High-tech and handcrafted:
Transcription
High-tech and handcrafted:
TECHNOLOGY: AUDI R8 PRODUCTION High-tech and handcrafted: The Audi R8 production shop 28 million euros have been invested in this prestige project at Neckarsulm. A sign of Audi’s commitment to Germany’s manufacturing future. More experienced workers are preferred, particularly for vehicle assembly. Text Eric Felber Hands-on work in the R8 body manufacture: the finishing of the outer skin’s surface is the final production stage in the body shop. U pon touring this vehicle pro- cycle. Gaspare Buono has been working duction shop, the last word on the Audi production lines for 27 years, that would occur to you to de- but he too finds this an utterly new expe- scribe it is “hectic”. The atmosphere in rience: “Everything here is much calmer. this low factory building is evoked much But at the same time you need to know a more aptly with words such as “in- lot more in order to keep up with the formal”, “elegant” and “ultramodern”. processes going on here.” Johannes Daylight floods into the halls, and the Kind, mechatronics specialist, describes colours white and silver are dominant. it as “a simply fantastic place to work.” To emphasise the contrast, the few And Hakan Solmaz, group spokes- robots are jet black. The workers, clad person, declares credibly: “It’s an honour in red overalls, come across as highly for me to be building this car. I get goose- focused yet relaxed. They are all proud pimples every time I look at the R8.” to be working in a place like this. Be- Part of this “tingle factor” are the 99 cause this place, having the air of a metres of weld seams, 782 punch rivets, sanctuary amid an environment of 308 self-tapping screws and 113 weld industrial-scale automotive production, studs that go into every finished R8 body. is where one of the most spectacular More than 5,000 different parts are products in the car sector takes shape: supplied for the Audi R8 by manufactur- the Audi R8*, the first Audi super sports ers all over the world. After passing car with a 309 kW (420 bhp) V8 FSI mid- through a grand total of 39 stations – 17 engine. in the body shop and 22 in assembly For all concerned, being part of this and final inspection – a new R8 is then project is something truly special. The ready for shipping to the customer. A R8 production shop is special in very total of around 250 workers are involved many respects: the car manufacturer in the process. Another unusual statistic has invested 28 million euros into the is that more than one-third of those craft-scale production shop at the working in assembly are highly quali- Neckarsulm plant. The sports car has fied, experienced skilled workers with been built here on a two-shift basis, un- an average age of over 40. der the supervision of quattro GmbH, since autumn 2006. The rhythm of working life here is dif- The two halls are modest in size, and bear no comparison with giant industrial plants. High-tech on a craft-shop scale. ferent: whereas there are just one and a In future, visitors will moreover be able half minutes earmarked for each work- to have a look around. A new route will ing cycle on an Audi A6, the R8 has been take visitors on factory tours through allocated a luxurious 44 minutes per the R8 production shop. >> * fuel consumption figures at the end of the Annual Report AUDI 2006 ANNUAL REPORT 41 TECHNOLOGY: AUDI R8 PRODUCTION Body shop 52 connecting points for the running This is how the Audi R8* takes shape as gear and steering are machined in the a top-quality product: the super sports milling centre, and holes and threads car is steered through production ac- formed in the body. Because the R8 cording to the “string-of-pearls” princi- features suspension with motor-racing ple. The string-of-pearls idea means traits, maximum precision in the con- that a fixed assembly sequence in which necting points is absolutely imperative. all the scheduling criteria of the various The bodies, now finished apart from production areas are incorporated is laid the add-on parts, are then measured in down even before body manufacturing a contactless laser process. 90 laser has started. measuring heads scan about 185 meas- In the production process itself, the uring points on each body in less than sequence determined before the start five seconds. This so-called inline meas- of body manufacturing is then adhered uring technology provides an indication to precisely. The aim is sequence fidelity of the quality and dimensional accuracy of at least 96 percent. of each body. The measuring points can The Audi R8 has passed through 17 be represented three-dimensionally and stations in the body shop in Hall B14 evaluated. These ongoing dimensional by the time it reaches final assembly. accuracy checks mean that any adjust- 99.9 percent of the body is made from ments needed to the fixtures and com- aluminium, with just a few parts made ponents can be made straight away. from plastic. Here again, the many years All add-on parts such as the front lid of experience and expertise of the and doors are precision-fitted to the Neckarsulm body shop in the domain of body in the framing station. The gap aluminium bodies is exploited. “The inline measuring technology provides an indication of the quality and dimensional accuracy of each body. The measuring points are represented three-dimensionally and evaluated.” and functional dimensions are adjusted Personnel are only admitted to the The R8 body tips the scales at just 240 individually to the target value for every paint shop via prescribed routes, and all kilograms, and complete with all add-on vehicle. This guarantees that the add-on must wear protective clothes. They for parts such as doors and lids the alu- parts function well and have excellent instance have to pass through air locks minium shell weighs 270 kilograms. build quality. on their way to the top-coat painting The cycle time in the body shop is The body manufacturing process is 44 minutes. This means that the produc- completed by finishing the outer skin’s tion capacity, on a two-shift basis, is surface over the entire body. booths. As well as giving the R8 body its individual appearance, the paintwork meets 20 cars a day. The level of automation Once the vehicle identification num- a whole range of other requirements. Its of just 25 percent underlines the char- ber has been stamped on, the R8 body properties include resistance to chemi- acter of a bespoke article. 