OREANDA-NEWS. The Audi Group has today published its Corporate Responsibility Interim Report 2015. In it, the company reports on key figures, activities and challenges in the area of sustainability, but also on the consequences of the diesel emissions issue. The focus this year is on climate protection, digitization and the modern world of work. Under the motto “Audi & Co.,” experts from the automobile manufacturer discuss topics of the future with opinion leaders from the fields of research and economics.

“We live responsibility” – Audi intends to pursue this important corporate goal even more intensively in the future in light of the diesel?emissions issue: “After the experience of recent months, it is even more important for us to fully focus our technological expertise on actively shaping the future of our company,” states Rupert Stadler, Chairman of the Board of Management of AUDI AG, in the editorial of the current CR interim report.

In the report, the company therefore deliberately seeks an open exchange of opinions and ideas with critical thinkers in our society. In the “Ecology & Emotion” chapter, mobility expert Dr. Wiebke Zimmer asks highly relevant questions such as: Which modes of transport do young urban people use nowadays? Will we soon be driving with new fuels? Which way is ecological and makes sense? The company presents its approaches and goals for these topics. In order to get nearer to the vision of CO??neutral mobility, Audi is reducing the fuel consumption of its models, putting alternative drive technologies on the market and utilizing new sources of energy. For example, at its power?to?gas plant in Werlte in the German federal state of Lower Saxony, the automobile manufacturer produces Audi e?gas, a synthetic form of methane, out of water and CO2 with the help of wind energy.

Another area in which Audi is making its mark is the digital transformation. Many current aspects of this are described in the chapter “Intelligence & Connectivity.” Traffic expert Prof. Dr. Michael Schreckenberg and Audi development engineers talk about the opportunities and challenges of piloted driving. Autonomous and connected cars have the potential to reduce the number of traffic accidents by up to 90 percent. Increasing connectivity also raises questions of data protection and data security. In the discussion, the experts outline their ideas and visions.

Audi also places high priority on a modern world of work. In the “Human & Machine” chapter, experts from human resources and production at Audi describe the possibilities of innovative ways of working, as well as their limits. Prof. Dr. Wilhelm Bauer of the Fraunhofer Institute for Work and Organization primarily points out the advancing digitization and its impact on employees. In this context, Audi presents its concept for individual qualifications and further training. On a tour thought production, the experts also explain flexible working models. For example, group work in combination with job rotation allows working positions to be occupied by varying employees. In Audi’s smart factory, the emphasis is on people; robots pass them the components to be fitted on the assembly lines. The machines adjust to the humans’ working rhythm and are there to make their work easier.