incredibly outdated, automotive technology. Their growth and development more or less mirror each other until World War II; German automakers suffered greatly in postwar Germany, while American automakers grew tremendously in the following decades. However, Audi sold itself on advanced, efficient, and optimized products, working their way back to global relevance. Now, they stand as a testament of German technology, innovation, and performance, beaten by only the largest of the automotive giants.
After the museum, we were given a guided tour of the assembly line for the Audi Q2, the lowest trim of crossover in the Audi brand. We saw the final assembly process from start to finish, beginning with stamping the body panels out of sheets of coiled steel and aluminum. They are then welded together, painted, then enter the final assembly line, where all components are brought together to create a full, operating vehicle. The plant floor was incredibly optimized, incorporating automation wherever possible. The chassis were carried throughout the factory by their roof panels until they received wheels, where they were placed onto large moving platforms, where the final interior components were added. In the distance of 500 meters, we could see a coil of steel transform into a fully operational Audi Q2.
What surprised me the most about the assembly line was how Audi managed the customization selections by the customer on each vehicle. These options – color, wheel rims, interior type, right hand versus left hand drive, body stylings – were all associated with one vehicle as it moved through the assembly line. The options were then associated with this vehicle, being delivered as the chassis moved along the line, ensuring the customer received their desired options. With all parts being interchangeable, the integration of these options is completely seamless. I was very impressed that these options could all be managed on such a busy assembly line.
After a wonderful lunch in Audi’s cafeteria, we were given a brief presentation about Audi’s future. Based on this information, the Audi corporation is prepared to handle the transition from producing internal combustion vehicles to electric ones. They have already begin with their e-Tron lineup, but are prepared to produce only electric vehicles within the next ten years. I had expected, but also was impressed, that a company of Audi’s size was prepared for such a shift. The company has the resources to do so, and how they handle the transition determines their future successes.
After a lengthy ride back to Augsburg, we were given a short presentation about trends in the German auto industry by a writer from Bloomburg. The presentation itself was very insightful, but even more so were the responses from the questions we asked afterward. The writer was more than happy to answer them, giving his thoughts about the future of EVs and the future global markets.
Today was a very busy day, but was the last of our company tours; the next days are dedicated to writing and practicing our final presentation to give next Wednesday.