Audi standardising full suite of safety equipment for MY24

Audi Australia has confirmed it will equip all of its models with their full driver assistance technology suites from the 2024 model-year.

The German marque confirmed with CarExpert that from the A1 through to the A8 – as well as all of the Q-badged models in between – will no longer reserve certain features like adaptive cruise control and active park assist systems to option packages, potentially saving customers thousands of dollars.

Currently, variants of the A1, A3, Q3, A4, A5 and Q5 still require option boxes to be ticked to get features like adaptive cruise control that are increasingly becoming standard on much more affordable cars.

As an example, the base Audi A1 30 TFSI is available with the $1240 Assistance package – which brings adaptive cruise control, park assist and blind-spot monitoring – but this pack is only available in conjunction with the $2990 Style package.

In some cases, the optional assistance package also brings features like side assist (blind-spot assist), park assist, and surround camera systems. Some Audi models like the A3 bundle adaptive cruise control in other packages that include premium or comfort features.

It’s understood the changes will come into effect for the 2024 model year, which should go on sale locally around September.

Audi will be the first of the German trio to make such a move, given arch rivals BMW and Mercedes-Benz charge extra for various levels of assistance technologies depending on model line and variant, particularly at the lower end othe range.

Further details will be revealed in the coming months. Stay tuned to CarExpert for the full rundown once Audi Australia details the changes across its various model lines.

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