Filed in the “How did we miss this?” folder must certainly be the plight of Audi and Disney’s TRON: Ares film that dropped October 10 in IMAX theatres exclusively. This morning, Audi dropped a press release about Disney+ streaming availability in new Audi models with the optional passenger screen and buried in that copy was mention of Audi product placement in the film – from modern EV to rallye quattro.
And we had no idea. Today’s news centers around Disney+ and I’ll get to that in a moment. The curious case of that rally quattro has peaked my interest even more.
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‘TRON ARES FILM’ HAD AUDI PRODUCT PLACEMENT?
Audi and Hollywood have enjoyed a long, mutually beneficial relationship, but none of those placements have been as quietly curious as the brand’s appearance in TRON: Ares. The third installment of Disney’s neon-lined digital saga landed in cinemas in October, bringing with it the expected blend of cyber aesthetics, synthetic beings, and high-concept world-building. What most Audi aficionados didn’t expect, or frankly even know about, was the appearance of two Audi models on screen—one current, one classic… and also fictional.
The more obvious placement is a Q8 e-tron driven by Ajay Singh, a tech-minded analyst played by Hasan Minhaj. But blink and you might miss the cameo that tugs a bit more forcefully at the heart strings: a fictional “Audi quattro Rallye” piloted by Seth (Arturo Castro), the technical assistant to programmer-rebel Eve Kim. It appears only briefly, but the moment grabs attention for those who hark the era of the first TRON movie when that box-flared quattro was peaking in popularity in its own way. The car is imagined as an homage to the earliest days of quattro culture, complete with boxy proportions, motorsport-bred attitude of Audi’s most mythologized competition car – a smart emotional hook for those drawn in by ’80s nostalgia.
Curiously, Audi made no real attempt to promote the film tie-in. I can’t find any previous mention of TRON: Ares on brand press channels and thus totally missed the story. Searching it now, I’ve only found a European-market Q6 e-tron social-media commercial with TRON placement and a lone fan’s Facebook post mentioning the quattro Rallye cameo complete with mobile phone snap of a part of the car seen on screen..
The silence is puzzling, especially given Audi’s typical enthusiasm for its Hollywood collaborations. One possible explanation: the Q8 e-tron’s appearance may have been set into motion well before Audi decided to sunset the model. By the time the film premiered, Q8 e-tron production had ceased. Promoting a canceled model in a major Disney release may have been deemed not so valuable from a messaging perspective.
MMI GETS DISNEY+ APP IN NEW AUDI MODELS
Audi’s broader collaboration with Disney is far more straightforward. Disney+ is now fully integrated into new Audi models via the Audi Application Store, expanding the brand’s in-car entertainment ecosystem across 43 markets including Europe, Asia, Australia, New Zealand, and the United States.
Drivers can install Disney+ directly through the MMI without relying on a paired smartphone, log in with their existing account, and access the full library of Star Wars, Pixar, Marvel, Disney classics, and the earlier TRON installments. Video playback is enabled on the central MMI display when parked, and on the optional passenger screen while driving. The rollout spans the latest generations of the Audi A5, Q5, A6, A6 e-tron, and Q6 e-tron model ranges.
The integration is part of a broader push to expand Audi’s onboard digital entertainment and was jointly developed with CARIAD. A myAudi account and active data connection remain the only requirements.
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MOTORCYCLE CHASE IN TRON:ARES FEATURING DUCATI
There is yet another four-rings connection tucked inside TRON: Ares. Ducati, owned by Audi since 2012, receives far more prominent placement than its parent company. The film’s heroine, Eve (Greta Lee), rides a Ducati Hypermotard 950SP in one of the movie’s central chase sequences, battling two pursuers aboard TRON-style light cycles. Ducati leaned into the moment, promoting the placement across its channels and showcasing the Hypermotard’s screen time.
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A LEGACY ON FILM
Audi’s cinematic footprint is long. The brand’s breakout moment perhaps came with the S8 in Ronin, followed by memorable appearances such as The Transporter franchise, the Iron Man films, and a long relationship with Marvel that helped anchor Audi’s tech-forward image. Compared with those, the TRON: Ares collaboration feels like a missed opportunity. The quattro Rallye alone could have carried an enthusiast-targeted social campaign, especially as the brand’s electrified future increasingly reshapes its identity.
Audi’s Hollywood history shows it knows how to capitalize on pop-culture moments. This time, the moment appeared—and then disappeared into the grid far too quickly.
TRON: Ares appeared in IMAX theaters from October 10, 2025 and you may still be able to catch it there. While specific details of a streaming debut has yet to be confirmed, that is expected to happen in early 2026.