Nearly every automaker in the industry is working on autonomous technology. Audi is one of the few brands that already has a concrete self-driving system in the works with the new A8. The large sedan has a Level 3 autonomous system that can handle a lot of mundane tasks at low speeds. While Audi is working on autonomous tech, it wants to remind the world that it still makes cars that are fun to drive.
Despite recent incidents, self-driving cars are expected to be safer than human-operated ones and reduce the amount of traffic on the road. While that’s up for debate, there’s no way driverless machines can be as awful at driving as Ford Mustang drivers.
One of the major downsides to self-driving cars, though, is that enthusiasts won’t be able to get their driving fix. And to some, nothing’s better than driving a good car on a windy road.
Audi’s new spot, according to Adweek, was directed by Craig Gillespie, the man behind “I, Tonya,” and is a stirring reminder that driving can be fun. The ad starts off in a packed futuristic city and sees David get into an autonomous car. His personal digital assistant, Clara, notices that something’s off and asks him what’s on his mind.
David then reminiscences about his younger days, when he was behind the wheel of a pristine Sport Quattro. Then, he recalls the time he drove a first-gen TT Coupe on a windy road. An old R8 Spyder also makes an appearance.
After getting home, the driverless Audi disappears into the ground and the mouthy assistant still senses that something’s off with David. “Please David, you should relax,” says Clara. But for some reason he can’t relax. So he does what any other enthusiast does when they want to escape – he goes for a drive.
David, though, is well off and has a nice 2018 R8 Spyder stashed away. He finds a good stretch of road and finally gets to relax.
While it’s a moving ad, it’s a little sad when you start to think about it. The R8 Spyder is a car that a lot of us would love to drive. It’s a car some of us would probably do unspeakable things to own. But when you start to think 20 or 30 years down the road, it’ll be an obsolete machine. There’s no way around it, but that makes us depressed.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O2B7U3WO9oA