Autocar article - RS4 demand

[Simon_M]

Interesting snippet in this weeks Autocar.

Says that many places are advertising Sept/Oct delivery RS4's for hefty premiums. However no cars are being delivered before Q1 2006 and most dealers say if you order now you will get a car in Q1 2006. So basically avoid the blaggers looking to get a premium as the demand is not there yet. I say yet, as the article states that Audi are dragging out the pre-launch build-up for as long as possible to build demand.

Is that why there is a delay? marketing? or is deamand for the saloon so far just slow...

Simon

[Dave]

I would go with demand being low..

We are now officially in recession (as a country), and although i have one on order, £50K for a car is a shed load of money.. even more so when you compare it against what you could get for the same money.

[bobjebb]

You could always buy a newish B6/7 S4 for 30k and then do this....

http://www.amdtechnik.com/product.detai ... nceID=4523

All for not much more than the RS4...

Sorely tempted for next year.. wonder if it's ever been done...

[Scotty]

There's a lot more included in the 'R' over an 'S' than just more power. I do think they're over priced and not different enough to justify the extra though.

[DuncS3]

They also say they expect the RS6 prices to take a tumble when the RS4 is available.

Dunc

[bobjebb]

and the B5 RS4... Gee thanks, Autocar, that little sentiment implied we won't be able to give them away next year, I can understand why the B7 might hit the prices of RS6 saloon next year, but surely there is a very different customer base with the Avant which isn't going to appear til '07... I know as an avant fan I'd never take a saloon even if it came earlier...

[charlesdash]

Completely agree with BJ. The RS6 prices will take a hit due to the supply and demand eqaution (almost unlimited supply of RS6's sitting on stealers forecourts). B5 RS4's will take less of a hit, if any due to the same logic, plus the fact that they are already much older.

IMHO the reason that Audi have not seen much demand is because they have decided to lead with the 4 door saloon rather than the Avant. I have been called many times by the dealer to try and persuade me to take delivery of the RS4 saloon, but I only want an Avant, and since a large percentage of potential RS buyers from this site and over 75% of RS6 orders chose Avants, who wants to take a compromised 4 door saloon when there are loads of rapid and high BHP German four door cars on offer for the sort of money that Audi want.