EvergreenQ7

I have checked the new inventory listing for 3 different Audi dealers and see no 2019 models listed for sale. Does anyone know what is up with that? Mid October, sites should be showing lots of 2019 models for sale IMO. Tried an internet search to find an answer to this question but no luck. I know the 2018 A7 and S7 have a stop sale in effect, not aware of issues with any other models.

SCarGuy

Audi has 4 new 2019 models debuting before year end - A8, A7, A6 and Q8. All are due soon, starting with with the A8 and Q8.

Q8 and A8's got their customs approval today in fact.

2019 Q7's are in stock in some places - I have 7 or 8 of them at the moment

MP4.2+6.0

Truth be told--which Audi is not--VW and Audi corporate royally screwed up on their emissions approval timeliness. That, plus with little doubt every approval is getting the strip search approach given their literally felon corporate emissions status. The vehicles are likely here, but locked up in port on other side of customs.

Essentially no Audi vehicles other than Q7 in V6 form only (not 4 banger) were announced as approved prior to the EPA's latest data run yesterday, updated roughly every two weeks. No Q5 yet announced as approved. A4 and A5 approvals just trickling in. Yes, new Q8 shows as just approved in the newest public data release. Since the listing is by model and motor, as one comparo, BMW across their models and the Mini ones has over 100 model clearances, and in general they were approved by last month or yet earlier. Makes VW and Audi literally about the last overall company over the line, and it isn't even down to last few stragglers. On Porsche side, the "sports cars" have many approvals now listed. None of the front engine ones that overlap Audis show as approved either. Thus, no Macan, Cayenne or Panamera.

Screens shot below is complete VAG data set for all of their vehicles announced by the EPA as clear as of either 10/16 or 10/17 depending on how you interpret the header.

EvergreenQ7

Thanks MP4, I think you nailed the true reason why there are no 2019 cars on the sites I checked. The first response seemed light on the explanation but then sounds like he works for Audi in some capacity and is giving the corporate line. If a car manufacturer has a redesigned model seems like it comes out way early in the year meaning the 2019 redesigned models should already have been out months ago. I think Audi is still paying the price for dieselgate as they should as that was a major fraud they perpetrated for way to long before admitting guilt.

Hate to say it but I think Audi is going down a few notches, maybe getting too big too quickly. When I had my Q7 TDI I was captive because it took so long to get a fix approved; got rid of my Q7 but now I am captive with my S7 as there is an airbag related recall which led to a stop sale on that model. So if I wanted to get rid of my S7 I could not at the moment because the stop sale creates too much uncertainty in the resale marketplace. Audi makes some nice cars but will look at other options when it comes time for a another car.

Last point I think is interesting, Prestige Audi in Denver was one of the dealers I checked as I did but two cars from them when I lived in CO. Well I guess the shortage of available Audis has led them to think they can charge more than MSRP; I only scrolled through a few Q7's as my search was highest to lowest price, but they had the nerve to ask for more than MSRP for the Q7's. Shouldn't they be offering some good discounts being it is end of the model year?

SCarGuy

No corporate line to be given, just the facts as I know them to be; and yes, I work for the brand, so I have some insight into how these things work from a real world perspective, vs guesses.

A8 and Q8 are now cleared through customs. ETA's for these was always late October/Early November for arrival to dealerships - for months now. These ETA's will hold true

2019 Q7's are in several dealer hands already - those closest to port locations.

2019 A6 and A7's will be next to clear customs; delivery was always slated to be late November/early December for initial deliveries to dealerships, and this will hold true to ETA as well.

2019 Q5, A4, A5 and their iterations, I've addressed previously but bears repeating for those who didn't catch it; you will see these cars in dealer hands after the 1st of the year. Pricing is out for all of them. The reason, is simply because adequate inventory exists nationwide to satisfy current demand schedules.

There is nothing stopping you from selling or trading your S7 right now. The only difference with the recall on the PODS, if you don't have comfort seating (if you do, the recall does not apply), is a dealer can't certify it. I've traded these cars in for people (and A6/A7's too) since the recall. In fact, Audi is further incentivizing these cars by doubling the loyalty discount, if the vehicle is affected by the PODS recall. Selling a car like that as a private sale is always a difficult endeavor, simply due to pricing. It's at the level where you will get many tire kickers, and many interested parties are going to need to secure a loan. The lower priced vehicles in the marketplace (regardless of brand), don't suffer from this (say, under $20k), and the higher priced ones don't either (say $65-70K plus), in my experience (having sold cars of my own before privately). But in that $25-$50k category, it's a pain in the butt, almost regardless of what car it is. But, there are some good outlets for cars like these, from something as generic as CarMax, to more specialty outlets like BAT, etc

As for how that dealer in CO is choosing to price theirs, who knows. Could be simply an error on whomever does pricing on their website, could be intentional. Not how I would want my location pricing things (and we don't), but, nothing is stopping anyone from approaching them about any of the Q7's and making an offer though if they are interested.

