It's the little-known goal of all corporations big enough to pursue it -- put competitors out of business as often as possible. It's not intentional, it's just a natural outgrowth of expanding into occupied markets. Right now, from Audi's->ke14 perspective at least, the biggest problem with aftermarket accessories is that they're just that: after. After you leave Audi and wind up at Pep Boys, or your local speed shop, or an online marketplace.

Okay, maybe it's not quite as cynical as that. Audi is a good brand, and its customers are some of the most loyal on Earth. Stands to reason that the average Audi customer would be happy to find the four rings on every gadget and doodad the well-equipped motorist might need or want. Get ready to lose your market share, Pep Boys -- the Germans have landed.

Continue reading for the full story.

Active Package

The heart of this story is a press release from Audi, detailing its new Active Package for the 2015 A1 and A1 Sportback, which debuted at Worthersee->ke3882 2015. The package, per Audi, is designed to give the A1->ke1729 a "sporty urban character." You have to give Audi one thing: It does bring some character to the proceedings.

The most notable features are platinum gray painted bumper extensions, wheel arches, side skirts, mirror caps, tailgate insert and window surrounds. Minus the window surrounds, it's hard to say what's exactly "urban sporty" about that, apart from the fact that it kind of brings to mind the primer-grey, unpainted body kits you tend to see on "sporty" cars in urban areas. Maybe that is what the kids are calling "sporty" these days; from this perspective, it just says "I spent all my money on the body kit." Not sure that's the look Audi's going for.

Or is it? The package also includes a carbon-fiber real spoiler and LED lights in the side skirts that project the "Quattro" logo on the ground when you open the door. I'm not sure about you, but that sounds close enough to neon underbody lighting to count. The fact that Mercedes G-Class->ke1712 comes with something similar these days doesn't exactly make a case against that.

Speaking of SUVs,->ke145 Audi also offers an Active Package with the Q3.->ke2666 It gets a package designed to look more "sporty and robust," which includes bumpers, wheel arches and door trim strips in off-roady metallic stone gray. It also gets a set of stainless steel running boards to match its stainless pedals; and with a load rating of 441 pounds, the running boards might be called at least "plausibly functional." In fact, they're almost required for loading things in the lockable ski racks and luggage box on the roof.

Call me crazy, but it seems like we're starting to get a picture of the intended customer base here.

2015 Audi A1

Read our full review here.

2015 Audi Q3

Read our full review here.

2015 Audi A3 Sedan

Read our full review here.

Other Accessories

Audi offers a lot more than just the Active Packages, though. A quick perusal through its Genuine Accessory guide shows an obsessive compulsion to thinking of everything that only the Germans could pull off. Either that, or it's a complete orgy of branded accessories designed to keep Pep Boys lines short and manageable.

Audi offers a full line of Audi-branded cleaners for every surface on or in the car, as well as detailing and winter preparedness tools aplenty. For summer, its got premium car mitts, drying towels and wheel brush; for winter, Audi-branded ice scraper, snow shovels and windshield brushes. And don't forget the first-aid kit, emergency flashlight, mini flashlight, a cooling tote bag to put all that in, and another cargo box in which to keep your cooling tote bag.

Audi offers several varieties of branded valv- stem caps, floor mats, premium textile floor mats ($174 each) to keep mud off your carpet, splash guards to keep water off your tires, and a sun shade to keep sun off your dashboard. They've got cupholder ash trays, battery chargers, RCA cables, every kind of electronics adapter you can think of. Of course, Audi's got spoilers, Quattro stickers, exhaust tips, and no fewer than 30 different styles of license-plate frame.

And lest we forget, the Audi-branded Premium Ski Bag, yours for only $348 American.

Everything comes branded with Audi's interlocking circlet logo, all but ensuring a visit from Iron Man. Not just because he's an Audi fan -- but mostly because, given your obvious obsession with collecting rings, he'll just assume you're the Mandarin.

Beat that, Pep Boys!