38 welding can be forwarded to the paint shop. cals, long-term stability, resistance to machines, five sets of riveting tongs, PHOTOS: AUDI The cycle time in assembly is approximately 44 minutes. scratching and impact from flying five robots, 37 hand-held devices and 13 Paint shop stones, imperviousness and corrosion welding stations are used in the produc- This is where the sports car’s body is resistance. One paint coating alone tion of the Audi R8. Around 70 workers painted, on the same production line would be unable to meet all these re- operate these facilities, which occupy a as the Audi A8 and the Lamborghini quirements. The desired result is ob- floor space of 3,570 square metres. Gallardo. Buyers of the R8 can choose tained through the combination of dif- At the start of the body manufacturing from eight basic colours: Jet Blue ferent, coordinated coating processes. process, the three sub-assemblies – for- (which is exclusive to the R8), Phantom ward structure, central floor and rear- Black, Ice Silver, Monterrey Green, Day- Employees ward structure – are welded together tona Grey, Brilliant Red, Ibis White and The craft-scale assembly of the R8 de- by hand in various fixtures. These sub- Mugello Blue. In order to obtain a su- mands very high qualifications and assemblies form the substructure of perlative paint finish for these colours, considerable experience from the 100 the R8. the paint must be applied in immacu- or so workers. Many employees who lately clean conditions. The entire paint were involved in Technical Develop- shop has consequently been divided up ment and Prototype Construction were into four clean-room zones. A slightly thus retained for series production of higher air pressure is maintained inside the Audi R8. Top left, opposite: the three sub-assemblies for the body are welded together by hand. Bottom left, opposite: the Audi R8 is assembled in 14 work cycles. the building compared with its sur- In launching the pilot project “Audi roundings, to prevent particles of dirt Silver Line”, Audi is also responding to from finding their way into the paint demographic change by focusing on shop. and specifically seeking to utilise * fuel consumption figures at the end of the Annual Report AUDI 2006 ANNUAL REPORT >> 43 TECHNOLOGY: AUDI R8 PRODUCTION Futuristic look with the tailgate opened. baskets are prepared by assembly test”. This involves driving the cars workers operating as a team. both on the internal test track and in The parts required for fitting to pre- ordinary traffic. The duration of the road cisely one vehicle are collected in a test is about two hours on both tests component basket in the “supermarket combined. At the factory, the vehicles zone” or directly at the assembly line. are driven over the “shake stretch” and The worker on the assembly line takes through a banked curve, as well as put the materials for the vehicle on which through a brake test. The test drives he is working from the component bas- include inspections of the engine com- ket. In other words, he does not need to partment and checks of various func- leave the “worker zone” to collect each tions (lights, air conditioning, naviga- part, and the materials needed for each tion system, radio, mirrors, etc.). assembly step are in the immediate “In launching the pilot project ‘Audi Silver Line’, Audi is responding to demographic change by focusing on and specifically seeking to utilise the strengths of “older” employees for R8 production.” vicinity of the car and ergonomically Final approval within the worker’s reach. After the road test, the vehicle arrives at The component baskets are fitted with the finishing hall for its final approval inlays to prevent painted parts in par- at check point 8 (ZP8), in other words ticular from being damaged. The inlays for the final vehicle inspections. The fin- mean that every component has a de- ishing is done together with quattro fined location and the optimum order of GmbH’s RS models. Before being driven fitting is specified automatically. This into the hall, every vehicle is washed order is visualised by the numbering of and prepared in a drip zone for the the components displayed on the bas- “sprinkle test” to check for watertight- ket. This serves as an exact overview for ness. The R8 is now sprayed with the strengths of “older” employees for the worker as to which parts have al- around 1,200 litres of water for the dura- R8 production. Dr. Werner Widuckel, ready been installed. In other words, tion of six minutes, dried and checked AUDI AG Board of Management Mem- the assembly process for each cycle is for water penetration. ber for Human Resources, explains: complete when the basket is empty. There then follow the interior check, “This new model seeks to make the This reduces personnel traffic and ren- the paint/surface finish check in the best possible use of valuable voca- ders the process more reliable. light tunnel, various functional checks tional experience.” But he is at pains to The materials are delivered to the as- and electrical checks (control units). add: “The work involved is by no sembly line and the supermarket zones Once the vehicle has been cleaned and means an ‘easy option’. If anything, the by floor conveyor vehicles. These vehi- the checks completed, the R8 receives low number of production sequences cles transport the materials to the point its official final approval. Before leaving means a greater range of work is in- at which they are required on trailers the finishing hall, the headlights are volved in each cycle. The high complex- that are joined together like rail cars. adjusted and the transit packaging is ity of a vehicle such as the Audi R8* No fork-lift trucks are in use in the R8 fitted. The sports cars are then loaded means very experienced workers are assembly. for shipping to the customer. needed. At the same time, the longer The supermarket zones have the same Board Member for Production Dreves working cycles reduce the physical structure as the individual component concludes: “It takes incredible expertise burden on the workers.” baskets, so each of the zones in which and just as much passion and emotion the baskets are filled contains only the to build a car of the calibre of the Assembly materials for one particular basket. Audi R8. And our employees are not The R8 assembly line occupies an area Every standard or small part and every lacking in any of these qualities. Every- of 5,370 square metres. It comprises 14 tool has a defined place on the assem- one is immensely enthusiastic about assembly cycles and eight preassembly bly trolley. All tools are in addition this car. As our customers will be, of that areas located in the immediate vicinity colour-coded and therefore assigned to there can be no doubt.” of the fitting cycles. The hall also hous- a specific cycle. This ensures that the es commissioning, the track test bench “wrong” tool is not used. gine, suspension, radiator, windows, Road test control units, rear lid, cockpit and doors Once the R8 has passed check point 7 are preassembled. (ZP7), where the car’s test chart is 90 percent of the materials in assem- scanned and the underbody and engine bly are brought to the assembly stages compartment are checked, the road- in component baskets. The component ready sports car now goes for a “road 44 AUDI 2006 ANNUAL REPORT Top right, opposite: despite the use of robots, the level of automation in the R8 manufacturing process lies at just 25 percent. Bottom