Audi’s Relationship with the Cinema
Regarded as one of the most refined, reliable car manufacturers on the planet, Audi sits perfectly between class and comfort. It is no surprise then that Audi has featured numerous times on the big screen. In this article, we take a look at the relationship the German carmaker has had with cinema over the years, examining its host of cameos.
Fifty Shades of Grey Trilogy
Adapted from the books by novelist E.L. James, the films, which follow the relationship between businessman Christian grey and student Anastasia Steele, feature the German manufacturer prominently throughout.
Audi’s numerous appearances in the trilogy came down to the fact they entered into a partnership with Universal pictures. That said, we are confident Audi will have been chuffed with their decision to enter into business with the film producer, considering the movies have successfully topped $1billion in the box office.
In Fifty Shades of Grey, the first movie in the three-part series, viewers will notice an Audi S8 D4, an R8 Spyder, and a 2017 S7. In the sequel Fifty Shades Darker, a set of Audi Q7 cars and an A3 took centre stage, with both the R8 and Q7 returning for Fifty Shades Freed.
Mission: Impossible II
If we rewind back to the turn of the millennium, Ethan Hunt was preparing to feature in the second in the series of the Mission: Impossible films. Meanwhile Audi were preparing to place Nyah Nordoff-Hall, the nemesis of the character played by Tom Cruise, in one of their cars. Hunt is behind the wheel of a Porsche Boxster and Nordoff-Hall tries to hold him off while driving an Audi TT — suffice to say that the pursuit between the two German-made cars into oncoming traffic is filled with nail-biting and edge-of-your-seat drama!
Despite the fact Mission: Impossible – Fallout is still pretty fresh in all our memories; we’re recommending whipping out the DVD player and grabbing some popcorn to indulge in some quality German engineering.
The Marvel films
Many would consider Marvel Cinematic Universe as one of, if not, the most successful movie franchises of all time. With 23 films released to date, a total of $22.58 billion at the box office, and more movies still to come, things can only get better — including the upcoming release of Black Widow, featuring Scarlet Johansson and Robert Downey Jr.
For fans of both the series and the automotive industry, Marvel offers everything — a chance to see some of your favourite superheroes in action, while getting the opportunity to admire a collection of stunning Audis. In each of the standalone Iron Man films, at least one Audi has featured. A 2007 R8 and S5 B8 can be found in the first movie, a 2009 A8 LD3 and 2010 R8 Spyder are spotted in the sequel, and a 2012 S7 and R8 e-tron both feature in Iron Man 3. The R8 e-tron also turned up at a VIP screening of Iron Man 3 at London’s Leicester Square a few days before the movie’s general release!
Captain America: Civil War was no different to the Iron Man trilogy either, featuring a plethora of Audis throughout. Within its two hours and 27 minutes runtime, you can see the 2017 Audi R8 V10 Plus, the 2017 SQ7, the 2017 A4, the 2016 A7 Sportback and even the Audi prologue concept car — a vehicle hailed as “a ‘signature car’ for Audi” by Prof. Dr. Ulrich Hackenberg, Board Member for Development at Audi.
Marvel didn’t stop there, however. Be on the lookout for an Audi R8, A6 Hybrid and A3 as you watch the excitement unfold in Avengers: Age of Ultron. Plus, there’s an Audi TTS Roadster, R8 Spyder, Q7 and A8 during Spider-Man Homecoming — the first standalone film by our favourite web-slinger since he became involved in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Beyond the Marvel Cinematic Universe, move adaptations of some of the most popular comic book heroes have also heavily featured Audis as well. An R8 Spyder features in The Wolverine — the titular protagonist’s actor Hugh Jackman even turned up at the London Leicester Square premiere of the film in the same car — and an A8 plays a role in the 2015 big screen edition of Fantastic Four.
Once the curtain calls on the list of Marvel movies, if you succeed in watching all 23, we’re fairly confident that you’ll have been tempted to visit an Audi dealership to look at their range of luxury vehicles.
Furious 7
Failing to mention the Fast and Furious series of films when discussing the connection between the automotive industry and the big screen would simply be incorrect. After all, this is a series which features street racing, heists and espionage using all manners of vehicles and has so far spanned eight main series entries and two additional short films — grossing in excess of $5 billion to date!
Let’s revert back to the main series. In the early moments of the film, which featured one final appearance from the series regular, Paul Walker, who was tragically killed in a car crash while Furious 7 was being filmed, the Audi R8 made an appearance. A movie that clutched at the heartstrings of all those watching included the Audi in a battle against a classic Plymouth Barracuda.
i, ROBOT
All of the aforementioned movie titles included vehicles which we can expect to see on the roads every day. I, Robot however, offered viewers a window on the future, with car enthusiasts given the opportunity to see what Audi cars may look like in the year 2035, to be exact.
Named the Audi RSQ, this vehicle was the first time Audi had ever designed a car that was specifically developed to be used in a Hollywood motion picture.
The vehicle, in effect, was the vision we have for autonomous driving. The vehicle allowed Will Smith’s Chicago police detective character Del Spooner to press a button to enable the car to take control of the driving.
In the RSQ, sideways and diagonal driving can also be achieved, while the use of balls instead of wheels was a quirky design touch. However, the typical single-frame grille and the presence of those four instantly recognisable silver rings let viewers clearly know that this car was without question an Audi.
