“We are delighted to be partnering with the Ducati Lenovo Team,” says Sebastian Grams, Managing Director of Audi Sport GmbH. “Ducati and Audi Sport GmbH are connected by highly emotional products that are a perfect match. Anyone who owns a Ducati motorcycle is potentially also interested in our R and RS models. On the other hand, we know from many of our customers that they could also imagine riding a Ducati. We want to exploit this potential for joint products and customer experiences. We have many exciting ideas that we want to implement step by step.”

“Ducati is part of the Premium Brand Group, to which we motorsport enthusiasts are naturally particularly close,” says Rolf Michl, Managing Director of Audi Sport GmbH and Head of Motorsport at Audi. “We are united by our sporting genes and successes on the race track. We had a joint test of our Audi RS Q e-tron and the Ducati DesertX last year. A valuable exchange of experience took place during the event. We will intensify this thanks to the new partnership. In addition, motorcycle racing is on the verge of the same transformation toward electromobility as Audi is undergoing in motorsport.”

In the Premium Brand Group, which in addition to Audi and Ducati also includes Lamborghini and Bentley, the automobile and two-wheel manufacturers already work closely together. “Audi is a pioneer in the transition to e-mobility. Here, the other brands can benefit from our experience,” says Markus Duesmann, Chairman of the Board of Management at AUDI AG. He adds that there are also joint projects in production or sales, for example with a pilot project in which dealership partners sell Ducati motorcycles and Audi models under one roof. “The partnership between Ducati and Audi Sport perfectly complements the existing cooperation within the brand group. In terms of sporting success on the race track, Ducati is a role model for us for our future involvement in Formula 1.”

“As a car and motorcycle enthusiast, I have always been attracted to Audi’s RS models, which are unique in combining strong excitement and usability for the whole family”, says Claudio Domenicali, CEO of Ducati. “They are the cars that our riders use daily with great satisfaction. For these reasons, I am proud that Audi Sport is together with the Ducati Lenovo Team in the technological and sporting challenge of MotoGP. Audi Sport and Ducati have a lot in common, and I’m sure that the MotoGP environment and the collaborations between our R&D and Style groups will be able to generate great content for two- and four-wheel enthusiasts.”

Ducati has been involved in MotoGP from the factory since 2003 and won the world title for the first time with Australian Casey Stoner in 2007. Last year, Italian Francesco Bagnaia secured the world title on the Ducati Lenovo Team’s Desmosedici GP. This year, he is the defending champion. His new teammate is his Italian compatriot Enea Bastianini, who finished third with Gresini Racing in 2022 and has now been promoted to the factory team.

The new MotoGP season begins with the Portuguese Grand Prix at Portimão this weekend. A total of 21 world championship rounds are scheduled. On June 18, the world championship will also head to Germany for a Grand Prix at the Sachsenring. 

In parallel to its factory involvement in MotoGP, Ducati will also be supplying the motorcycles for FIM MotoE World Championship, MotoGP’s electric category, for the first time in 2023 – as the sole official motorcycle supplier.

The partnership between Audi Sport and Ducati started with a victory: Francesco Bagnaia won the first sprint race in MotoGP history at Portimão on Saturday.

Article source: www.audi-mediacenter.com

“We are very pleased that the partnership with one of Ingolstadt’s sports flagships will continue,” says Audi Member of the Board of Management for Human Resources Xavier Ros. “Many Audi employees are themselves active members of ERC or passionate fans of the club.” On that note, the pro team is virtually spoiling fans at the moment: This season, the team breezed their way to the DEL playoffs as second in the table. Head coach Mark French’s team is now in the German championship quarterfinals. ERC last won the DEL title in 2014 – with Audi as its partner back then as well. Gerd Walker, Member of the Board of Management for Production and Logistics, emphasizes: “Renewing our contract also sends a strong signal to the Ingolstadt location and the region.”

Audi also supports the club’s junior program, which was once again awarded the top rating of five stars by the German Ice Hockey Federation (DEB) in 2022 and secures the future of the club’s success. For example, the U20 team in the German Junior League (DNL) entered the German championship playoffs after the main round heading the group. The U17 team will again play in Germany’s top division in the coming season. The brand with the four rings is also committed to supporting the ERC women’s team, which features the Germany internationals Jule Schiefer, Theresa Wagner, and Celina Haider. The team won the German championship in 2022 and followed up with a cup victory this year.

