Volkswagen Challenge: Business Models for the Future of Production

ABSTRACT

The automotive industry is facing unprecedented transformation due to advancing technologies, disruptive trends, and rapidly evolving customer needs. Electrification, changes in mobility habits, and digitalization are just some of the factors driving this transformation. These changes, in turn, drive changes in value creation processes and value creation. Volkswagen seeks to address these changes in the heart of core automotive manufacturing and production by developing new and innovative business models for production-related areas in the future.

This is an Ideation Challenge with a guaranteed award for at least one submitted solution.

OVERVIEW

Innovation is at the forefront of Volkswagen’s activities and the Volkswagen Group is committed to gearing towards the future. The automotive industry is facing unprecedented changes with such things as digitalization, new tech players, autonomous vehicles, environment, climate change, and geopolitical changes all having a big impact on the future of production and logistics. Accordingly, the customers are changing and demand other goods and services. In addition to impacting production practices these changes impact value creation in the automotive industry as companies move to create value not just with the vehicles they sell but with all aspects of their expertise. Volkswagen has identified three primary focus areas for production – sharing of production expertise, sharing of logistics expertise, and the management and processing of valuable resources – and is seeking new and innovative production business models that address one or more of these areas.

This is an Ideation Challenge, which has the following unique features:

• There is a guaranteed award.  The award(s) will be paid to the best submission(s) as solely determined by the Seeker. The total payout will be $10,000, with at least one award being no smaller than $5,000 and no award being smaller than $1,000.

• The Solvers are not required to transfer exclusive intellectual property rights to the Seeker.  Rather, by submitting a proposal, the Solver grants to the Seeker a royalty-free, perpetual, and non-exclusive license to use any information included in this proposal, including for promotional purposes.

Submissions to this Challenge must be received by 11:59 PM (US Eastern Time) on 28-Jan-2021 11-Feb-2021. Late submissions will not be considered.

After the Challenge deadline, the Seeker will complete the review process and make a decision with regards to the Winning Solution(s). All Solvers that submit a proposal will be notified on the status of their submissions; however, no detailed evaluation of individual submissions will be provided.

ELIGIBILITY

This is an external challenge only. Employees of the Volkswagen Group and its subsidiaries are ineligible to participate or receive awards for this Challenge.

ABOUT THE SEEKER

The Volkswagen Group, with Headquarters in Wolfsburg, is one of the leading car manufacturers worldwide and the largest car producer in Europe. Currently, 12 brands from 7 countries belong to the company: Volkswagen Passenger Cars, Audi, SEAT, ŠKODA, Bentley, Bugatti, Lamborghini, Porsche, Ducati, Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles, Scania and MAN.

Volkswagen is positioned as a highly innovative and future oriented company on the automotive market. Volkswagen has always made individual and affordable mobility possible for millions of people. Under the new vision "Shaping mobility - for generations to come” we are providing answers to the challenges of today and tomorrow with our sharpened TOGETHER 2025+ Group strategy. Our goal is to make mobility sustainable for us and for future generations. Our promise: With electric drive, digital networking and autonomous driving, we make the automobile clean, quiet, intelligent and safe. At the same time, our core product becomes even more emotional and offers a completely new driving experience. It is also becoming part of the solution when it comes to climate and environmental protection. In this way, the car can continue to be a cornerstone of contemporary, individual and affordable mobility in the future.

What is InnoCentive?

InnoCentive is the global innovation marketplace where creative minds solve some of the world's most important problems for cash awards up to $1 million. Commercial, governmental and humanitarian organizations engage with InnoCentive to solve problems that can impact humankind in areas ranging from the environment to medical advancements.

What is an InnoCentive Ideation™ Challenge?

An InnoCentive Ideation™ Challenge is a broad question formulated to obtain access to new ideas, similar to a global brainstorm for producing a breakthrough idea or market survey which may include ideas for a new product line, a new commercial application for a current product, or even a viral marketing idea to recruit new customers. Ideation™ Challenge submissions are typically about two written pages, and Seekers receive a non-exclusive, perpetual license to use all submissions.

In an Ideation™ Challenge, Solvers may:

• Submit ideas of their own
• Submit third party information that they have the right to use and further the authority to convey that right and the right to use and develop derivative works to Seekers
• Submit information considered in the public domain without any limitations on use

Solvers should not reveal any confidential information in their submissions. Often the Ideation™ Challenge will be followed by one or more of the other three Challenge types to further develop the ideas and gain Intellectual Property protection when the concept has been well-defined.