[Asia Economy Reporter Suyeon Woo] Jeffrey Mannering, CEO of Audi Korea (photo), expressed confidence in the quality of the pure electric vehicle 'Audi e-tron 55 Quattro,' which was introduced for the first time in Korea, and pledged continuous growth of the Audi brand in the Korean market.
On the 14th, at the Audi e-tron media test drive event held in Hongcheon, Gangwon Province, Mannering told reporters, "The Audi e-tron is a car that exceeds my expectations," adding, "It has changed perceptions of electric vehicles in various aspects such as performance, driving capabilities, and ride comfort."
Earlier this month, Audi Korea launched the pure electric vehicle Audi e-tron 55 Quattro in the domestic market. Equipped with a 95kWh battery, it secures a driving range of 307km on a single charge, and its two powerful electric motors deliver a maximum output of 360 horsepower and a maximum torque of 57.2kg·m. In particular, the Audi e-tron 55 Quattro demonstrated the potential of future technologies applied to autonomous vehicles while enhancing aerodynamic efficiency through the world's first mass-produced 'Virtual Side Mirror.'
The 'Virtual Side Mirror' replaces traditional glass mirrors with cameras, showing the driving situation around the vehicle through video. As the world's first attempt, the industry has raised concerns about durability. Regarding this, Mannering said, "Even if there is some difficulty in initial adaptation, it is a system with many functional advantages," and expressed confidence in the technology by stating, "Since Audi made it, I believe the system will not fail."
He continued, "The Virtual Side Mirror technology is the first step toward the era of autonomous driving," adding, "It will be equipped in more advanced versions on various models in the future." The automotive industry expects that in the era of autonomous vehicles, side mirrors will disappear and vehicles will exchange driving information through cameras and LiDAR sensors instead.
The Audi e-tron 55 Quattro is an important model introducing Audi's electrification strategy to the domestic market. After practically halting sales for about two years following the Dieselgate scandal, Audi's new strategy is attracting attention to see if it can move Korean consumers. Since Mannering was appointed CEO of Audi Korea in September last year, Audi has steadily increased its market share in the domestic imported car market, surpassing 10,000 units in the first half of this year alone, nearly matching last year's annual sales.
He emphasized, "The Korean market is a clear challenge of 'brand rebuilding,'" adding, "If we only chase sales volume, past problems may be repeated. Now, we will focus on maintaining continuous growth rather than quantitative growth."
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