FACE THE CHANGE Go Electric innovation, the intense desire to explore new terrain, is stronger than ever in the Group. We have talked a lot about connectivity and mobility services. But are we maybe forgetting rural areas? After all, the majority of car buyers today do not live in inner cities. EICHHORN If I don’t live in Berlin or Los Angeles, but in a much more remote region, I would be wasting my time trying to contact a mobility services provider. But Sedric could be deployed in rural regions, too, for example to collect customers after a visit to the pub. One thing is certain: private vehicles will still be a necessity in the future. And there will still be auto fans who just enjoy getting their hands on the steering wheel. Multioptionality will be the catchword for mobile life. KAGERMANN I believe autonomous driving will be an enormous chance to revive rural regions. Vehicles such as Sedric give mobile access to remote areas that cannot be reached by bus or train. And for some target groups, this means greater mobile freedom and quality of life – for the elderly, the blind, and people with disabilities, to name just a few. Not to mention more freedom for everyone and less stress, for instance on journeys in heavy traffic. Some models already offer enormous assistance today. In this sense, autonomous driving really is a wonderful thing. Ulrich Eichhorn was born in Obernburg am Main in 1961. He holds a PhD in mechanical engineering. Henning “Agile working has been common practice in the software industry for a long time.” Prof. Henning Kagermann has served as Chair of the German National Platform for Electric Mobility since 2010 Kagermann was born in Brunswick in 1947. He holds a PhD in physics. Discussion with drive: The experts and their interviewers Jochen Förster and Tom Levine (right) at DRIVE. Volkswagen Group Forum in Berlin. 11
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