Infotainment and assist systems

The Audi e-tron offers comprehensive infotainment and is very well connected. Numerous assist systems support the driver and enhance comfort, as do the optional and flexibly bookable equipment and functions. For the first time, Audi customers can add functions as needed even after purchasing their Audi e-tron.

All the information you need: navigation and Audi connect

On the German market, the Audi e-tron is supplied with MMI navigation plus as standard. The top-end media center supports the high-speed data transmission standard LTE Advanced with integrated Wi-Fi hotspot for the passengers’ mobile devices. The navigation system makes intelligent destination suggestions based on previous journeys. The route is calculated both on board in the car and online on the servers of the map and navigation provider HERE, using real-time data for the overall traffic situation. 

The online services from Audi connect complement navigation ideally. They are divided into two large packages: Audi connect navigation and infotainment and Audi connect safety & service including e‑­tron vehicle control. The latter includes such services as the vehicle status report. This enables the owner to call up information about the charge status and range using the myAudi app. Trip data can be accessed the same way, and the service can also be used to manage charging and pre-heating and cooling. Drivers can also lock and unlock their Audi e­‑tron remotely and localize where the car is parked.

The Audi connect portfolio also includes traffic information online, point-of-interest search and navigation with Google Earth. High-resolution satellite images and detailed 3D models of many major European cities enhance the map and make orientation easier. The charging stations service shows all charging stations in the area or at the destination, sorted by distance. With appropriately connected charging stations, information about availability, the connection type and payment details are also displayed. Further connect services are online media streaming, online news and Twitter and e-mail inbox access. Depending on a station’s signal strength, the hybrid radio automatically switches between FM, DAB and the online stream to ensure optimum reception at all times.

Audi connect navigation and infotainment also includes the Car-to-X services. The Audi e­‑tron uses the fleet’s swarm intelligence as part of these functions. Suitably equipped vehicles report moving into and out of parking spaces so that forecasts on vacant roadside parking spaces appear in many towns and cities. The cars from the swarm also warn each other of hazardous spots such as fog or black ice, and report current speed limits.

Clever routing: the e-tron route planner

Another element of Audi connect is the e-­tron route planner. The customer can use it either in the in-car MMI system or in the myAudi app. In both cases they are shown the appropriate route with the required charging points. Besides the traffic situation, the computation also considers the battery’s charge level. The projected arrival time includes any required charging time. The e-tron route planner includes DC charging stations along with most AC charging stations throughout Europe.

While driving, detailed information about the remaining range is displayed in the Audi virtual cockpit and in the top MMI display. The driver receives staged warnings if this drops below 100 and 50 kilometers (62.1 and 31.1 mi), respectively, and the closest charging station is displayed. In addition, the driver can select range mode in the MMI system to maximize the remaining range. This restricts the top speed to 90 km/h (55.9 mph), adjusts the settings for comfort functions such as heating/cooling or turns off seat heating.

Charging planning is continuously updated to the prevailing conditions. For example, an alternative suggestion is made if a targeted DC quick-charging station can no longer be reached. While actively charging, the battery’s current charge status and the remaining charging time is shown on both the in-car display and in the myAudi app. Customers can also opt to receive push notifications as soon as they can continue their journey.

Extremely convenient: access and personalization

The optional Audi connect key provides digital access to the Audi e-tron. It enables the driver and four other authorized users to unlock, lock and activate the electric SUV using an Android smartphone. Their preferred settings can be saved in up to seven different user profiles. Personalization covers up to 400 parameters, from the driver seat position and the preferred air conditioning settings to navigation destinations previously used and favorite media. The Audi e-tron identifies the individual user from the key signal as soon as he unlocks the car and activates the right profile for him.

New offering: flexible booking of additional features

Digitalization reaches a whole new level in the Audi e-­tron. The Audi e-tron will be the first model from the brand with the four rings to give its customers scope for adding certain functions in the areas of light, driver assistance systems and infotainment – on demand and at any time. This will be possible from mid-2019 onwards. Even after they have taken delivery of it, the customer can now continually customize it to their individual requirements. Every function can be obtained for varying periods – monthly, annually or permanently. Functions are booked conveniently via the car’s MMI system, the myAudi app or the myAudi service portal, and paid for easily and securely via AudiPay.

In the lighting package, customers can upgrade the LED headlights to Matrix LED headlights with intelligent high-beam control. The package also includes other functions such as dynamic turn signals, daytime running lights with e-tron signature, and lighting scenarios that are activated when the SUV is opened and closed. Under assistance systems, there is initially park assist as an add-on option. The infotainment package comprises DAB+ digital radio and the Audi smartphone interface.