The Audi Sportakademie provides the ERC with an ideal environment to help talented players graduate from school in addition to their athletic development. Located at Audi Sportpark, the academy has room for six ice hockey and twelve soccer talents since 2014.

The cooperation between Audi and the storied club has grown over the years and is characterized by regular joint activities. Last year, for example, the ERC players joined Audi employees in the canteen and took part in autograph sessions. Together, ERCI and Audi repeatedly host joint evens such as Volunteer Day or the carbon-neutral away day. Another tradition, the pro team players also receive company cars from Audi at the start of each season.

In addition to its involvement in elite international sports, Audi has been supporting local clubs and sporting events as a “good neighbor” for many years. In addition to ERC, these include the FC Ingolstadt 04 soccer team as well as the Ingolstadt half marathon and triathlon.

Unlike the Audi House of Progress in the Autostadt, all the other concept locations are temporary. Audi is opening them in urban hot spots as a way of going to the heart of its customers’ lives. In 2022, Audi House of Progress sites opened in Vienna, Seoul, and Milan, among other places. In addition to the permanent installation in Wolfsburg, in the spring of 2023, an Audi House of Progress will also open in Riyadh, the capital of Saudi Arabia. Additional locations are already being planned.

The road to the Audi House of Progress Wolfsburg

Alterations to the Audi Pavilion in the Autostadt amounted to a complete remodeling of the existing building’s interior. In addition to renovating its internal technology, the main focus was the exhibition concept. To increase transparency and create space for new exhibits and new sight lines, the reinforced concrete forming the rotunda which contains the central staircase of the building was opened up.

The new Audi House of Progress shows that Audi’s sustainable aspirations do not only apply to products, manufacturing, and the supply chain, but also to its touch points with customers and fans. The idea behind the Audi House of Progress is to no longer require alterations for new exhibits, which is completely in line with the goal of sustainability. The only things that will change are the digital content and the exhibits, like cars and furnishings. That way, new topics and products can be integrated into each exhibition quickly and easily. It will turn the company's promise that “future is an attitude” into a changeable concept with an emphasis on making the Audi brand tangible and real for visitors.

Right in the entry area to the Audi House of Progress, the Table of Visions offers a look at the company’s visions of the future. A moving walkway flanked by questions about brand topics leads away from there and into the pavilion’s exhibition areas, which span two levels.

Highlights of the exhibition

The first level houses exhibits on digitalization and design. Alongside the A6 e-tron concept and the Audi A8 60 TFSI e plug-in hybrid, there are exhibits that bring both subjects to life on an elongated lowboard. Examples from the digital field include digital OLED rear lights that playfully display various dynamic lighting scenarios and, in doing so, reveal the technology’s possibilities. Additionally, materials like the recycled substance Econyl, a clay model of the Audi e-tron GT quattro, and 3-D printed vases in current color options are also presented. Visitors can take sketches from Audi Design home with them.

Curves and corners in the cold: Audi is currently putting the production-oriented Q6 e-tron prototype through its paces in the far north of Europe under strict safety regulations. The future model series is the first to be built on the new Premium Platform Electric (PPE) technology platform. With its 800-volt electrical system, powerful and efficient electric motors, an innovative battery and charging management system, and a newly developed electronics architecture, the production-oriented Q6 e-tron prototype marks the next major step in the electrification and digitalization of Audi’s model range.

The upcoming Q6 e-tron model series, which comes in SUV and Sportback body variants, represents sustainable production, the upskilling of the workforce at the Ingolstadt site, and the electric future of the company. Audi is transforming at an increasing pace into a leading provider of connected, fully electric premium mobility. And it is doing so on strong economic foundations: The Audi Group closed the 2022 fiscal year with record results.

“Our Vorsprung 2030 strategy provides the right answers, even in times of multiple crises,” says Markus Duesmann, CEO of AUDI AG. “We are completely focused on sustainability and systematically advancing the digitalization and electrification of our products.”

Article source: https://www.audi-mediacenter.com