Audi made it very loud and clear that they were going all in on electric cars. When touring the BMW factory, they mentioned that they were looking to get into the electric market as they’re adapting it in some of their cars. But they haven’t taken a full stance on getting into luxury electric vehicles due to the fact that they’re already established within this market. Audi has gone through multiple CEOs within the past few years as they try to put a major amount of focus on developing their electric vehicle portfolio. When touring the factory, you can feel the culture of moving towards electric cars; they had a saying they mentioned: “Progress through Technology”.
When entering the factory, the first thing I noticed was the difference between how they defined luxury. At BMW, it seems as though luxury comes from power and image, but Audi made me really feel as though I was a user of their car. When touring the factory, the first thing I noticed was the difference in their production. At BMW, there are different sections, and then everything comes together, but as I walked the Audi factory, I noticed that everything was done within one line. The Audi factory seemed much more professional and a luxurious feeling. They produce all of their body parts in-house through a major pressing machine that you can feel shaking even outside of the building. I also enjoyed this tour because it was much more up close and personal; we were able to walk through the entire process of making a car.
The major difference I noticed between BMW and Audi is that Audi has much more automation within their process compared to BMW. The major sections first started with robots, and then humans completed a majority of the tasks. Audi also made you feel the feeling of luxury as you walked through the tour. Everything seems so neat and clean, which reflects in their products. They also made you feel a part of the tour by taking time to explain every little detail and why they do it.
I would rather be drawn towards BMW. I understand we are in a time where everyone wants to move towards electric vehicles because it’s the market now. But I don’t think as a company you should make that your main mission to fully go all in on electric vehicles when your identity is known as ICE luxury cars. I think BMW is doing a better job of slowly edging into the market and figuring out what works for them. The difference is reflected in Audi having so many CEO changes in the past decade.