Sound experience: telephony and sound system

To ensure full enjoyment of media, all components in the Audi e­‑tron that can emit electromagnetic fields and thus cause interference have been exhaustively shielded and/or suppressed. The Audi phone box makes using the phone very convenient. It connects the smartphone to the car antenna and charges it inductively. Voice-over-LTE helps to connect faster and makes it possible to use high-speed data transfer and high-resolution online voice telephony (HD Voice) at the same time. The Audi e‑­tron comes standard with two USB ports for playing back music from an MP3 player or smartphone through the car’s loudspeakers. Two additional ports in the rear are available as an option. The Audi smartphone interface links customers’ iOS and Android cell phones and places their Apple Car Play or Android Auto environment on the MMI display. A digital radio tuner, a TV tuner and a DVD player round out the infotainment program.

The optional Bang & Olufsen Premium Sound System with 3D sound up front lends the Audi e‑­tron additional acoustic quality. A small speaker in each A-pillar reproduces the spatial dimension of height; the windshield reflects the sound they emit. The music unfolds exactly how it was recorded – without any artificial effects. Behind this technology is an algorithm that Audi developed in collaboration with the Fraunhofer Institute in Erlangen. It takes stereo or 5.1 recordings, computes the information for the third dimension and conditions it for the 3D loudspeakers.

At the heart of the Bang & Olufsen Premium Sound System is a highly efficient amplifier. It drives 16 loudspeakers with 705 watts. Some of them, for instance the 3D loudspeakers in the A-pillars and the surround loudspeakers in the D-pillars, feature neodymium magnets, which are very light and consequently produce minimal distortion. All of which creates an airy, highly resolved sound. The bass loudspeakers in the front doors are located in a separate housing; the surrounding paneling is thus excited less which, in turn, reduces resonance. That improves the sound quality and reduces the sound propagation outside the vehicle. The decoupling of the loudspeaker also provides a precise, voluminous bass.

Convenient support: the driver assistance systems

Whether parking, in the city or on long journeys, the Audi e-tron makes life easier for its driver in many situations. Besides the turn assist and the collision avoidance assist, the Tour assist package includes the adaptive cruise assist as its central element. It manages longitudinal and lateral guidance across the entire speed range and supports the driver with accelerating, braking, maintaining speed, keeping distance and in traffic jam situations. The system detects lane markings, roadside structures, vehicles in adjacent lanes and vehicles driving ahead. In construction zones, the Audi e-tron automatically adapts its speed to the traffic situation, taking into account the speed limit. If the lane is too narrow to allow side-by-side driving, adaptive cruise assist enables offset driving through narrow stretches.

Adaptive cruise assist works closely together with the standard efficiency assist. Thanks to the interplay between these two systems, the Audi e-tron predictively slows down and accelerates based on its evaluation of sensor and navigation data. traffic signs and Car-to-X information. It considers road users ahead and reduces speed before curves and entering towns, while turning and in roundabouts. This helps to increase range. The driving style adopted by the electric SUV as a result of this interplay is based on the settings in the Audi drive select system, taking advantage of the potential offered by recuperation. The driver can intervene at any time by activating their preferred recuperation level via the shift paddles or overriding the systems by actively accelerating and braking.

If the adaptive cruise assist is not active, the efficiency assist uses predictive tips and automatic recuperation to help drivers drive economically. The system uses radar sensors, camera images and navigation data to detect the traffic environment and the route. The driver is shown corresponding information in the Audi virtual cockpit and the optional head-up display as soon as it would be sensible to take the foot off the right-hand pedal. If the driver has selected the automatic recuperation setting in the MMI, the information and automatic recuperation interact to form a convenient overall system. The system determines the ideal deceleration for the particular situation and recuperates energy in a way that is optimally adapted to the events.

With the City assist package, features including the crossing assist, cross traffic assist rear as well as lane change and exit warning provide for safety. Audi pre sense 360° – the combination of Audi pre sense front, rear and side – is also on board. This system detects collision hazards within system limits and initiates targeted protective measures, from full braking to tensioning of the seat belts.

Some assist systems are bundled in special packages, others are available separately. Among the latter are the night vision assist and the 360 degree cameras. These provide multiple views to facilitate centimeter-precision maneuvering, show crossing traffic and give a detailed view of the wheels. Its highlight is the 3D view with freely selectable perspective. Park assist eases the parking process. It steers the Audi e-tron independently into parallel parking and perpendicular parking spaces – forwards or backwards. The driver only has to accelerate and brake.

Backing the assist systems in the Audi e-­tron is the central driver assistance controller, which comes as standard and continuously computes an exact model of the environment. The required data is obtained – depending on the selected options – from up to five radar sensors, six cameras, twelve ultrasound sensors and the laser scanner. 

The equipment, data and prices specified in this document refer to the model range offered in Germany. Subject to change without notice; errors and omissions excepted.