right, opposite: only after it has received a thorough final check in the light tunnel does a car leave the assembly line. * fuel consumption figures at the end of the Annual Report PHOTOS: AUDI and the roller dynamometer. The en- TECHNOLOGY: OPTIMISED PRODUCTION Prof. Dr. Jochem Heizmann: “We feel very much at home here in Germany.” “The key to securing jobs in Germany is having new, competitive products.” flexibility, logistics and procurement all need to be scrutinised, too. And we believe there is still ample potential for improvements in those respects.” In the case of the R8, Audi manufactures body parts at the toolmaking shop in Gyó´r, Hungary, where the facilities can be used very economically for manual small-scale production be- Keeping Germany productive R8 production an object lesson cause of the low labour costs there. The production planners for the R8 started doing their job very early on. “Our planning team also supervised the production preparations for the Lamborghini Gallardo Coupé* in Sant’ Agata. This experience meant that we Building cars competitively in Ger- is emphasised by our choice of produc- knew what potential there was for many is not a question of scale, nor of tion bases for our new models – the improvements, and were then able to trickery. Any doubters should look to Audi A5, the small SUV Audi Q5 (both realise it very early on for the R8. The the Audi Neckarsulm plant for an ob- Ingolstadt) and then, of course, the important thing was being able to ject lesson in how to do things. There, Audi R8. We feel very much at home intervene as early as the concept the brand with the four rings has set up here.” phase. Once the design has been a small-scale production shop for its Heizmann does, however, make one approved, it is much more difficult to super sports car, the Audi R8*. It is the thing perfectly clear: “Our decision in make changes.” Compared with the result of lean processes and produc- Germany’s favour in each of these Lamborghini Gallardo, the production tion-driven product design, of which three cases was not just about sheer time of the R8 was virtually halved. Prof. Dr. Jochem Heizmann, Board Mem- patriotism; we have chosen to build The R8 production approach also ber for Production of the Volkswagen them here because it also makes eco- observed the dictates of ‘lean produc- Group and Board Member for Produc- nomic sense. Economic, because we tion’. The Neckarsulm production halls tion at AUDI AG until January 31, 2007, have workers who are very well quali- reflect many features taken from the says: “The fact that we are building fied and highly motivated. And the methods and ideas toolkit of lean pro- the new Audi R8 in Neckarsulm is a infrastructure is excellent. The key to duction: waste avoidance, optimum ringing endorsement of our belief in securing jobs in Germany is having ergonomic conditions, short routes, Germany’s manufacturing future. It is new, competitive products. Audi is in and guided working processes. an example of how to create a compet- such a good position because our itive small-scale production line of the products are highly sought after.” locations depends most crucially on shorter the production time, the lower whether we keep improving our prod- the widespread belief that producers the labour costs factor. And he adds: ucts and processes systematically. In will gradually have to turn their backs “We shouldn’t keep hammering on developing our new vehicles we have on Germany due to the rising pressure about the level of labour costs in Ger- to be even more systematic in ensur- of costs. Heizmann continues: “We many. Wages obviously have to be ing they meet the exacting require- definitely do not share that opinion. realistic, but they are only part of a big- ments of our customers, while keeping The fact that Audi won’t be pulling out ger picture. Efficiency, productivity, them efficient to produce.” AUDI 2006 ANNUAL REPORT * fuel consumption figures at the end of the Annual Report PHOTO: CLAUDIA KEMPF His equation is relatively simple: the The production expert thus refutes highest technological calibre.” 46 Heizmann concludes: “The longterm success of German production TECHNOLOGY: LED HEADLIGHTS Cars seen in a new light Light-emitting diodes are the light source of the future. Audi has already developed a headlight that operates entirely with these tiny light sources. Text Fred Wagner // Photos Jens Neumann By a model of a lightemitting diode (LED): designer Andreu Sola Gomfaus (left) and technical expert Dr. Wolfgang Huhn. W henever engineers and designers at because they operate in an entirely different way Audi ponder the possibilities for the to conventional light bulbs. LEDs light up with car headlight of the future, the good the aid of semiconductors on an electronic chip. old light bulb does not even enter into the equa- When an electrical voltage is applied to these tion. The developers have discovered a new light semiconductor layers, the electrons leap to a source for the car: light-emitting diodes, or LEDs higher energy level. They then emit light as they for short. These tiny semiconductor compo- revert to their original level. nents, measuring but one square millimetre, are very efficient at converting electricity into light Thanks to their special operating principle, LEDs are almost entirely free from wear and AUDI 2006 ANNUAL REPORT >> 47 TECHNOLOGY: LED HEADLIGHTS generally last the entire lifetime of a car. They daytime running lights are eye-catching, and are more resistant to shaking and do not have incorporated distinctively along the lower edge a hollow structure that could implode. LEDs of the headlights. The turn signals comprising also produce more intense light, use less elec- eight yellow light-emitting diodes run along tricity and respond as much as ten times faster the inner edge of the headlights and, together than a classic light bulb, because semiconduc- with the 24 light-emitting diodes of the daytime tors operate virtually inertia-free. White high- running lights, form a frame for the futuristic- performance light-emitting diodes in particular looking headlights. The light colour that they are regarded as an important technology of the produce is almost daylight white, and the colour future that will also transform the car world in temperature is higher than that of xenon head- the next few years. And Audi is one of the key lights. This light appears brighter and more players behind this development. agreeable to the eye, contrast vision is aided and The Ingolstadt company, working with the light- driving at night is less fatiguing. ing experts from the Californian light-emitting diode manufacturer Philips Lumileds Lighting LED headlights with cooling fans and with Automotive Lighting, from Reutlingen, To keep the relatively high temperatures gener- is the first car manufacturer in the world to ated by the operating currents in check, each develop a headlight in which high-performance headlight has two