Audi plays a role in the 50 shades of grey novel, where the A3 was a gift for boyfriend character Christian Grey, along with a host of other cars which included an R8 as well as an unnamed Audi SUV. It seems that the author is obsessed with the brand.

This unpaid product placement could have possibly spurred a sales growth in overall Audi sales. In July, the automaker set an all time sales record in the U.S. with a 28 percent increase.

Audi's brand communications general manager Loren Angelo had this to say in an interview with Automotive news:

"Those organic results are always a sign that a brand is generating real cultural relevance. Obviously, the runaway success of the series [50 Shades of Grey] has introduced Audi to consumers who might not have previously been thinking of the brand and that certainly has a positive impact for us.”

If Audi was willing to pay big bucks in their Iron Man 2 product placement, you better bet they'd be paying the same in the film adaptation of the novel.