Thank the lord, there are now fewer Audi trim levels to choose from

In a move that will save potential customers roughly 1,954 hours of their lives, Audi UK has finally decided to cut the trim levels and options that it offers for each of its models.

Yep, in order to prevent serious cases of configurator confusion you will now be able to choose between just two trim levels if you’re buying an S-badged Audi, or three if you’re buying any standard car from the A1 right through to the monstrous Q8.

For those standard cars from the A1 to the Q5, the choice will be between Sport, S line or Black Edition, whilst the Q7 and Q8 can be had in S line, Black Edition or all-in Vorsprung trims.

The A8 saloon is treated slightly differently, with the standard wheelbase car getting Sport, S line or Black Edition trims and the long-wheelbase getting Sport, S line or Vorsprung.

The options available to buyers will be simplified too, with new Technology and Technology Pro packs incorporating most of the popular extras. What is included in each pack specifically (and the price) will vary by which model it will be applied to. For example, on the A1 and Q2 the Pro pack will cost £2,995, whereas the extra special kit it can add to an A8 means it’ll be £8,795.

In total, Audi UK reckons its so-called ‘range rationalisation strategy’ should cut the available derivatives by 45 per cent. Much needed too, we reckon. Oh, and it does also say that this is just the ‘first phase of revisions’, so expect the axe to fall on a few more sections of the range before long.

Now just to get them back to using the right numbers for different engine capacities...