small cooling fans for the low- light-emitting diodes perform all the lighting beam and high-beam headlights. These fans LED low-beam headlight functions: low-beam headlights, high-beam head- simultaneously circulate the warm air forward to module: basic light dis- lights, turn signal lights, daytime running lights the headlight’s lens, to keep it free from ice in tribution by an array of and sidelights. The Audi R8* will be available winter. A new headlight normally takes at least four LEDs for each of the optionally with this revolutionary technology of two years to develop. “We resolved to have the upper and lower reflector the future, as a world first. So-called LED arrays – LED headlight ready for the Audi R8 in just 18 shells, range and light/ modules consisting of several light-emitting months,” declares Dr. Wolfgang Huhn, revealing dark boundary via the diodes – serve as the light sources. Specifically, the ambitious nature of this project. The Head plastic lens from three basic light distribution for the low beams of the of the “Light and Visibility” Department at Audi arrays of two LEDs. Audi R8 is performed by two LED arrays each can rely not only on the full commitment of with four white light-emitting diodes, and each everyone involved in this project. The many years emanating from a hemispherical reflector sur- of experience of Audi engineers in LEDs are also LED high-beam headlight face. There are three further LED arrays behind speeding up the development process. Audi reflectors: one array of the plastic lens, supplying the light at the already unveiled several vehicle studies with four LEDs per reflector light/dark boundary and for the range. The light functioning LED technology three years ago: the shell. for the high-beam headlights is generated by Audi Pikes Peak quattro with strip-shaped LED the two reflector shells next to the low-beam fog lights, and the Audi Nuvolari quattro and the headlights, with LED arrays again used. The LED Audi Le Mans quattro with LED headlights and The principle of LED headlights 1 2 3 LED turn signal: eight yellow highperformance LEDs. 4 LED daytime running light 1 strips: 24 white Advanced Power TopLEDs with 3 optical fibres for homogeneous illumination. 2 4 48 AUDI 2006 ANNUAL REPORT * fuel consumption figures at the end of the Annual Report become a prominent distinguishing feature. Lighting expert Huhn is convinced that lightemitting diodes will become the principal light source for vehicles over the next few years. Not just because they are smaller, more robust, more durable and operate more efficiently than halogen and xenon lights. The new light sources are also exceptionally useful for automotive design purposes. “LEDs open up unprecedented scope for design,” explains Andreu Sola Gomfaus, Head of Lighting Design at Audi. Because the LED light no longer comes from a single light source, the LED arrays are very flat and compact and occupy much less space than conventional headlights, it will in future be possible to transform the face of a car much more easily. Several LEDs can moreover be combined in all manner of shapes, for a striking look. The design challenges nevertheless remain. “The designer must give the vehicle a soul, with emotions and virtues,” explains Sola Gomfaus. New technologies alone – which every vehicle manufacturer has access to – will not do the trick. “The key to success is creativity, a half-way house between fantasy and logic,” is the guiding principle of the Audi designer who is playing an instrumental role in the development of the LED headlight for the Audi R8. It is always important for a designer to start considering issues that might only assume real relevance in a few years’ time. “We already need to start preparing to meet the future requirements of our customers. Even if they themselves have no idea yet what they will want in a few years’ time,” muses Sola Gomfaus. Innovative LED vehicle lights will undoubtedly be one of the items on the wish list. “LEDs are set to become a typical feature of all premium vehi- Leading lights rear lights. At the start of 2004, Audi became the cles. And we are the trendsetter,” enthuses his The Spaniard Andreu Sola first manufacturer to integrate LED technology colleague Huhn, from Technical Development, Gomfaus (left) is respon- at the front of a production model. who is convinced of the abundant promise of sible for the design of lights and wheels at Audi. On the 12-cylinder Audi A8*, the daytime run- LED technology. Huhn continues: “I’m sure we ning lights and the sidelights are produced will discover many future uses for LED technol- by five-pointed star-shaped high-performance ogy that we can’t yet begin to imagine.” Within Technical Develop- LEDs that come on automatically as soon as the ment, Dr. Wolfgang Huhn engine is started. The new Audi S6* features is Head of the “Light and daytime running lights in the form of an eye- Visibility” Department. catching LED strip that distinguishes it even “Nothing is more exciting than technology, from afar. especially for cars,” says Fred Wagner. Light-emitting diodes have also already made their appearance on the vehicle’s tail end. Red The 48-year-old native of Berlin first studied Mechanical Engineering, subsequently LEDs are now standard in the raised brake lights spending many years working as a development engi- on all models. Audi has applied this technology neer. Wagner has spent the past few years working for the tail, brake and even indicator lights at as a freelance journalist, writing regular articles on the rear of the A8. On the Audi A6, the LED tail innovations in the automotive world for various media light signature specifically for the A6 Avant has including Handelsblatt. AUDI 2006 ANNUAL REPORT 49 Across Down Under The first koala to cross Australia holds on tight to the famous four rings. Audi Q7 Australian Trans-Continental Crossing 2006 Broome Sydney 50 AUDI 2006 ANNUAL REPORT Inspired by a book on early outback pioneers, Jörg Hofmann, Managing Director of Audi Australia Pty Ltd., came up with the idea of a Trans-Continental Crossing to mark the Australian launch of the Audi Q7. What began life as a simple road trip quickly snowballed into a full-scale media event that would pit fifteen Audi Q7 models against 7,000 km of the most remote and punishing roads on Earth. Text and photos Sam Tinson TECHNOLOGY: ENDURANCE TEST FOR THE AUDI Q7 Sept 3: Sydney, New South Wales n on a busy A red light changes to gree oy of conv Sydney street, and our ls snakes mode Q7 Audi fifteen gleaming fic. On the traf ing morn midthe into k gecko bonnet of each car is a blac symbol of e ntur adve motif, the offroad these that clue a and a rali Audi Aust on seen Audi Q7s, the first to be in store Australian roads, have more l loca the to trip a for them than ion is inat dest our fact In s. shop 7,000 km Cable Beach in Broome, over those For a. rali Aust ern away in West part, the ng taki be to gh enou y luck the journey next three weeks