Audi 'envies' Tesla

Audi is a brand known for blazing its own trail, technologically speaking. But even the company that pioneered Group B rally cars back in the 1980s and introduced diesels to Le Mans a decade ago can't always be at the forefront of every new technological break-through.

During last week's Frankfurt motor show, Audi's board member in charge of technological development told carsales in a wide-ranging interview that Tesla's success selling advanced technology to consumers had been carefully monitored at Audi's head office in Ingolstadt.

Hans-Joachim Rothenpieler said through an interpreter that Tesla's OTA ('Over the Air') updates could be the future of automotive updating.

"I'd say if you look at Tesla, I think if you look at the vehicle, the vehicle architecture, the operating philosophy, including the software architecture, they had an earlier perspective from the software side... this is where we should be ramping up our game. Tesla is a little ahead there," Rothenpieler acknowledged.

"Okay, if you want to stick to the term 'envious', we are a little envious."

But the Audi technical expert also observes what appears to be a problem for Tesla, and it has nothing to do with finance, sharemarket prices or factory output.

"We speak to a Tesla customer today and they tell you: 'Okay, I had 137 software updates…'

"Not functional extensions, updates.

"We are quite clearly of the opinion... if I've got the need for 137 updates during the course of the year, then my software basis is simply unstable."

Rothenpieler says that Tesla's OTA delivery system is definitely a paradigm for other brands and Audi should be getting on board with the concept.

"We need to address the issue of 'over the air'; we need to develop it because there's plenty of apps we could turn into a business case that we could sell to a customer over the air."

Updating satellite navigation is one such example.

"All of this can of course be done over the air, without the need for the customer to actually go to the dealer and have the software updated."

But Audi has a message for Tesla...

"If you've got a functional need you can also do an update, but the virtue of having 137 per year is a no-go or us. That's not a viable solution."

Asked whether Tesla's customer base – often buyers with an 'early adopter' mentality – were more forgiving of immature technology than customers of other brands, Rothenpieler agreed.

"Indeed, that's the case.

"Buying a Tesla, driving a Tesla, was a statement. That's petering out a little.

"But now it goes in line [with other automotive brands], I believe."

"One thing that has to be said quickly, Tesla has a certain public credit; they can go out into the public, sell something that is, shall we say, not quite finished yet.

"That's something we can't do – and we don't want to do.

"If you look at Tesla, every incident happening out there in the field, in public, of course the reviews, the observations will become more critical.

"If you monitor it closely, you can actually see that Tesla is repositioning itself to be more on the safer side, to address that issue."

Pictured: Audi e-tron GT concept