E-Tron: Audi driver discovers possible paywall
An Audi owner from Denmark was caught off guard by his Q4 E-Tron electric vehicle. The premium automaker may soon release DLCs that go beyond the prior scope.
Playstation CEO Jim Ryan recently stated that he does not see the future of the video game industry in-game subscriptions, but rather in live service games that will keep their Playstation 5 and Co. fans entertained for years with chargeable DLCs.
After purchasing a vehicle, car owners should be able to book or purchase certain functionalities for a price, similar to how video game owners do.
BMW, like Tesla, is a forerunner when it comes to selling add-ons. For example, since 2018, the high-beam helper has been available for purchase in various BMW cars equipped with BMW Operating System 7.
Audi is now taking it a step further by including an air conditioning button in the entry-level Q4 E-Tron electric vehicle, which currently has no function in some regions.
Audi is introducing more and more Functions on Demand
When the owner hit the sync button on his Audi Q4 E-Tron, he was surprised to see an error message on the infotainment screen. The MMI system informs him that this function has not yet been purchased. The climate settings can be switched concurrently between different zones, such as the driver's and passenger's sides, using the Sync button.
It is unknown when the owner will be able to purchase the activation on-demand, but the infotainment system is already set up for feature booking in the future. Audi has previously supplied some functions on demand, such as navigation or a DAB radio tuner.
So far, however, this has been confined to radio/navigation system operations, as well as light functions and the parking help in the E-Tron. What's new is that in every new Q4, a button with no purpose is installed, and this functionality can be activated later.
Not only Audi would like to make money in the future by selling add-ons after purchasing a car. There are already the first versions on the market in which manufacturers are attempting to sell functionality later.
For example, 850 USD per year is required for rear-axle steering in the electric S-Class Mercedes EQS. Despite the fact that the Swabians include rear-axle steering in every EQS, it can only turn the rear wheels by 2.5 degrees in the opposite direction of travel. However, if you want the full 10 degrees of steering angle, you must pay.
After all, Mercedes offers rear-axle steering directly from the factory for roughly 1,550 dollars more, giving you the option of using it permanently. You only need to subscribe if the original owner did not purchase this additional.
Audi, BMW, and Mercedes-Benz, in particular, regard DLCs as a source of revenue to boost their profit per vehicle. After all, as the latest Audi Q4 E-Tron demonstrates, new cars are already being made cheaply with as many features as possible, but some of these may only be unlocked after purchasing for a price.
