CRM Implementation at AudiIn the early 2000s, when global automotive markets, particularly luxury car markets, were becoming increasingly competitive and consolidated, and product innovation was becoming more and more imperative for all major luxury car manufacturers, Audi took the strategic decision to make Premium Customer Experience with CRM support its core competency with the long term commitment to make the cycle of car buyer's life and experience as simple and personalized as possible. The case mainly tells about Audi's CRM progress until 2004 and focuses mainly on the operations in Italy and the measures taken in this region.IntroductionAudi is a majority-owned subsidiary of the Volkswagen Group (VW), headquartered in in Germany and which operates in more than 100 countries. Through its commitment to implementing progressive technology and its technological ingenuity, by the late 1990s, Audi became a globally respected brand among luxury automobile manufacturers. After entering the luxury sector in the early 1990s, Audi leveraged its ingenuity and gained a competitive advantage on the industry parameters of innovative design, safety and performance. Today, Audi remains focused on meeting customer needs by building a brand that exemplifies individuality, exclusivity and excellence. Reasons for Implementing CRMAudi launched its CRM initiative primarily due to the following factors: Changing trends in customer purchasing behavior Customer relationship improvements underway in other industries. Competitive landscape, pressure further increased by the impending block exemption rules in Europe Difficulties in managing customer relationships in a multi-level, dealer-oriented sales organization.Two main objectives that encouraged Audi to invest in CRM make us... ... middle of paper ......o their overall customer touchpoints in marketing, sales and service. Although the case mainly focuses on the deployment and pilot program of CRM in Italy, the same program has been launched in many other countries around the world. world. In the future, Audi plans to intensify its outbound telemarketing efforts to increase opportunities for direct customer interaction. Audi also plans to introduce components of its CRM system into the dealer system in order to achieve full collaboration. Audi also plans to apply its CRM knowledge to its mass advertising efforts to better direct them toward their target customer segment. References Peppers & Rogers Group (2004), “CRM: ROI Review” for Audi, volume three, number 2.  E. Thompson, A. Bona (2004), “Audi's three steps to a winning CRM strategy” , Gartner Research. http://global.sap.com/corporate-en/news.epx?pressid=1393