Totally do! It's called
Premium Pricing. I first heard of it when someone from a training shoe manufacturer was talking about it, I think Nike. There's no difference between a £50 shoe and a £100 shoe. But if you don't make a £100 shoe, they'll buy a £100 shoe from someone else. So you make a £100 shoe that's no better, just for the sale.
Audi make a badge because it's easy to sell, because marketing works. And yes, this co-worker has a stupid amount of money. He accidentally bought a new macbook and didn't notice for months that it was a brand new one, not an old one. That's the Audi market!