IF YOU GIVE YOUR EMPLOYEES AND YOUR PARTNERS CHANCE TO WORK TOGETHER
EARLY IN THE
A VEHICLE
DEVELOPMENT PROCESS, THEN YOU WILL BE ABLE TO LEVERAGE THOSE RELATIONSHIPS BY GETTING EARLY ACCESS TO INNOVATIONS. IT’S KEY THAT YOU MUST BE A RELIABLE PARTNER SO
THAT DISCLOSE
VENDORS THEIR
the necessary volume, combined with highly emotional products that support our brand positioning, with autobahn- inspired performance and exhilarating everyday driving. All of the products must be of the highest quality and provide last- ing value, with sophisticated German engineering. We believe in and live our slogan, “Everyone deserves a better car.” Volkswagen of America’s portfolio has developed in recent years from individual niche products to a full-line offering. We continuously monitor our target custom- ers and align our product offerings on a continuous basis.
When it comes to redundancies between cars, we look at it slightly differently: Looking at the human-machine interface, we want a common set of components so that a VW Brand customer who is mov- ing between products according to their changing needs and life stages knows they are in a VW. We can differentiate models in many different ways, from their driv- ing dynamics to their styling, but we want to spread components across as many segment requirements are met. Between VW Group brands, we share respective the customer and are independent from
ARE BEST REALLY INSIGHTS
the respective Brand DNA. Does it mat- ter to the customer if an air-conditioning unit behind the instrument panel surface is the same on a Golf as on a Passat, as long as they work perfectly?
Q. The Army, which builds its portfo- lios based on needed capabilities, must consider technological obsolescence when making portfolio decisions. For Volkswagen, the guiding principle ulti- mately must be return on investment, but the obsolescence factor also plays a role in Volkswagen’s portfolio decisions. How far ahead of production can Volk- swagen safely identify a new product or feature, e.g., a radio, and make a portfo- lio decision?
A. Return on investment is certainly a very important Key Performance Indica- tor, but if market conditions change—for 2008—then the company’s leadership has to take decisive action. Normally we are striving for a six-to-seven-year life cycle, which is in tune with the aging curve of our products and the ability of the orga- nization to keep the product fresh with mid-life-cycle measures. The ability to predict what is needed not only for launch but also for the whole length of the life cycle must be considered a core strength
WILLING TO
TO YOU.
of an organization’s design, product plan- ning, and engineering capabilities.
shelf with innovative features and cool and appealing product ideas. Because the niches and provide new features more quickly than other competitors. Based on the timing of the development process, we are forced to plan several years ahead and cannot react immediately, although - cantly reduced in the past decade by the intensive use of simulation software. However, our competitors are also using gain an advantage here. One advantage VW certainly has is its timeless and classy design language and high-quality design execution. As a result, VW models that are no longer in production still look fresh and appealing on the street, even if their technology and performance might not be up-to-the-minute.
Q. Volkswagen’s modular tool kit strat- egy allows the use of common core design component systems in your subcompact, compact, and medium models around the world, while accommodating mul- tiple variations at minimal additional cost.
ASC.ARMY.MIL 85
CRITICAL THINKING
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