Camilla Jessen
Audi is bringing the sauna experience to cars.
Automakers are patenting everything imaginable, and now Audi is bringing the sauna experience to cars.
Ferrari has plans for an upside-down hydrogen-powered V6 engine, and Audi wants to integrate sauna-like features in its upcoming models, as revealed by a new patent filed with the German Patent Office, reported by Carmoses.
Audi’s aim isn’t to install a full sauna in cars, but rather to enhance the pre- and post-sauna experience.
The feature would detect if drivers are en route to or from a sauna visit, using the car’s navigation system and a connection to the sauna facility itself.
The “car sauna” function would use heating and lighting systems to help drivers prepare for and unwind from a sauna session—essentially an upgrade from the massage seats found in high-end models.
The patent hints that Audi may incorporate this feature in self-driving cars, noting that drivers could have the option to rest or sleep both before and after a sauna visit.
Audi isn’t the only brand exploring unique patents.
Toyota, for example, has patented a technology to detect when a passenger may need a restroom break.
And Tesla previously applied for a patent in 2021 for laser-based windshield cleaning, where lasers could clear specific areas on a window using “measurements.”