will be d’s first worl the For of a lifetime. will be it SUV, at n-se seve premium the ultimate test. Audi Q7 Club. Journalists and members of the Audi team outside the Packsaddle Roadhouse on the Silver City Highway, New South Wales. Below: Cameron’s Corner, where New South Wales, Queensland and South Australia converge. Sept 4: Lake Mungo National Park, New South Wales Today we hit dirt roads for the first time, and as we bid farewell to the bitumen there’s a feeling that we’re leaving civilisation behi nd. In fact Lake Mungo was the site of the earliest civilisation in Australia; Aboriginal artifacts dati ng back over 40,000 years have been foun d here. The landscape looks the part too. Wind and rain have carved the sand and clay into surreal forms, including the famous Walls of China, a series of sculpted dunes 30 metr es high and over 33 km long. We’re bare ly one day out of Sydney, but it feels like we’ve arrived on Mars. ll, Sept 6: Broken Hi es al W New South blowing in from ill wind Despite the ch oken Br in re he e atmosp the desert, th 1883 in d he is bl ta . Es Hill is heated scovered posits where di when silver de w serves no ’ ty ilver Ci in the area, ‘S the to y wa te ga les’ as New South Wa troin an apt place to outback. It’s motors a’ li ra Q7 to Aust duce the Audi ge an ch Ex l ya Ro the ing press, and ty as ng with activi Hotel is bustli d out ie rr ecks are ca last minute ch the on d fe ie s are br and journalist part de we ow rr mo To upcoming trip. e bush, campsite in th for our first – ed ud cl media in and everyone – is excited. AUDI 2006 ANNUAL REPORT 51 ra, Sept 8: Tiboobur es al W New South we go, the the bush The deeper into booburra Ti . me co wns be smaller the to with nt me le tt se k ac is a tiny outb and not es ndful of hous two pubs, a ha ed city nt te r ou erecting much else. By tically ac pr e ’v we wn to on the edge of . Our cal population doubled the lo an excelto f ve got of support crew ha elter sh , od fo g in ovid lent start; pr thirty for upwards of and sanitation s is ce an st ch long di people over su ready be st mu s te Campsi no easy task. that ew cr , and for the when we arrive – oy nv co e ahead of th means staying ns va ed ad lo o fully not easy in tw mping packed with ca towing trailers gear. Sept 9: Innamincka, South Australia Camp Audi. The support crew became experts at dismantling thirty tents, transporting them hundreds of kilometres and re-erecting them at the next campsite ready for our arrival. How they managed it remains a mystery. We break camp jus t in time to avoid a rainstorm, and around 70 km out of Tibooburra the roa d crosses a vast dry lake bed. The tem ptation to floor it across the cracke d clay surface is too much for some, and the convoy dis integrates in a clo ud of red dirt as half a dozen Audi Q7s break ranks and accelerate toward s the horizon in all directions. Once discipline is restored we press nor thward to Cameron's Corner, a remote , sun-scorched junction where the state boundaries of New South Wales, South Australia and Queensland con verge. The couple who run the ‘Corne r Store’ sometimes go weeks without seeing a customer, so they’re deligh ted to see thirty turn up at once. In a matter of minutes we clean them out of tea, cake and souvenir beer coolers. aThe afternoon’s drive is an exhil rating 200 km roller-coaster ride over the parallel sand dunes of the Strzelecki Desert. As we enter the desolate plains of the Moomba gas ng fields a sandstorm blows up, slowi near was It . crawl a to y the convo here that an earlier trans-continental attempt – the ill-fated Burke and Wills expedition of 1861 – came to its tragic end. What would Burke and Wills have given to exchange Q7s? their camels for a couple of Audi 52 AUDI 2006 ANNUAL REPORT TECHNOLOGY: ENDURANCE TEST FOR THE AUDI Q7 ille, Sept 10: Birdsv Queensland up overnight, and a kept The wind has ept sw be to of sand has thick layer ka Hotel nc mi na In e es of th off the tabl ast. Still, n eat breakf ca we re befo me to give sville in ti we reach Bird anerica, pp Na a run up the Audi Q7s stralia. Au in ne du sand the tallest er known tt ppanerica, be Conquering Na of l ai Gr is the Holy as Big Red, but the , ty ni er at 4WD fr Australia’s the light work of ke ma s Q7 di Au rnoon te af spend the challenge. We p slope, ee st e th and down y hurtling up on Dakar Rall growling as the engines d le il ch lebrate with cars, then ce ges into the the sun plun as e champagn ems a long, rt. Sydney se Simpson Dese . long way away Crossing the giant Nappanerica sand dune, also known as Big Red. In the South Australian outback the temperature would drop dramatically at night, making the campfire the best place for a beer and a yarn. Sept 12: Clayton River, South Australia Today the cars face another outback trial, the legendary Bird sville Track. This notorious road is strewn with potholes, boulders and splintered rock, but it proves no match for the Audi Q7s. The cars ’ adaptive air suspension irons out the bumps and we make camp hours ahead of schedule. Even Johannes Strobl, the ice-cool ‘Flying Technician’ from AUDI AG, who has travelled from Ingolsta dt to be on the trip, can’t hide his approval. A sign written in Aboriginal slang advises drivers to reduce speed. The reverse side of the barrel says “PUTTUM BACK DOWN”. AUDI 2006 ANNUAL REPORT 53 TECHNOLOGY: ENDURANCE TEST FOR THE AUDI Q7 Sept 18: Yulara, Northern Territory Yulara is a huge resort complex bui lt in the middle of the desert to accommodate touris ts visiting Uluru (Ayers Rock) and Kata Tjuta (The Olgas). It’s the halfway point of our journey, a chance to recuperate and prepare for the final stage. Our trusty Audi Q7 veh icles have been cleaned inside and out, and look lik e they’ve come straig ht from the showroom. They’re in showroom condition too, despite the flogging they’ve had over the last two weeks. The onl y maintenance needed is a precautionar y change of air fil ters. There’s nothing more to do now but drive out to Uluru and watch the giant monoli th blaze orange, amb er and crimson in the last rays of the setting sun. We all agree it’s a sight well worth driving 5,000 km to witness. The local Aboriginals believe Uluru to be a highly sacred place. Seeing it at sunset, it’s easy to see why. Who said going bush means you have to rough it? Dinner with a view of Uluru at the Yulara Resort. Sept 20: Tilmouth Well, Northern Territory a The last three days have been icons; an rali Aust of tour stop whistleon Uluru, Katu Tjuta, Kings Cany forma(whose dramatic geological film the in us famo made tions were rt) Dese the of n Quee a: cill Pris ide crater and Gosse’s Bluff, a 5 km-w orite mete mic clys formed by a cata s ago. year ion mill 140 over impact ern end We’re now camped at the east k, and of the legendary Tanami Trac rt, Dese mi Tana the lies us ahead of arid one of the most isolated and t expect places on the planet. We don’ rs tsee sigh many to bump into tomorrow. 