We ask the Audi Singapore management team for their thoughts on the year that was and their vision for the brand in the coming year.

Audi is always about being ahead of the curve. As a direction, Audi sees the future as an attitude; a mindset to recognise the potential in every situation, to explore every possibility and draw inspiration amidst obstacles. This is the mindset that defines the approach of everyone at the company. When asked to give their insights to the year that was, this forward-looking orientation is also the driving theme among the leadership team at Audi Singapore.

Favourite moments of 2020
“One of the highlights for me was the Singapore Motorshow 2020 in January. It was a great start as we presented the e-tron in the country. As the first-ever fully electric SUV from Audi, the e-tron is really a well-suited car for Singapore. I've been using it as my daily car and I'm finding it extremely fun, thanks to its amazing performance. We also supported Ride for Rations 2020 in September by mobilising the cyclists in the company who put in 10,345 km and raised $18,000 for needy families in Singapore. It was meaningful and also allowed our entire company to contribute.”

What we can expect from Audi in 2021
“Audi Singapore is working closely to align with the brand’s global vision of becoming a truly sustainable company across all areas. While the product portfolio is a big part of our 2021 plans, we are also focusing on relationships with our dealer partner and customers. Forging deeper relationships with our stakeholders is extremely important, and we believe that is what will set the Audi brand apart.”

Opportunities in 2021
“Our electrification plan will be leading this charge as we continue to expand the e-tron portfolio in Singapore to give consumers more choices. I’m also looking forward to the implementation of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership* that was just signed in November 2020. It’s the world’s largest free-trade agreement and its impact will be global. Just the other week, it was announced that the World Economic Forum will be held in Singapore in 2021. As a country, we are right in the middle of the action and as Audi in Singapore, we will be part of that.”

*The Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) is a proposed agreement between the member states of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and its free trade agreement (FTA) partners. The pact aims to cover trade in goods and services, intellectual property, etc.

Key learning points from 2020
“People are now more open to greater creativity and exciting ideas. This is why it’s fortuitous that Audi has always been forward-thinking. We have already started laying the foundation for the mobility of tomorrow by embracing and adapting to the changes that the automotive industry is facing."

What we can expect from Audi in 2021
“We have very strong digital touchpoints for Audi, so our ultimate goal next year is to integrate all these into one seamless journey for our customers. They will get a tailored Audi experience from the moment they first interact with the brand, either through a dealer or directly, all the way to the online showroom or the Audi Live Consultation service, to even something as simple as the car configurator. There will also be exciting new developments for our myAudiworld customer program.”

Opportunities in 2021
“I think next year is a fantastic opportunity to show everyone the benefits of electric mobility here in Singapore. For 2021, we want more people to understand that the perceived compromise of owning electric cars is not really there anymore. The technology is vastly better and the charging is getting faster. Eventually, we will reach a tipping point where adoption will become the new norm. ”

Key learning points from 2020
“It was a challenging year but the pandemic made us all think about what’s next and how we want to live our lives – from the way we care for others, to practicing more kindness in our business culture, to considering a more carbon-friendly way to get around. This year, we worked even more closely with our dealer partner to train and equip the sales team with the tools they need to provide service that goes the extra mile. Everyone has never been more motivated to put in their best effort.

During this time, we also saw our Audi on demand car mobility service gain more ground and acceptance this year. Consumers are keen to take out an Audi for anything from a few hours to days on end, to maybe explore unknown corners of this sunny island, in lieu of travel.”

What we can expect from Audi in 2021
“Audi has always been future-oriented and we’re ready for the new automotive era. When I talk about the future, I see an optimistic outlook as there’s great commitment from the Singapore government towards electric mobility. I think electric mobility is here to stay and 2021 will be the year for new experiences and a completely new way of looking at mobility.”

Opportunities in 2021
“It was great to be able to bring more electric models to the market and see the brand progress. My personal challenge for 2021 is to create opportunities for more and more Singaporeans to experience the Audi brand.”

Favourite moments of 2020
“Definitely the way the team came together whilst being apart, and collaborating remotely and innovating the way we do business. This is especially true for our Aftersales team at Premium Automobiles. We came under ‘essential services’ and our service team did a fantastic job adapting to the COVID-19 measures quickly and wholeheartedly to ensure we could still keep our customers mobile. We’re very proud of the team and their courage for being at the frontline of our brand despite all the uncertainties earlier this year.”

Vision for 2021
“It was fascinating to be part of a business transformation that occurred due to the unfortunate effect of the pandemic. This year, we really accelerated digitally into forays that were once seen as a distant evolution or in some cases, implausible. All these have been shoehorned into reality in such a short space of time. This is our new norm and I see this becoming more prevalent in 2021.”

What we can expect from Audi in 2021
“Following the launch of our Audi official store on Lazada in April, we will be expanding the product and service offerings available digitally. There will also be the new locally-developed Audi Service app that will allow us to provide a new level of service such as live booking availability and confirmation, and real time status updates.”

Favourite moments of 2020
“I have newfound appreciation for working from home as I was able to spend more time with my family. On the company front, 2020 was memorable because in our internal employee survey (called the Stimmungsbarometer), Audi Singapore managed to score even better than the previous year. This is our annual exercise that spans the various brands and divisions, discussing areas like employee satisfaction, quality and productivity, and leadership and cooperation. This year, amidst the pandemic and all the challenges that came with it, Audi Singapore employees proved to be resilient and adaptable, being able to see the positive side of things and remain optimistic.”

Key learning points from 2020
“We improved a lot on our communication this year. Back in February, we had to adapt and execute our business continuity plan to suit the government’s directives in a very short amount of time. On top of that, we had to think of how to disseminate this information to all our employees in the most efficient way. This really sped up the learning curve on tech applications and digitalisation of processes within the company and with our vendors as well.”

Opportunities in 2021
“There is space for greater flexibility in 2021. This year showed how we were able to adapt to changes, learn how to be more accommodating, and the importance of team work. We really embraced technology and digitalization when everyone had to work remotely. We will keep this momentum going and move towards continuous improvement and develop further digitization of our internal operational processes. There’s room to further optimise our work arrangements to improve the balance between the need for safety, personal goals and our business targets.

I'm also looking forward to more collaborations on all fronts: vertical and lateral collaborations with our business partners, service providers and associated companies within Volkswagen Group, trade collaborations in Singapore, across the region and globally. Locally, we have already made a big step this year with a very successful joint project among our dealer partner, Premium Automobiles, and DBS Bank to execute trade financing transactions on Singapore’s Networked Trade Platform. Today, the fully digital trade financing settlement has come to be our normal course of business and we continue to look for new ways to find greater efficiencies in our business.”


Seeing the future differently is what drives Audi. We are already seeing the first fruits from the innovations and lessons learned from the year. Every step of 2021 at Audi will be shaped by its forward-looking mindset.