Audi’s vision for the ‘Garage of the Future’ is as optimistic as it gets

Decorex Africa 2022 is underway at the Sandton Convention Centre. Among the stalls and booths showcasing frameless showers and every kind of tile imaginable, is Audi.

If you’ve seen the brand’s latest e-tron range, you’d understand why Audi is showcasing them. They’re rather easy on the eyes. As is Audi’s concept for the ‘Garage of the Future’. But you’d expect that from a partnership with South African interior designer Donald Nxumalo.

“Every space has a story to tell”

The optimistic idea Audi is pushing here is elevating the lowly garage to a better-integrated (and better-looking) part of the home. It might sound like a lofty dream, reserved for the 1% that can afford an Audi e-tron (because of course the Garage of the Future has an Audi inside), but some of the concepts Nxumalo mentions have merit.

EVs are inherently cleaner to drive than petrol-driven vehicles, obviously. Zero carbon dioxide emissions are the main reason for the global push toward electric cars. But your garage floor is also cleaner because you won’t have any oil spills to deal with. Nxumalo believes that this makes “opening up the garage to the rest of the house” a viable option.

For some, cars are more than just a mode of transport. The sort who spend a weekend washing and polishing their cars might also want to gaze lovingly upon them while cooking dinner. Those are the people Audi is appealing to with its Garage of the Future concept. Considering the amount of time we spend in our cars and the financial (and, for some, emotional) investment we invest, this could be appealing. If you’re paying over R3 million for a car, you might as well get your money’s worth.

During the open discussion with Donald Nxumalo and Tarryn Knight, Head of Product, Marketing and PR for Audi South Africa, we asked if any thought was given to the integration of Audi’s Garage of the Future with existing smart home tech and what that would look like.

“Yes!” was the enthusiastic answer, although specifics were a little light. Knight did mention how using the myAudi app on the integrated TV in your garage/lounge was possible. In that world, you could browse your emails while sipping on your morning coffee in your garage. Then, when it’s time to head out, you send the GPS destination of your next meeting to your car via your garage TV, and off you hum.

Like we said, it’s optimistic.