Future of mobility

This season, Audi is the first German carmaker to field a team in Formula E (alongside which Roborace is staged as part of the ancillary program). The brand with the four rings takes over the ABT Sportsline squad’s starting slot. The Allgäu-based team has participated successfully in Formula E since the inception of the electric racing series, and will in the future take care of the Audi race cars as fielding squad. Audi Sport ABT Schaeffler heads to Hong Kong in early December for Formula E’s fourth season. The 2016/2017 title was won by Audi driver Lucas di Grassi. Racing calendar: February 3 Santiago (Chile), March 3 Mexico City (Mexico), March 17 Punta del Este (Uruguay), April 14 Rome (Italy), April 28 Paris (France), May 19 Berlin (Germany), June 10 Zurich (Switzerland) and July 14/15 New York (USA).

The four rings’ involvement in Formula E also heralds the Audi product offensive in electric mobility due to be ushered in with the Audi e-tron in 2018. As announced at the 2017 Frankfurt Motor Show, Audi plans to have over 20 electric models in its lineup by 2025, including plug-in hybrids and purely battery-powered cars.

The use of processors, for instance, in the central driver assistance controller (zFAS) of the new Audi A8 is just one aspect of the Audi-NVIDIA partnership. Over the last ten years, the duo has also successfully collaborated on cockpit displays and infotainment.

Audi is no stranger to visionary automotive design like that of Daniel Simon’s Roboracers. The Audi Aicon and other concept vehicles on display at exhibitions and car shows already offer a window on the future of car design. But the most revolutionary looks produced by the brand with the four rings usually stem from its work in Hollywood. In 2004, for example, the (autonomous) Audi RSQ in 'I, Robot' created a sensation in its own right, and the Audi Fleet Shuttle quattro, as seen in 'Ender’s Game', was a big hit not only with Audi fans in 2013.