AUDI AG: 100 New Jobs in Electromobility

In the run-up to the International Motor Show IAA, Rupert Stadler, CEO of AUDI AG, announced this evening: “We are currently hiring an additional 100 engineers for the ePerformance* development project.” That will boost the number of newly hired specialists at Audi this year to 400. “We are thus investing in future technologies and once again confirming our commitment to ‘Vorsprung durch Technik’, underscored Stadler.

During Audi’s centennial celebration several weeks ago, the company announced 100 additional slots for new apprentices. Now the automaker is setting an example and bucking the general trend in the industry by hiring an additional 100 new employees. “We are giving young people secure jobs, personal development opportunities and interesting prospects for the future. At the same time, we are making targeted and sustainable investments in specialists for electronics, battery technology and power electronics,” says Audi Board Member for HR Dr. Werner Widuckel. The company is setting its sights on new goals and is strongly focused on shaping the future of mobility, he added. “We want to shatter boundaries, which is why we are seeking developers with the courage and passion to make the impossible possible. We need engineers with both an inventive spirit and good workmanship skills.”

Audi is demonstrating its commitment to young minds by aiding secondary-school and university students via a broad spectrum of programs. In the coming year, the company will concentrate on supporting the development of up-and-coming engineers in the field of electromobility. In 2010, the “Formula Student electric” will become a discipline in its own right for the first time. Audi is launching the “Audi Contest Formula Student electric” to coincide with the IAA. The automaker will reward an attractive sponsorship package to the two teams that develop the most compelling concepts. The company is offering students and young engineers the opportunity to experience ePerformance up close and personal at the IAA. Those interested can apply online for the chance to attend an ePerformance Day with an exclusive tour of the stand followed by a discussion with experts.

Audi is well on its way to becoming the most attractive employer in the automobile industry by 2015, as evidenced by current employer rankings from the Trendence institute (August 2009) and Universum (May 2009) compiled at German universities, where future engineers voted Audi the most popular employer for the second time in a row. “In particular our portfolio of new models — which we’ll expand to 42 models over the next six years — makes Audi the most appealing employer for up-and-coming engineers,” resumes Widuckel.

* The automaker has established a project house for the development of an integrated concept for electric drives in automobiles. The development project, entitled ePerformance, is supported by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research and brings together institutes from both research and industry.