Tameautumn

Ordered my New B9 S4 AVANT - delivery in Nov

specs are:

19" 10 spoke V design alloy wheels
Adaptive sport suspension with damping control £ 750.00
Comfort and sound pack with rear view camera - S4
Dynamic steering
Electric folding door mirrors
Electrically adjustable front seats - driver seat with memory
Extended LED Interior multi coloured light pack - A4/S4
Head up Display
Light and vision pack - S4
Matt brushed aluminium inlay
Metallic - Navarra blue
Privacy glass with front acoustic glazing
Rear side airbags
Red brake calipers
Storage pack - A4/S4 Avant
Towing equipment - swivelling, manual

Now on beans on toast :-)

mplsbrian

God dammit why can't we get Avants in the United States uggggghhhhhh so jealous

stanj

Agreed. Would have ordered in a heartbeat.

Glisse

Very nice.

If the rumours are true, and they seem to be, you just got the order in on time. EU sales likely to end next month for the current S4/S5, SQ5 about to stop as well. The SQ5 was removed from sale in GermanySpeculation that all 3 are moving to diesel in 2019 due to WLTP issue resulting from September 2018 requirements. I've even heard the new S6 and S7 will use diesel in Europe, as bizarre as that seems. I would not have thought the numbers significant enough to warrant this change, and this indicates they have a serious problem. SUV sales up, diesel sales down, WLTP + RDE coming into 80% of Audi's global markets equals a perfect storm. They seem woefully unprepared, but then BMW have issues too. Don't know about Mercedes.

If you want a high performance Audi gasoline engine in the next few years, you'll have to buy an RS, or a Porsche !

Or move to North America!!

Don't be surprised to find the delivery of your car brought forward, considerably, as Audi have accelerated production on models they don't want "on the books" after September.

mplsbrian

Glisse, where do you get all this info? Always look forward to your posts.

JD15

The one thing we can be sure about is that the the North American versions won't be diesel.

Glisse

Mainly the German media and Audi forums (there are a lot of Audi owners in Germany), rumours / news tends to emerge there first. And of course, when Audi withdraw a model from sale on their German website, as they have just done with the SQ5, you know the rumours are true.

Not just automobile publications, but business sources too. You can often get a better idea of what each company is up to when you look at the players, the politics, and the finances. By example, Forbes will tell you much more about the automotive industry than something like Motor Trend or Road & Track. The massive changes within Volkswagen AG over the last few years, culminating in the new structure announced a week or so back, are already having a profound affect on Audi. And not in a positive manner from what I can see. Plus, I am excessively inquisitive

Most European dealers, and obviously distributors (not all are Audi owned) are increasingly aware of the WLTP issues in Europe, and the issues facing S4/S5/SQ5 production post September. Mine was.

Tameautumn

Glisse

It won't impact your order. Audi re-certified the S4 and S5 in the EU last year, between late June and August (it was withdrawn from sale over that period). The CO2 numbers (via a consumption increase) were lifted slightly. Enough to move the car if fitted with 19" wheels from one band to the next higher band in the UK market, by example.

There are three issues with the September 2018 WLTP next stage implementation. Firstly, many direct injected gasoline engines will require a particulate filter. The WLTP drive cycle is longer than the current NEDC cycle (The EPA drive cycle in the US is similar to NEDC), and it also has a high speed component which means the new test captures the high level of particulates churned out by these type of engines. The second issue is that there is a fleet compliance standard. Small manufacturers get exemptions, but larger manufacturers have to achieve an average across their total production. This is a problem for all the large manufacturers, given the backlash against diesels (which are much more efficient in fuel burn, so lower CO2) and the huge growth in SUV type vehicles (which are inherently less efficient due to weight and aero, so higher CO2). The final issue is there is a huge backlog of certification testing. Audi have 300 model configurations requiring new certification, and it is a long process. The other manufacturers have similar issues. They are prioritising the queue based on market volumes, etc.

The changes in certification are not retrospective. What is applied to your car is the certification in place for your model at the time of its manufacture, and that determines the tax level. If you are in the UK, look at the info posted on the UK Govt's relevant sites, such as here:
The Worldwide Harmonised Light Vehicle Test Procedure (WLTP)

Tameautumn

Cheers for the info ... on a separate note I have 2 days in which to adjust my order (according to Newbury Audi) and I am swaying between a panoramic sunroof and sport diff. Now I am an "enthusiastic" driver, but no track driver, so will the sports diff really factor into my life on UK A/B roads?