Digital transformation is one of the key issues here at Porsche as well. To contend with both traditional and newer competitors, Porsche is broadening its horizons and working on building an ecosystem with suitable partners. In his keynote address at the event, Thilo Koslowski, CEO of Porsche Digital, discussed why Porsche is looking for partners to design the digital transformation and what he thinks a Porsche as a digital assist system should look like.
“We have a very close collaboration with partners. We think that this idea of an ecosystem is essential. We're not trying to reinvent the wheel, but we will reinvent what can be done for business models with different technologies and approaches in the future“ explains Koslowski. “This is precisely what is interesting about the here and now: We are living in a world today that did not exist in the same way only a few years ago. We have all the technology we need to create something completely new. There are no more missing fundamentals, and new technologies are becoming increasingly cheaper.” Just a few years ago, the sensor systems required for allowing cars to drive autonomously did not exist. There was no established cloud infrastructure, nor any networks for exchanging data in real-time and for evaluating them using artificial intelligence. “We now have all the ingredients we need to create new customer experiences.”
Integrated mobility solutions
There are three main areas. The first involves finding solutions related to the vehicle. “Imagine you are sitting in the car and somebody calls you. Today, you still have to decide whether or not you want to take the call. If you pick up, you can no longer drive with the same level of concentration – and potentially lose the Porsche experience we try to maximize. We are able to envision solutions for precisely this situation: the way in which this telephone call is routed and answered depending on your current driving situation. With the exception of a phone call from your wife or your boss of course. When you're waiting at a traffic light or sitting in a traffic jam, my car recognises this and allows telephone calls to come through.”
The second area includes integrated mobility solutions. An example: The Porsche customer has to book a flight and then a rental car at the destination. Porsche wants to offer customers a solution from one source and for all types of mobility options.
“The third area is the broadest and one of the most exiting areas for us” says Koslowski. It deals with the digital lifestyle, in other words with the question of how Porsche can add value for its customers that may not even have anything to do with their car. “We want to help you when you're planning your weekend. We'll do the work for you and find out what you can do and where. And you don’t even have to ask the question any longer. Our digital Porsche world gives you a suitable suggestion all by itself – that's our goal.”