54 AUDI 2006 ANNUAL REPORT Sept 23: Broome, Western Australia Sept 21: Rabbit Flat, Northern Territory The cattle drovers who first used the Tanami Track knew that the best route across a desert is a straight one; we drive over 450 km today without turning a corner. The landscape is by turns alien (millions of termite mounds stretching to the horizon) and apocalyptic (scorched earth and trees blackened by bushfire), and the emptiness is interrupted only by the occasional monster road train. Our campsite is at Rabbit Flat, home to the most remote roadhouse – and the most expensive petrol – in Australia. Faced with a choice of paying $2.25 per litre or driving 500 km to the next servo, we bite the bullet and fill up all fifteen cars. Bruce, the owner, is probably still laughing now. The end of our voy age in sight, we set the Audi Q7s to cru ise control and let the cars eat up the final 700 km to Broome. We roll int o town ahead of schedule, and on the endless sands of Cable Beach the cha mpagne corks pop for one last time. Three weeks ago we set out from Sydney with 7,000 km of Australia’s toughe st terrain to tac kle; ahead of us now lie s only the Indian Ocean and the set ting sun. A contin ent has been crossed, and the mutual sen se of achievement amo ng us is palpable. The real heroes how ever are the Audi Q7 models. Between them, the fiftee n Audi vehicles have tra velled a total of 105,000 km across the outback, mos tly in conditions far tougher than the y will ever see in normal use. And yet we suffered not a single breakdown or mechanical fault; in fact, aside from the occasiona l tyre change, our dly dirtied their technical crew har feel a glow of hands. So while we ssing Australia cro in satisfaction said st, it has to be from coast to coa have ld cou one any that in an Audi Q7, done it. tish Sam Tinson is a Bri moved He t. lis rna photo jou 4 in 200 in lia tra Aus to h the outback. order to photograp ney and writes for He now lives in Syd and motoring vel tra n the Australia lishes articles press. He also pub azine. regularly in GQ mag Filling up straight from the barrel on the Tanami Track, Western Australia. Journey’s end, and a perfect sunset on Cable Beach, Broome. AUDI 2006 ANNUAL REPORT 55 TECHNOLOGY: SERVICE PROGRAMME Audi Australia Even if the nearest Audi Centre is 2,000 km away, Audi Service is at hand when needed. 56 The Trans-Continental Crossing proved beyond to drive to locations outside the normal prime doubt the reliability and endurance of the market area”, suggests Hofmann. Audi Q7, and for Audi Australia that has meant Audi Australia has begun establishing satel- an increasing number of sales in remote lite service centres away from their city show- outback locations. Providing premium client rooms, and these facilities will obviously in- service to these areas calls for a unique after- crease as the customer network grows, with sales strategy, as Jörg Hofmann, Managing increased scope in rural centres. Director of Audi Australia, explains: “The Trans- Providing a foundation for all these initiatives Continental Crossing certainly raised Audi’s is the Audi Modern Apprenticeship Program profile in rural Australia. There was a great deal (AMAP) a registered training organisation for of interest in the Audi Q7 in towns we passed young automotive technicians organised and through such as Broome and Birdsville, with run by Audi Australia. some buyers actually flying in to view the new “AMAP is a four-year apprenticeship run in car and placing orders on the spot. It’s our aim conjunction with our dealerships,” says Hof- to give these customers the same premium mann. “The program produces technicians service that Audi provides to its clients in who are distinguished by their competence urban centres.” There are a number of ways to and loyalty to Audi as they have started their achieve this. One is to fly Audi technicians to apprenticeship with the brand. We also have remote locations. For instance, the nearest full-time technical trainers who run training Audi Centre to Broome is over 2,000 km away programs on all models, so our technicians in Perth, so a technician will fly from there are always up to date with the latest service to conduct service clinics for our Broome procedures. AMAP is a clear benefit over our clients. competitors – no one else offers this. In the “We are also looking into other possible solu- long term it means our customers are guaran- tions, one of which could be a fleet of ‘Audi teed the highest possible level of customer Mobils’ – fully-equipped service vehicles able service.” AUDI 2006 ANNUAL REPORT PHOTOS: SAM TINSON bringing “Vorsprung durch Technik” to the outback TECHNOLOGY: FOR THE SAKE OF SCIENCE Cars and archaeology How a 2,000-year-old mummified bird from Egypt came to be scanned in the Audi computer tomograph. Text Er ic Felber It was revered as a sacred bird in Ancient Egypt. The Ibis (Threskiornis aethiopicus) was believed to be the incarnation of the moon god Thoth and, after its death, was used as an embalmed offering and burial object. One such specimen of a mummified bird around 2,000 years old, from Abydos in Egypt, found its way to the Audi plant in Neckarsulm in August 2006, through the mediation of the Hesse State Museum in Darmstadt and the State Museum of Württemberg. At Neckarsulm, the antique treasure was put through a series of tests that are otherwise only performed there on complete vehicle bodies, in a computer tomograph that is the only setup of its kind in the world. The accuracy of the 3D x-ray machine used at AUDI AG is in the order of onehundredth of the breadth of a human hair (about one micrometre). This was Sacred bird in the Audi computer tomograph: a highlight of scientific research. the first time it had been used for purely archaeological purposes. Dr. Erwin Keefer, from the Württemberg State Museum, found this unusual source of assistance by the car manufacturer invaluable: “The uniquely high-resolution pictures are a great help to us in our research. This is the first time in Germany that it has been possible to screen a mummified object using an industrial CT system.” The images that PHOTO: AUDI the x-ray robot delivers are up to 50 times sharper than conventional ones. million euros and weighs some ten cule electronic components just three The images even make it possible to tonnes, for scanning weld seams and millimetres across can equally be scru- examine the bird’s feather stalks for punched and clinched joins on vehicle tinised in the Audi CT. the most minute of details. bodies. “This method represents an The experts at Audi investigate Like the phoenix from the ashes, the important new departure in that parts several entire vehicle bodies each year. bird of antiquity is resurrected in com- can now be examined without any con- This involves measuring every detail of prehensive detail in front of the re- tact and non-destructively,” explains thousands of joins and evaluating searchers’ eyes: “We can unwrap the Dr. Manfred Sindel, from