RS4 Avant in the US
06-17-2017, 12:08 PM
#11
AudiWorld Super User
unfortunately, in my experience, Audi salespeople and Audi USA aren't interested in customers opinions about what models they'd like to buy. I've been into 5 different dealerships in the last couple of months and expressed interest in 'hot' avants. Response has varied from "what's an avant?" to "I could tell my sales manager, but he's only really interested in moving the stock we have here".
My enquiries with AoA were met with about as much interest/enthusiasm, although at least their people are trained enough to say the right things about "passing it up the chain" etc etc.
I'm always left with the impression that they don't really want to listen.
I really hope I'm wrong and some hotter Avants make it over here. I read about an RS6 Allroad for the Chinese market. I'll take one of those in Daytona Gray please :-)
Being from the U.K. I was really surprised there wasn't the same range offered in a market the size of the U.S.
My enquiries with AoA were met with about as much interest/enthusiasm, although at least their people are trained enough to say the right things about "passing it up the chain" etc etc.
I'm always left with the impression that they don't really want to listen.
I really hope I'm wrong and some hotter Avants make it over here. I read about an RS6 Allroad for the Chinese market. I'll take one of those in Daytona Gray please :-)
Being from the U.K. I was really surprised there wasn't the same range offered in a market the size of the U.S.
What do you expect any employee to say other than 'we will pass it up the chain"? As someone who works for the brand, I can tell you...that is exactly what they do with the info. I've done it, and one of my principals sits on the advisory board for Audi. So they absolutely listen, and take the suggestions seriously.
The US has a far more diverse population to contend with than any other first world country, so, inventory dynamics often are much more difficult in many cases than in smaller countries.
06-17-2017, 02:04 PM
#12
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Like all the other car companies Audi does enough analysis, research and modeling to know that the demand is simply not big enough to justify the expense of testing and approval to bring in vehicles like Avants or additional high performance variants. Better to take the volume in additional Q5's/SQ5's and even RSQ5's where they know the demand exists and consumers will pay a premium for them.
Audi presumably did enough research to conclude that the cost of continuing to import the A4 Avant exceeded the expected gains from new customers and continued income from customers they would otherwise have lost, and so dropped that model.
Making the math work for an even lower-volume car would presumably be harder still.
06-17-2017, 07:03 PM
#13
Not so
If you want to grow the sector (wagons) you have to start attracting SUV owners and that won't be easy. You need to start to get a sense from research amongst current and future SUV owners as to who thinks SUV's are becoming passé and what would encourage them to buy a wagon. Likely younger, grew up in 1st or 2nd generation SUV's, see them as their parents' vehicle, and not cool.
06-17-2017, 07:32 PM
#14
Audi already announced that the US will see 8 R/RS cars under Audi Sport. Currently they have TTRS, RS3, RS5, RS7 and R8 (+R8 Spider to add up to 6). I can see a "RSQ7" to fight against the GLS 550 AMG. I suppose one could argue that an RSQ5 would follow, but I don't think they want to build it in Mexico (which is where the Qs and SQs are built), I think they still want to keep RS production in Germany. The RS4 avant makes sense since the engine is shared with RS5 coupe which at that time would be approved in the US; also its body, shared with the Allroad, is also already approved in th US. I suppose the same can be said about an RS5 sportback instead of an RS4 Avant. Not so sure about an RS6. Fun to speculate.
06-18-2017, 04:42 AM
#16
AudiWorld Super User
You factor in retention, losses and conquest into your data. The modeling shows the likely % "wins", the likely "loyalists" and the likely "lost". So where would a likely RS4 Avant buyer come from? When you look at it the numbers are minuscule.
If you want to grow the sector (wagons) you have to start attracting SUV owners and that won't be easy. You need to start to get a sense from research amongst current and future SUV owners as to who thinks SUV's are becoming passé and what would encourage them to buy a wagon. Likely younger, grew up in 1st or 2nd generation SUV's, see them as their parents' vehicle, and not cool.
If you want to grow the sector (wagons) you have to start attracting SUV owners and that won't be easy. You need to start to get a sense from research amongst current and future SUV owners as to who thinks SUV's are becoming passé and what would encourage them to buy a wagon. Likely younger, grew up in 1st or 2nd generation SUV's, see them as their parents' vehicle, and not cool.
06-18-2017, 08:55 AM
#17
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Early Boomers drove station wagons, which their children (late Boomers and early Gen Xers) rejected in favor of minivans. Their children (late Gen Xers and early Millennials) in turn rejected minivans in favor of SUVs.
Given the atypically difficult economic conditions facing late Millennials/early Gen Zers, it doesn't appear that enough of them are in the automotive market to determine whether they'll continue the age-old tradition of rejecting their parents' vehicle choices, or even reject ownership in general, in favor of services like ZipCar, VirtuCar, Uber, Lyft, etc.
One thing that does seem clear (to at least some of the industry, and my own thinking leans this way as well) is that late Gen Zers--like my 21-month-old niece--are, as a cohort, unlikely to either own or drive cars at all.
06-18-2017, 10:56 AM
#18
Next Gen
I think some of the generational thinking is true, but there are nuances that have to be considered. City dwellers will likely forgo owning cars in the future - why do you need one? You have Amazon and PeaPod deliver and take an Uber back from the grocery store, and you have public transport to get you to and from work. But...suburban and rural Gen Z don't have all those options. Gen Z are also to some extent forced to mimic their parents when they in turn become parents, taking kids to suburban schools and soccer practice. So instead of embracing the automobile as a symbol of freedom, as previous generations have done, they do it begrudgingly and buy cars as appliances because they need to. The car's not dead yet, to misquote Monty Python, but in its current form it's certainly moving into the 3rd Age.
06-27-2017, 06:33 AM
#19
What Audi thinks
This article explains in the first paragraph why you're more likely to see a Q5RS than an RS4 Avant.
https://www.topgear.com/car-news/int...ty-hardcore-r8
https://www.topgear.com/car-news/int...ty-hardcore-r8
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