Audi is aiming to be the technology leader in the automotive market with a push towards autonomous driving.

Audi CEO, Markus Duesmann, wants to bring to the market a vehicle capable of highly automated driving by 2024. Known as “Project Artemis”, the exercise will serve as a blueprint for quick and agile development across the VW Group, such as found in a race car team, according to Duesmann, who is also the R&D Head for the VW Group. It is said the concept aims for near Level 5 “hands off” self-driving.

This idea is not new with Audi unveiling this idea in 2017 at the Frankfurt auto show using the “Aicon concept”.

Currently Audi offers Level 2 on some high end cars and recently gave up on Level 3 for the A8, as hoped. In order to succeed Project Artemis will need to navigate the large organisational structure of the VW Group so Duesmann has picked Alex Hitzinger, currently the head of VW Group’s autonomous driving program, to lead the project.

Audi must fight hard to catch Tesla, largely seen as a disruptor to the automotive industry with its progressive EV and self-driving capabilities.

Project Artemis is seen as an important step to close this gap.