Why doesn't the 2023 Audi Q2 have electric seats?
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Asked by Caterina
Is there a particular reason that the 2023 Audi Q2 doesn't have electric seats? I was shocked the other day to test drive a Q2 with the dynamic black pack, and while, aesthetically, it's a beautiful car, I was massively disappointed at how far behind it was with technology. This version didn't have wireless tech, had manual seats and compared to most other models the touch-screen is still quite small. The drive in a 1.5-litre version wasn't anything special so I skipped on that purchase as it feels like you're buying the brand and how good the car looks.
Answered by CarsGuide
22 Mar 2024You've more or less answered your own question: When it comes to prestige makes and models, you'll often find you're paying for the brand image and how a car looks rather than what's in it. It's also very common for luxury brands to make many convenience and tech features part of an additional option pack that costs more for gear you might find standard in some more mainstream makes and models. That's just marketing for you.
A great example was the original Mercedes-Benz C-Class back in the late 1980s. This was Mercedes' first attempt at a cheaper car (to compete with the BMW 3-Series) and while it was nicely built and very solid, it had a small, relatively underpowered engine and a very plain interior. The argument was that you were paying for the core Mercedes engineering.
These days, there's also a compulsion to keep weight out of cars. Electric seats operate with electric motors and are notoriously heavy. By using manual seats, Audi can keep the kerb mass down which helps with handling, fuel economy and makes more of the relatively small engine fitted. Not to mention it gives the buyer the impetus to move up to the more expensive model with electric seats. Again, it's called marketing.
