Audi Enhancing On-Demand Features To Meet Consumer Needs

E-Tron Expanding in 2021

Automotive manufacturers are continuously exploring methods to produce higher yields. On-demand amenities and memberships are freshly being seen as a strategy among the industry, but their response remains assort. Audi, an innovator in technological progression, recently announced that they will expand the range of their on-demand features starting 2021 – yet not as strategies to accumulate money but as a response to what already existent customers advocate for.

At this moment, Audi’s on-demand functionalities are only accessible on the E-Tron and E-Tron Sportback range; notwithstanding, the manufacturer is intending to expand these upgrades to a greater number of its models in the future. This will enable car owners to increase and upgrade their driving experience after they buy a vehicle, at any time they please. The existing packages that Audi is providing consist of an LED Matrix set, which allows for an effortless switch between low and main beam, as well as a light function set with lighting animation while locking and unlocking a car, plus a semi-autonomous parking technology, which can locate a parking spot and park the car autonomously.

“In our upcoming electronic architecture, we will be offering more ‘function on demand’ options, and you can expect to see new features being added to our vehicles year by year,” stated Oliver Hoffmann, Audi’s Technical boss, in an interview with Autocar. “A few years back, there were discussions about how digitalization could be a revenue generator beyond just selling cars.”

Audi’s distinguishing on-demand features are remarkable for the ease of integration they provide. Automobile drivers gain access to extended capabilities for their vehicles conveniently with the myAudi app, which eliminates the need for a dealership trip or extra hardware installment.

In the wake of BMW’s decision to end extra charges for hardware-based functions on its cars, due to low “customer acceptance,” the development of on-demand functionality is seen as a positive shift. According to Hoffmann, this trend is likely to become “quite normal in the future,” demonstrating the continuous evolution of automotive customization.

Automakers such as BMW and Mercedes-Benz received criticism upon introducing subscription-supported products and services in their automobiles. Notwithstanding, according to an S&P Global Mobility poll from this past summer, customers are usually open to subscriptions when they involve the chance to experiment with modern capabilities and innovations. When presented with free of charge tests or present subscriptions on advanced models, 82 percent of those surveyed expressed a readiness to look at acquiring subscription-dependent services for any potential automobile purchases.

Only days ago, Porsche, yet another of Volkswagen Auto Group’s (VAG) divisions, declared their motive to incorporate Google products into their forthcoming car models. This integration will bring an extensive selection of Google amenities, which includes; Google Maps, the Google Assistant and a plethora of apps that can be sourced from the Google Play Store.

Source: Autocar