Aluminium them non-destructively. mummy entirely without physically de- Technology Quality Assurance at Audi. The results of the successful experi- stroying its exterior,” explains Michaela It was previously necessary to cut ment are now to be put to creative Kurbel, taxidermist of the Hesse State components laboriously out of the use by the scientists: thanks to the Museum in Darmstadt, delighted at the body in order to examine them for any 3D images from the CT, the Ibis is new findings that would have remained inaccuracies. Even body components destined to spread its wings again. By hidden without Audi’s assistance. measuring more than five metres in computer animation, of course. Per- The car manufacturer normally uses length can now be examined in this haps one day it will even be used on a the apparatus, which costs around one way without any problems. But minus- Pharaoh. AUDI 2006 ANNUAL REPORT 57 TECHNOLOGY: PHOTOMIX DETECTORS The seeing diode New developments from the electronics powerhouse of ideas at Audi A detector operating by means of reflection measurement of infrared rays is able to pick up spatially whether and what objects are present in front of a vehicle. It converts the data into images that improve in quality the more pixels they contain. The developers at Audi Electronics Venture GmbH have a market of the future in their sights. Text Johannes Köbler // Photos Angelika Emmerling 58 AUDI 2006 ANNUAL REPORT T he future is already taking shape on an The photons, once converted into electrons, industrial estate in Gaimersheim, near are separated by a so-called charge carrier and Ingolstadt. That is where Audi Electron- can thus be represented pixel by pixel. Three ics Venture GmbH (AEV), the Audi powerhouse chip types currently exist. The first and oldest of of ideas in the field of electronics, is based in them operates at 1,024 pixels, the second one at one of the office blocks. There is a workshop on 3,072 pixels, and the third one at an impressive the ground floor. Torsten Gollewski, Head of 29,200 pixels, packed into a silicon surface meas- Strategy and Finance at AEV, has arranged for uring less than one square centimetre. a black Audi A8 to be brought into the room; at “The number of pixels compared to a digi- first glance it looks like any other car. Yet it is tal camera does not sound high,” remarks capable of doing something quite remarkable: Gollewski, but then adds with fatherly pride: it can “see spatially”, in a radically new way. “But then those chips can only see two-dimen- Not with the aid of cameras or radar, but with sionally. In our diode, every single pixel takes photonic mixer devices (PMD). its own distance measurements.” The square Images from the 29,200-pixel chip, showing both grey value and distance pictures. PMD technology is excitingly high-tech in its pixels themselves are minute – on the latest realisation, yet astonishingly simple in principle. chip, each one has an edge length of just A light source – positioned on the upper edge of 0.04 millimetres, not even half the breadth of a the single-frame grille on the A8 test car – trans- human hair. mits invisible infrared light into the area in front The 1,024-pixel sensor on the A8 test car can of the car. It is reflected by the objects there and see for 40 metres and it converts the information returned to the PMD sensor located in the base into data 100 times a second. In the test setup, of the interior mirror. Detectors in the sensor the images that it supplies appear on a large measure the time the light rays take to arrive and monitor. A person walking in front the radiator match them against a reference signal, thus pro- grille is visible in the raw data as an angular ducing information on how far off the objects “human pictogram”, then in the refined data are. Because the speed of light is obviously very record as a “walking fir tree” in the three-dimen- high, the measurement is ultra-precise, to the sional setting. On the 29,200-pixel chip, the im- nearest 6.6 trillionth of a second. age is already much more differentiated, >> AUDI 2006 ANNUAL REPORT 59 TECHNOLOGY: PHOTOMIX DETECTORS Top right: a triple representation of the 1,024pixel chip in the test setup; bottom right: a double representation; top left: an image “reconstructed” from processed distance data (the colours change according to distance); bottom left: a colourcoded long-distance image. and in fact is rather reminiscent of those old, the automotive sector, too, it is considered a hot flickering newsreel pictures from the 1920s. topic with the capacity to transform major mar- The PMD sensors are superior to technologies kets radically. Robots will be able to see with mil- generally available today. A conventional camera limetre precision thanks to PMD diodes, and supplies only a two-dimensional image, which is fork-lift trucks will navigate a warehouse accu- useless for dynamic ambient recognition. A 3D rately. The sensors are moreover suitable for use scanner needs an expensive apparatus about the in medical technology and in multimedia – for size of a coffee machine. And a radar sensor clas- games consoles and cameras. sifies objects merely as dots. PMD sensors, on 60 the other hand, can identify relevant objects in “Letting the imagination roam” front of the vehicle much more effectively thanks “It is still early days, but there is ample scope for to the high number of 3D points. They also func- letting the imagination roam,” states Dr. Bernd tion in the dark, and are not susceptible to inter- Buxbaum. He, together with Torsten Gollewski, is ference e.g. in the form of direct sunlight. They one of the two directors of the Siegen-based are furthermore so small that they can be in- high-tech company PMDTechnologies GmbH. stalled anywhere. The technology originated in this town in south- “We can use PMD sensors for identifying the ern Westphalia. Professor Rudolf Schwarte, a re- car’s environment – for prompting emergency searcher at the local university, filed the trailblaz- braking, assisting lane changes or facilitating ing patent in 1996 after many years of effort. sensor-controlled parking manoeuvres,” ex- With the backing of the Federal Ministry for plains Torsten Gollewski. “And with a sensor in Research, he and his assistants created the first the interior we can also observe the front pas- diode prototypes by 2001. senger’s posture, so that the airbag is accurately Once contact had been established with AEV, activated in the event of a collision. Or imagine PMDTechnologies was founded in May 2002. It one day being able to operate your Audi merely operates as a joint subsidiary of AEV and ifm by hand signals that the sensor can recognise.” electronic GmbH, Essen, which is active in the According to Torsten Gollewski, PMD technolo- field of automation technology. The Essen gy will be making its appearance in vehicles from company, which has already carved out a major the Audi brand “in the near future”. Away from competitive