EvergreenQ7

Thanks for the reply an insight Scarguy (sounds a lot like escargot is you say it quickly). I do love my S7 and no intention of getting rid of it anytime soon, but good to know dealers would probably still be willing to take it in trade.

MP4.2+6.0

I guess I will repeat. Relative to EVERY OTHER BRAND Audi (AND front engine Porsche AND many VW's) clearly lagged, and still does as of even early this week from the publicly released data. By the proverbial country mile. Easily factually observable, without any other explanations--every two weeks in the EPA's public release spreadsheets going back into summer now.

Coming from the D3 & D4 world (+Gen 1 Q5), FWIW the D5 intro in USA has been a debacle to bottom. Many of us have been loyal long time owners, but the patience and story lines are getting old. In plain English, repeatedly delayed and hopelessly screwed up as far as what their quasi autonomous intro and regulatory approach would be. Audi also seems confused on whether Tesla is really an electric car phenomenon (its general thinking apparently), or also very much an aggressive autonomous company. Again factually, they have eaten the D body sales (and a lot of 7 and Merc S sales) for lunch in recent years. ...Said as anything but a Tesla fanboy BTW. Meantime, D4 and other owners who wanted to stick with the brand model got into situations where relative to their prior rides the leases termed out. Audi ultimately had to do an extension program on those and only belatedly factually--another sign things were not going as planned. More generally the D body intro was supposed to be well before the C body change, as it was in Europe. But now the two are essentially right on top of each other in USA. No sign of the V8 either beyond rumors and whispers--shared with S7 and S6 relative to A8; similar between RS7 and S8. Apparently also screwed up with V8 responsibility (and tooling and production location) transferred from Audi to Porsche. Poor brand management on USA side on the intros and regulatory compliance, and a variety of other compounding issues on European and corporate side.

Here is link to the monthly press release Audi puts out, touting the general story line about rising sales. Audi Newsroom Notice the basic correlation is as expected: the end of life ones with known change points are the ones with sales dropping off in the higher volume models. Q5 and A4 does not show that drop off, so struggling to believe it is an inventory mismatch issue.

For those interested, here is also a link to an Automotive News sourced story that ran on VWVortex a while ago: https://www.vwvortex.com/news/volksw...-wltp-testing/ There have been some other references like it in the business press in late summer, but that one was more focused. You could infer from it that the issue really starts in Europe. USA testing could have been predicated on it. Regardless it makes sense that in terms of corporate resources you would concentrate first on your biggest (home) markets. Notice they were saying half of VW models were affected, and essentially they were going to try to make up ground by December. Factually, also owning a Mk 6 Golf R in recent months and watching the Mk 7.5 R, likewise the VW site wasn't even showing 2019 models in general until the last few weeks, and it still seems spotty. There are various platform overlaps and some shared drivetrains to the smaller Audis--A3/TT/Q3.

SCarGuy

ok, and the big deal is what exactly? Audi knows what other brands are doing...there is no mystery. And other brands know what Audi is doing. They each act according to their own perceived best interests.

Audi has relayed ETA's to us for a while now...and those ETA's have held true. I don't know what else one expects. I know all the cars I have presold, and they are all running on time...and I have communicated that info to my buyers. None of what I told them when they ordered/placed deposits, has changed.

Once again, this forum is not a microcosm of the marketplace as a whole, in my experience, especially now that I've been on both sides of the desk. It is far more niche oriented here.

You're suppositions are a bit odd, as data does not operate in a vacuum. Q5 and A5, as your 2 cited examples, have had excess inventory levels for several months, pretty much across the country. That is why they've been simultaneously incentivized in the last several months as well. Once the inventory levels drop, you will see the 19's coming through.

You can believe it, not believe it, it really makes no nevermind to me either way. I'm simply here to help answer questions where I can.

Mythdoc

SCarGuy