Audi initiative sees parcel deliveries made direct to the boot of a car

Audi has worked with its partners DHL Parcel and Amazon Prime to develop a system that enables delivery direct to the boot of a customer's car, negotiating the common problem of parcels being delivered to someone's home when they are out.

‘Audi connect easy delivery', a pilot project starting in Munich this month, will allow participants to use the service for the first time. It will operate through temporary authorisation for keyless access to the car's luggage compartment.

"With comprehensive connectivity, we are transforming the car into a service device and integrating it even more closely into the everyday lives of our customers," said Luca de Meo, member of the board of management for sales at Audi AG.

"Audi connect easy delivery helps save time and offers more convenience and flexibility - advantages that are increasingly important for the target group of a premium brand."

In the future, the service is to provide customers with the option of entering their Audi as the shipping address for online orders.

DHL Parcel is providing the dispatching service in the pilot project. Development partner Amazon is the first online retailer to offer customers delivery directly to their car's boot.

If the Audi owner agrees to the tracking of their automobile for the specific delivery time frame, the DHL driver handling the parcel receives a digital access code for the boot of the customer's vehicle.

It can be used one time only for a specific period of time and expires as soon as the luggage compartment has been closed again. Similarly, Audi connect easy delivery customers will also be able to send letters and parcels from their own car in the future.

With this logistics service, customers will enjoy even more flexibility in controlling the delivery of their orders. In addition to this extra convenience, the service promotes efficiency as it avoids unsuccessful attempts to hand over goods to customers at the specified address and therefore reduces the amount of traffic on the roads.

Audi AG will test Audi connect easy delivery together with DHL Parcel and Amazon under real conditions in a pilot project which is to start this month in Munich, Germany.