The Background
- Audi’s new RS5 offers paid infotainment themes with unique backgrounds.
- Audi launched its paid Themes in the United States in late 2023.
- Themes start at $12.99.
You would think spending six figures on a car unlocks nearly every feature imaginable, but that’s not how today’s vehicles work. Automakers have no qualms about forcing you to pay for downloadable content and subscription fees in order to unlock your car’s full potential. That kind of profiteering includes Audi’s new RS5 and RS5 Avant models.
An Instagram video from user Autogefuehl reveals that the new RS5 will have access to Audi’s paid Themes. These are backgrounds and other iconography available for purchase to enhance the infotainment experience. They are not new, and Audi already offers them in the United States.
The automaker launched Audi Themes in late 2023 on certain 2023-2024 models. The themes are available for a one-time purchase, starting at $12.99 plus taxes and fees. Audi recently added Halloween themes to its collection of more than 300 that it already offered, which is fun.
According to the company, as of last October, US customers have downloaded more than 32,000 themes. Paid content, features, and subscriptions have proliferated through today’s cars, and paid backgrounds are just another point of profit for automakers.
Motor1’s Take: While Audi Themes are not new, the video is a sad reminder of today’s automotive industry. Luxury used to mean something, but it’s hard to feel special when automakers choose to nickel-and-dime even their well-to-do customers just like their mass-market buyers, and that’s not very aspirational.
Source: Autogefühl
