Two months after taking office as the new CEO at Audi, Markus Duesmann, is setting up a unit for the accelerated development of additional automobile models. The high-tech project called 'Artemis' will be spearheaded by Alex Hitzinger, motorsport chief engineer and currently in charge of autonomous driving in the Group. He will work with a team of automotive and technology experts to - as a first step to develop a pioneering model for Audi 'quickly and unbureaucratically' according to Duesmann.
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The project team will be given a large degree of freedom and will work globally, from the high-tech hub of the INCampus in Ingolstadt to the west coast of the United States. Digital services will be provided by the Group's own unit. 'Artemis' will focus on new technologies for electric, highly automated driving with a specific model reference. Its first task is to create a highly efficient electric car that is scheduled to be on the road as early as 2024. The creative team will also develop an extensive ecosystem around the car, thus designing a new business model for the entire usage phase.
Alex Hitzinger will establish and manage 'Artemis' in Ingolstadt with use of the Group's resources and technologies
Chairman of the Board of Management of Audi AG, Markus Duesmann, said, "With 75 planned electric models by 2029, the current electric initiative at the Volkswagen Group naturally ties up all our capacities. The obvious question was how we could implement additional high-tech benchmarks without jeopardizing the manageability of existing projects, and at the same time utilize new opportunities in the markets."
Audi plans to launch 75 electric models by 2029
Hitzinger started his automotive career as a development engineer at Toyota Motorsport. At Ford/Cosworth, he was the youngest chief development engineer in Formula 1. Under his leadership, the first Formula 1 engine with a speed range of up to 20,000 rpm was created in 2006. After three years at Apple in Silicon Valley, where he set up and managed product development for autonomous vehicles, Hitzinger returned to the Volkswagen Group in 2019 to develop autonomous driving and the ID. BUZZ at VW Commercial Vehicles.
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