Audi, DHL, Amazon partner to enable direct delivery to car boot

German carmaker Audi along with partners DHL Parcel and Amazon Prime has developed a system that enables delivery direct to the boot of a customer’s Audi.

‘Audi connect easy delivery’, a pilot project which starts this month, will allow participants to use the service for the first time. Audi connect easy delivery 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 ofour customers,” says 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 new 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.

Prof. Dr. Ulrich Hackenberg, Member of the Board of Management for Technical Development at Audi AG, emphasizes the high security standards of the development project: “As with all of our connect services, the security of the car and of customer data has top priority for Audi. Audi customers should be able to use these kinds of innovative services with peace of mind and therefore enjoy true added value.”

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