The services, called Functions on Demand, are booked through a digital platform and activated or deactivated as an app. After the wonders of holoid, Audi takes another step forward.
Previously, customers had to purchase optional equipment when ordering a car. From today with Functions on Demand from Audi there is an additional possibility. That of flexibly activating options in the areas of lighting, driving assistance and infotainment, as would be done for any subscription service.
In other words, the options are already present in the vehicle, but are activated (and deactivated) on request.
How optional on request work
Booking and payment are made via the app or the Web portal myAudi. After remote purchase or renewal, the chosen function is activated automatically. Once the booking process is complete, Audi's IT backend sends a signed data package to the car via the mobile network. The function will be available the next time you start the car.
You can also request a one-month free trial, to test the feature and see if it's right for us.
Functions on Demand are initially available for the fully electric e-tron models and for the A4, A5, A6, A7, Q5, Q7 and Q8 models. Audi announces that further series and functions will follow.
Functions on demand: what can be activated?
The functions that can be booked depend on the vehicle model and market. With the Audi e-tron and e-tron Sportback, for example, customers can upgrade the lighting package. One click and you upgrade the LED headlights, obtaining LED matrix headlights with automatic high beams. Optional functions can also be activated in the infotainment package: the MMI navigation plus system and the Audi smartphone interface are activated and deactivated on demand.
If you resell the car, the activated functions naturally pass to the new owner until they expire. The new owner can in turn activate other Functions on Demand.
Another step towards transforming the car from a product to a service. In the future, car sharing systems of this kind will make it possible to have a vehicle with the most diverse functions available.
In the morning it could be a docile displacement at the service of a student going to university, in the afternoon it will have 4-wheel drive for a user who uses it for a trip, and so on. As with pay TV, you only pay for what you need, and when you need it.