edge, already succeeded in selling AUDI 2006 ANNUAL REPORT Torsten Gollewski next to the PMD’s chip design. It shows the highly magnified structure of the 1,024-pixel chip. around 20,000 PMD sensors in 2006. The prices market, as well as paving the way for the estab- should come down rapidly as production volume lishment of joint ventures. AEV brings together increases. A complete PMD unit currently costs people, knowledge and capital in its core dis- between 75 and 260 euros, depending on the ciplines of electronics architecture, sensor quantity ordered and its application. In a few technology and software; it generates beneficial years the price will fall again quite significantly effects for the group parent by managing tech- thanks to the continuing integration of system nology and market requirements. components into the PMD silicon. “PMDTechnologies is a prime example of a company spun “Small islands of innovation” off from university research activities, which is AEV regards its small scale – it employs fewer unfortunately still a rare breed in Germany,” than 100 employees – as a positive virtue thanks summarises Torsten Gollewski. And the story to the flexibility that this allows; flexibility is a continues. 60 specialists are working on incorpo- vital attribute on the electronics and software rating photonic mixer devices into cars – at AEV, scene, where product cycles are much shorter PMDTechnologies and the supplier Harman/ than in the car business. The think-tank in Becker, which is also involved. The project has Gaimersheim serves as an uncomplicated dock- also garnered acclaim at a political level. The see- ing-on point to the parent company Audi for ing diode was nominated for the German Future external start-ups. Prize in 2002, and in 2005 it captured the Hermes Award, one of German industry’s top technology prizes. In the same year, Professor Schwarte was awarded the Federal Order of Merit (First Class) “Modern technology is immensely enjoyable,” in recognition of his research work. believes Johannes Köbler (44). The freelance The example of the PMD diode demonstrates motoring journalist has been monitoring how AEV, founded in 2001 and a fully-owned developments in the car industry for the past subsidiary of AUDI AG, operates. The technology 15 years. “Technology is exciting. But the most exciting scouts from Gaimersheim track down innovative thing is the people who are behind it,” he says. Köbler basic technology at an early stage and help has also penned a profile of Wolfgang Hatz and his new to bring it to production maturity and onto the TFSI engines (page 20) for the Audi Annual Report. AUDI 2006 ANNUAL REPORT 61 TECHNOLOGY: IN BRIEF Toolmaker of the Year Audi Hungaria Institute The Toolmaking Division of AUDI AG has won the competition “Excellence in Production” for the second time, adding to its achievement in 2004. The division fended off 321 The decision was taken to other toolmakers and mould makers establish the Audi Hun- also challenging for the coveted garia Institute in Budapest award. The Audi Toolmaking Division in 2006. This joint venture operates as an independent enter- between Audi and the prise under the umbrella of AUDI AG. Technical University Its customers include the group of Budapest will increase brands Audi, Lamborghini, Bentley, the knowledge transfer SEAT, Škoda and VW, as well as ex- between the spheres of ternal carmakers. research and application. “I am confident that the The Audi Toolmaking Division scooped the award for the second time. partnership will lead to new research and development findings,” declared Prof. Dr. Martin Winterkorn Distinction of world’s most powerful car diesel engine at the signing of the framework agreement. Audi will award various one-off Audi is the maker of the world’s first twelve-cylinder diesel engine to be projects to the Technical used in a production car. This world “first” is fitted in the Audi Q7 and was University of Budapest. unveiled to journalists in Ingolstadt in the autumn. Audi has already demonstrated how well motor racing and production technology comple- Honorary professorship at Technical University of Chemnitz ment each other with the FSI engine. The Audi Q7 V12 TDI evokes associations with the engine of the R10 racing car for Le Mans, which became the first compression-ignition engine to win the famous 24-hour race. Audi sets new standards of TDI technology with the 12-cylinder power unit. The Gyó´r plant, in Hungary, is to build the 368 kW (500 bhp) engine with a torque of 1,000 Newton-metres. Elegant power pack – the 500 bhp TDI engine. Dr. Jochem Heizmann, Board Member for Production at AUDI AG until January 31, 2007, was awarded an honorary professorship at the Technical University of Chemnitz at an official ceremony in December 2006. The honour was granted to mark the launching of the new bachelor’s and master’s degree course of Automotive Production at the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering. 62 AUDI 2006 ANNUAL REPORT World premiere Audi heralded in a new chapter in its corporate history with the world debut of the R8* at the Paris Motor Show, by bringing the flair of motor racing onto the roads. “This car extends our model range upwards and provides our brand with even greater impetus,” announced Prof. Dr. Martin Winterkorn. The V8 FSI mid-engine developing 309 kW (420 bhp), quattro permanent four-wheel drive and the aluminium body provide the basis for superior handling characteristics. The mid-engine sports car went into production at Neckarsulm in September 2006 and the R8 will be in brief: The Audi R8 made its first public appearance at the Paris Motor Show. appearing on the market in the first half of 2007. technology Top marks for safety In 2006 the Audi A4 and A6 were awarded the “Top Safety Pick” for the second time in succession in recognition of their outstanding reserve safety. Audi is consequently the only German manufacturer to have received two awards from the US Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS). To merit the top mark, both models had to come through exhaustive frontal, rear-end and lateral crash tests. Bavarian Prime Minister driving an Audi The IIHS regularly conducts crash tests with vehicles on behalf of the American insurance industry in order to assess their standard of safety. The brand with the four rings became the mode of travel of a Bavarian Prime Minister for the first time in 2006. In November, Dr. Edmund Stoiber took receipt of the keys to a very special premium-calibre vehicle from Ingolstadt: the armour-plated Audi A8 L W12 Security. This car meets very rigorous safety requirements and has been granted the highest security classification by the Wiesbadenbased Federal Criminal Police Office. PHOTOS: AUDI Edmund Stoiber taking receipt of the keys to his armour-plated Audi A8. Exhaustive testing to earn the distinction of “Top Safety Pick”. * fuel consumption figures at the end of the Annual Report AUDI 2006 ANNUAL REPORT 63