Audi opens the world’s first fully digital car showroom in Piccadilly, London, and promises an unheard-of level of customer service. The whole point of this showroom is to use a compact space efficiently. This way Audi can have a showroom in the heart of busy cities like London. A normal car showroom needs tons of space and cannot really be located in a busy street. But Audi City is like a normal boutique.

This begs the question, however, that what is point of visiting a digital showroom? Customers can see digital models of Audi cars on the Internet and there’s no need to go to a store to do that. But Audi believes this will work. They will be opening more than 20 stores worldwide by 2015. In future, Audi City will also play a crucial role in the marketing of new mobility services and electric-drive Audi models.

Audi City will present the entire line-up – including all colours, equipment options and functions – in realistic 1:1 scale on screens that almost fill the entire space. One advantage of this system over a conventional showroom is the ease of speccing up the car from thousands of options available. You just click a few buttons.

There is another use for this showroom, according to the German car maker: Audi City will also evolve into a meeting place for fans of the brand, where they can make contact with the world of the four rings whenever they want.

With Audi City, the premium manufacturer is responding to customers’ changing needs. “People are placing greater emphasis than ever before on a direct and personal bond of trust with their vehicle brand – especially in respect of the increasing variety of products and available information,” explains Schwarzenbauer. “Thus, with Audi City, we are creating a one-stop-shop for experiencing our brand. It is right in the midst of our customers’ lives, yet seamlessly connected to the online range offered by the four rings.”