Responsibility with a passion: Audi dealership Augsburg
Audi has a worldwide dealer network. Sustainability initiatives, which are being driven forward at Audi dealerships, play an important role – including in the region of Augsburg.
Michael Agsteiner is the managing director of several car dealerships with around 450 employees in the region of Augsburg. Heiko Schmidt, Head of Audi Training Germany, personally met with him in Augsburg to discuss his concerns about environmental, social and economic responsibility.
Augsburg in Bavaria. I am impressed by a large new building in the middle of a vibrant and commercially strong district, the city area of Göggingen. The new Audi Center Augsburg was built here on an area of almost 12,600 square meters. I would like to get to know the building contractor behind the concept.
Sustainability at several levels
I enter the building of this established dealership for new vehicles, used cars as well as workshop and service facilities in anticipation of a stimulating conversation with managing director Michael Agsteiner.
“Hello! Nice to meet you. Did you have a good journey?” the Swabian entrepreneur, dealer, Audi Partner and developer asks me as we shake hands warmly. I nod and show how impressed I am by the new building. “Yes, the conversion of our car dealerships into buildings that are as environmentally friendly as possible is taking shape – and that’s also being certified by the DNGB(German Sustainable Building Council),” says Agsteiner.
Other examples of sustainability aspects at the new Audi Center are:
- Photovoltaic system
- Heating and cooling by means of geothermal energy storage
- Charging stations exclusively for customers’ electric vehicles, eight additional charging points in the outdoor area
- Biological water treatment for filtering and treating process water
- Sound-insulating acoustics for a pleasant working atmosphere
- Ergonomic workplaces
- Accessibility throughout the property, both indoors and outdoors
“We are working intensively as a team to be agile in the overall systemic understanding of sustainability and to take into account many facets and aspects in various business areas.” This includes a wide variety of measures, such as optimizing internal resources with digital tools, collecting ideas during energy audits, or even water dispensers for employees and reusable glass bottles.
A strong togetherness
The deeper I immerse myself in the spirit, the more I realize: There are many small to large steps that are being driven forward by Agsteiner and his colleagues with creativity and implementation power. “What motivates you in your everyday work?” I ask spontaneously. “A strong sense of togetherness,” explains Agsteiner, adding that freedom and options for co-creation and further development are essential building blocks of entrepreneurial processes. For him, open, transparent and team-oriented cooperation is also part of sustainability management.
“Good employer branding also seems to be very important to you,” I guess. “Absolutely,” agrees Agsteiner. “In the struggle for talent, companies have to come up with many more ideas today than they did a few years ago.” And that from onboarding onward. There is a lot on offer at the various locations: whether welcome days for newly joined team members, a so-called buddy system in which new employees are assigned a mentor, or coaches who launch individually tailored training programs together with the apprentices.
I got to know Michael Agsteiner as a person of vision, courage and drive, and the insights I gained will leave a lasting impression.
*** All information relates exclusively to the dealership in the Göggingen district of Augsburg ***