smart: Reinventing direct-to-consumer sales for the automotive industry with digital twins
Learn how SAP was smart's partner of choice because it offers a sustainable and reliable enterprise architecture that helps the company adapt quickly to change. Download the Document1INTERNAL – SAP Only (delete if public)
smart: Reinventing direct-to-consumer
sales for automotive and preparing for
the mobility era with a digital twin
Well known for its stylish city cars, smart Europe GmbH has been rethinking mobility for
decades. smart Automobile Co. Ltd. – a joint venture established in 2019 by Mercedes-
Benz AG and Geely Holding – is “inspiring open-mindedness and positivity” with electric
SUVs equipped with state-of-the-art technology that continues to grow with the users.
Priding itself on being “an unconventional co-creation,” and through the new company
structure, smart is staying true to its heritage and exploring the possibilities to rethink
the way consumers buy and use cars. It wanted to bring together master, transactional,
and remote measurement data to gain a centralized, consolidated view of vehicles that
would inform new use cases and business models. To achieve this, it set out to rebuild
its IT landscape with expert help.
smart: Reinventing direct-to-consumer
sales for automotive and preparing for
the mobility era with a digital twin
Well known for its stylish city cars, smart Europe GmbH has been rethinking mobility for
decades. smart Automobile Co. Ltd. – a joint venture established in 2019 by Mercedes-
Benz AG and Geely Holding – is “inspiring open-mindedness and positivity” with electric
SUVs equipped with state-of-the-art technology that continues to grow with the users.
Priding itself on being “an unconventional co-creation,” and through the new company
structure, smart is staying true to its heritage and exploring the possibilities to rethink
the way consumers buy and use cars. It wanted to bring together master, transactional,
and remote measurement data to gain a centralized, consolidated view of vehicles that
would inform new use cases and business models. To achieve this, it set out to rebuild
its IT landscape with expert help.
2INTERNAL – SAP Only (delete if public)
“SAP was our partner of choice because it offers a
sustainable and reliable enterprise architecture that
helps us adapt quickly to change.”
Björn Schick, Chief Experience Manager, smart Europe GmbH
smart Europe GmbH
Stuttgart, Germany
www.smart.com
Industry
Automotive
Employees
200
Revenue
€74.5 million
Products and services
Regional sales
Featured solutions
SAP S/4HANA Cloud Private Edition, SAP Vehicle
Management System, SAP Customer Data Cloud,
SAP Commerce Cloud, and SAP Digital Vehicle Hub
~280,000
Vehicles to be managed on
the D2C platform in 2025
360-degree
Asset view using digital twins
Before: Challenges and opportunities
• Siloed sources across product masters, transactions, and real-time insights gathered through remote
measurement devices
• Difficulty incorporating insights into processes to support the product lifecycle to follow up digital sales
• Opportunity to rebuild IT systems and reimagine sales using a direct-to-consumer (D2C) model
Why SAP
• Revamped IT environment – built on software including SAP S/4HANA Cloud Private Edition, the
SAP Vehicle Management System application, and SAP Customer Data Cloud and SAP Commerce
Cloud solutions – that supports a future in which cars are sold D2C
• SAP Digital Vehicle Hub application, an industry cloud solution that helps populate a vehicle's digital
twin with consolidated, up-to-date, relevant information to support vehicle assistance solutions and
boost the digital sales model during the product lifecycle
• SAP Digital Vehicle Hub providing network capabilities that enable the sharing of insights with a broad
range of stakeholders interested in performing processes or accessing assets for their claims
After: Value-driven results
• Ability to develop innovative use cases using a digital twin on a cloud platform that can be quickly
scaled and intuitively enriched from the digital sales platform
• Sound basis for a full-scale D2C implementation in 2025, thanks to a successful initial project
spanning architecture, requirements, scope, and planning for the new platform
Changing the way people buy cars with SAP solutions and
SAP Digital Vehicle Hub, an industry cloud solution
90855enUS (24/05) © 2024 SAP SE or an SAP affiliate company. sap.com/terms-of-use
“SAP was our partner of choice because it offers a
sustainable and reliable enterprise architecture that
helps us adapt quickly to change.”
Björn Schick, Chief Experience Manager, smart Europe GmbH
smart Europe GmbH
Stuttgart, Germany
www.smart.com
Industry
Automotive
Employees
200
Revenue
€74.5 million
Products and services
Regional sales
Featured solutions
SAP S/4HANA Cloud Private Edition, SAP Vehicle
Management System, SAP Customer Data Cloud,
SAP Commerce Cloud, and SAP Digital Vehicle Hub
~280,000
Vehicles to be managed on
the D2C platform in 2025
360-degree
Asset view using digital twins
Before: Challenges and opportunities
• Siloed sources across product masters, transactions, and real-time insights gathered through remote
measurement devices
• Difficulty incorporating insights into processes to support the product lifecycle to follow up digital sales
• Opportunity to rebuild IT systems and reimagine sales using a direct-to-consumer (D2C) model
Why SAP
• Revamped IT environment – built on software including SAP S/4HANA Cloud Private Edition, the
SAP Vehicle Management System application, and SAP Customer Data Cloud and SAP Commerce
Cloud solutions – that supports a future in which cars are sold D2C
• SAP Digital Vehicle Hub application, an industry cloud solution that helps populate a vehicle's digital
twin with consolidated, up-to-date, relevant information to support vehicle assistance solutions and
boost the digital sales model during the product lifecycle
• SAP Digital Vehicle Hub providing network capabilities that enable the sharing of insights with a broad
range of stakeholders interested in performing processes or accessing assets for their claims
After: Value-driven results
• Ability to develop innovative use cases using a digital twin on a cloud platform that can be quickly
scaled and intuitively enriched from the digital sales platform
• Sound basis for a full-scale D2C implementation in 2025, thanks to a successful initial project
spanning architecture, requirements, scope, and planning for the new platform
Changing the way people buy cars with SAP solutions and
SAP Digital Vehicle Hub, an industry cloud solution
90855enUS (24/05) © 2024 SAP SE or an SAP affiliate company. sap.com/terms-of-use