Impressed by the sight of the premium cars on display, we delve deeper into the details and visit the stand of Technical Development! As is well known, Audi Hungaria expanded its activities from the initial production of engines and then vehicles in 2001 to include its own Technical Development department, but it is perhaps less well known how diverse and high-quality the development work in Győr is. And this department does not only work for Győr, as a significant proportion of the development projects are commissioned by international customers. Like the Technical Development department, their stand in the Next Level Gallery also consists of two parts, so let's start with engine development.

What is the role of engine, or rather drive system development at Audi Hungaria? I had to correct the question right away, because it is just as wrong as calling Győr the city of waters, when it is really known as the city of four rivers.

Tamás Zhorela: As far as Audi Hungaria's portfolio is concerned, we are absolutely on the service side, which means, on the one hand, we support production here on site and, on the other hand, we perform the full or partial development of many projects at the other sites of the Group. In fact, we have gained new competencies this year by expanding our development scope from combustion and electric drive modules to the entire drive system. Our development portfolio has been expanded to include the application and integration of drive systems into the vehicle as well as the development of drivetrains and chassis systems.

Looking to the future, what does Next Level mean for you?

In the coming years, we will focus on how we can bring even more emotion into the driving experience. We want to develop everything that elicits joyful emotions from the customer while driving. Getting you in (e)motion – this slogan means that we provide momentum and movement, but also work on the emotions, i.e. the driving experience that the customer feels – from the steering wheel to the accelerator pedal and to the wheels. We provide development services for various VW Group sites in several areas of competencies such as project management, application, simulation, construction and validation – and we are now an independent service provider.

What are you showing visitors at the exhibition?

We have brought various drive modules from the past 30 years up to date, highlighting our new areas of competencies and demonstrating our continuous and dynamic development curve. The chassis on display already shows a direction in which we are expanding our activities, and I think this will arouse the greatest interest among visitors.

During production, the drive unit and the body come together in what is known as the “marriage” to form the car. At this point, Christian Stengel will take the floor to talk about the other area of Technical Development, namely Complete Vehicle Development, of which he is the head.

Audi Hungaria has been experiencing continuous development for the last 30 years; is the area of Complete Vehicle Development also a good example of the trend at the Company?

In fact, 11 years ago, Complete Vehicle Development was set up to support the launch of the TT model, so this area was strongly linked to the product of our site. We then quickly built up our first competencies, particularly in the area of virtual development, which quickly brought us the international attention of the Group and we also began to serve other customers as the forerunner of today's Shared Competence Center. We have continued to exploit this potential; our activities have grown considerably, our competencies have expanded and the responsibility we have taken on has also increased. Today, we carry out projects and orders not only for Audi, but also for the entire VW Group.

So is it fair to say that Vehicle Development is 100% Next Level?

That's right, we have a team of exceptional specialists and, in addition to our global competencies, a high-tech infrastructure that predestines us for international involvement. As part of our Next Level corporate strategy, we are constantly expanding our competencies and striving for end-to-end processes and autonomy in existing areas such as acoustics. We are also undergoing a transformation, but not in the traditional way. With the advent of e-mobility, we do not have to put our portfolio on a completely new footing, but we are integrating new knowledge and using the resulting opportunities to grow further.

The motto “From Győr for the world” can be seen here at every turn.

Thanks to our broad portfolio of competencies, there is hardly a car within the Audi brand for which we do not provide development services, so that millions of customers around the world can now also experience the results of the development team in Győr. As I said, we not only serve Audi, but also support a large number of the international brands of the Volkswagen Group with our development services, and we maintain long-term strategic partnerships with them.

What attractions have you prepared for the Next Level Gallery?

My colleagues will give an insight into the virtual development of electrical/electronic integration using hardware-in-the-loop applications and conduct a hands-on experiment to give an impression of the development work behind the acoustic experience of driving a car.