European Delivery - Personal Anecdote
 

I have long dreamed about a European Delivery (ED) and been a frequent visitor to this website reading up on people’s experiences. Finally that dream is coming true with the scheduled delivery of an Audi Q7 on June 8, 2017 in Neckarsulm (outside of Frankfurt). I felt very well prepared, courtesy of this forum, and wanted to add to the wealth of knowledge already available out here. In the process of sharing my experience I will also highlight some of the “myths” that seem to pop up in this forum from time-to-time.

Audi recommends putting in the order 3-4 months prior to taking delivery. Our travel dates were fairly set and considering Q7s had a backlog (high demand) we initiated the ordering process a bit early - we visited our local dealership in Delaware (Audi Wilmington) on January 9th and ordered a Q7 (Prestige, Argus Brown, Cold Weather Package, Driver Assistance Package) for a June 8 delivery. If you do your homework and know what you want (color, options, etc.) going into the dealership then the ordering process is straight forward and doesn’t take much time (less than an hour).

[Myth # 1] - I have heard people talk about US dealerships having very little knowledge about ED but that’s not what I experienced. Our sales rep Tyler Bye at Audi Wilmington was very knowledgeable and it was a breeze (and a pleasure) to work with him on the ordering process. Bradley Boyer, the European Delivery program manager with Audi of America, was a huge help as well. I had several questions prior to visiting the dealership and even after placing the order but both Brad and Tyler were always happy to answer my questions (and quickly at that). I am deeply appreciative of their exemplary customer service. We also looked at Volvo XC90 as a European Delivery option and the Volvo dealership in Wilmington seemed knowledgeable and familiar with the process as well.

We made an initial down payment at the time of ordering the vehicle and received a “Welcome Package” from Audi of America in approximately 3 weeks. Among other things the package includes information on delivery date, delivery location, vehicle manufacture begin date, drop-off locations, European insurance information, $100 gift card for Audi online store, etc. Also included were couple of forms that you will need to complete and return to Audi of America along with copies of your drivers license and passport. But these forms can be fully completed only after you have purchased your plane tickets. Audi recommends not to buy plane tickets till they confirm the delivery date. In our case the Audi started building the vehicle the week of April 10 and we got confirmation of our selected delivery on April 24. In the meantime I had started working on my travel plans within Europe and proceeded to book (cancelable) hotel rooms as they tend to go pretty quick. I booked my flight tickets only after receiving the confirmation from Audi of America on April 24.

We went over to the local dealership on May 1 to settle the payment. The whole process took couple of hours. Our sales rep Tyler took the onus upon himself to send the completed customer information form and copies of driver licenses and passports to Audi of America. We are currently waiting on another package from Audi of America which will outline the itinerary for the first couple of days in Germany including pickup from airport, first night hotel stay, ride to Audi Forum the next morning, etc. You will have to work separately with the shipping providers to schedule the drop-off to get your vehicle shipped to the US. We were asked to provide evidence of insurance for the dealership to process the vehicle tag. This was a bit surprising as the car wouldn’t be in the US till mid-September and we didn’t want to pay insurance for a vehicle we were not driving. We ended up getting insurance for “one day” to get the new car (VIN number included) on the insurance card before proceeding to remove it from coverage.

[Myth # 2] - ED prices are negotiable. I have seen some anecdotes around negotiating prices but my own experience has been very much to the contrary. You probably need extra ordinary negotiation skills to catch a break as dealers pretty much stick to the ED price guidelines - 5% off MSRP for Audi. Audi and Volvo were reluctant to apply any other discount and some of that could be due to the fact that both Q7 and XC90 are very popular vehicles right now and there is less incentive for manufacturer/dealer to reduce prices to attract buyers.

With Phase 1 of the ED journey (ordering) completed we head out for Germany on June 6, 2017 and I will about Phase 2 experiences (delivery, European travels, etc) upon our return.

Congrats!!! This is particular useful as I am also dreaming/planning to get an ED next July.
Questions about the confirm build date/ready date. You mentioned your vehicle will start production on the week of 4/10. Do they need almost 2 full months to get it build? Also, once they confirm the build week, did Audi America mention any possibility that it will be delayed (Barring any force majeure events).
How difficult or should I say "more costly) for you to secure flight hotel for your rest of EU trip because you have only 2 months lead time?

Man you buy a lot of cars!! Our vehicle started production the week of 4/10 and the build was completed by 4/15 (5 days). It took another 9 days for the car to be transported to the factory in Neckarsulm (where we will take delivery). Audi confirmed our 6/8 delivery once the car reached Neckarsulm on 4/24.

Yes, Audi did mention the build week may change and that is why they don't recommend you making travel arrangements prior to them confirming the delivery date. In our case the 6/8 delivery date was confirmed on 4/24 and that's when I booked my flight tickets. I had booked refundable hotel rooms (costlier) prior to 4/24 but then proceeded to cancel the rooms and re-book non-refundable hotel rooms for less cost. Flight tickets didn't seem to cost a whole lot more due to the short lead time. But then again we are avoiding the peak travel season and I am sure that has something to do with it.

Thanks Buddy.
indeed a lot of cars in our lives and you can see that bell curve..... starts with something fast and then go into minivan/small hatchback/SUV and now we can do a little quicker car again... kid getting bigger. :)

I would give them as much time as possible just so you can be sure you get your target date. I ordered second week of January for a May delivery. And I just got notice that my car arrives in the US in late June. :-) Waiting is killing me...

Mine took a torturous 11 weeks from drop-off in Germany to pick-up at the dealer!

Have European pick up of my S5 on June 26. Any one know if Audi will have European maps loaded and will Google earth be working while in Europe?

The built-in nav systems don't work in Europe. When I picked up my A4 last December, Audi provided a GPS unit that you returned to the drop off company when you left the car for shipment to the states. I only drove in Germany and the GPS unit worked very well.

Have a great trip!

Congratulations my friend, I know you will enjoy your ED a lot. I will be doing an ED in September for a Q7. I did an ED some years ago when I picked up a BMW convertible, so I know that it will be a great experience.

CarSwami

Gps
 

The Audi provided GPS was terrible in Italy and in the Alps. Got us lost a number of times and nearly killed. It was an ancient Garmin that needed to be eliminated.