US RS4 78.000,- Dollar. [Archive] - RS6.com

Benman

June 13th, 2005, 16:12

Originally posted by Iceman

The new Audi RS4 will cost in the US 78.000,- Dollar.
Any comment on that. ?????

wfg, Hans.
There will be a LOT of unhappy folk around here. NOBODY wanted to hear it when I would tell them that the RS 4 would be over $70K and for that matter probably $75K. Their response would usually be, "fine, for that $$$ I'll keep my S4 and mod it".

$78K doesn't surprise me and Steve makes a good point, for what other countries are paying (or will pay) for this new Beast, we're getting it for a relative bargin. And wait till the next RS 6 comes out. My prediction is it will see $100K!

Ben:addict:

rks838

June 13th, 2005, 17:25

I was one of those people :rolleyes:; but that still sucks. Sorry, but that's $5K less than the '03 RS6, and that thing wasn't a crazy seller or anything. I love the RS4, but at the same time have doubts that people will buy it over a $50,xxx M3. Depends on the numbers that come over - Audiphiles will buy it, but your average person who enters this market is going to see the two options of a $78,000 Audi or a $50,000 BMW with nearly the same performance on dry roads. Plus, BMW got the edge in reputation and, ahh, prestige.

Then again, the 2005 is the last year for the E46 M3. So it'll be a new RS4 vs. a used M3. The E90 M3 may have a pricetag to equal the RS4s, but I don't think it'll be that high. It will also have increased performance. I dunno - the magazines keep comparing the RS4 to the current M3, like that is what Audi was aiming for. The current M3 won't be good enough for Audi! The next M3 will most likely equal the RS4 in performance, maybe best it. I see comparos to the E46 and E90 M3s coming up. Audi has got to beat the current M3 on the track, not to mention on the road. Let's see some lap times!

kujo

June 13th, 2005, 18:16

I think 78K for BASE as they say will be totally wrong.
I do believe, as Ben has said, that 70-75K for a LOADED version will be true.

You never know what's going to happen, as Motor Trend and Automobile magazine has reported the BASE price of 55K usd......

So, we'll just have to wait and see what AoA ends up doing.

We won't know for a few more months here.......

kj

gmbh6

June 14th, 2005, 01:10

the iceman cometh and the iceman.....

....actually i say that is a good price.

let's keep the audi rs cars hard to get and somewhat exclusive.......everyone and their mother has a bimmer and merc.........but how often do you see an rs?

nene

June 14th, 2005, 01:43

Makes me feel like I got the RS6 for a bargain too.

Benman

June 14th, 2005, 15:44

Originally posted by nene
Makes me feel like I got the RS6 for a bargain too.
Haha, you betcha!:thumb:

Ben:addict:

rks838

June 14th, 2005, 22:59

This is the response I got from the AoA's Future Cars division, after contacting and questioning them about the RS4's $78,000 base price.

"Thank you for contacting Audi of America. The figure you mentioned is, to the best of our knowledge, an estimate made by AutoWeek. To date, Audi AG has not announced--or even suggested--pricing for the RS4.

Feedback from our customers and future customers is very important to Audi, and your message was forwarded to the product manager for the A4/S4/RS4, who asked me to tell you that your feedback, in his words, "will be put to good use."

Thank you again for writing; we do appreciate hearing from all points of view.

Marjorie
AudiTalk"

Thoughts?

PhilexRS4

June 14th, 2005, 23:14

:rs4addict 78,000 Is quit abit deep I do understand it is a limited version but for that kind of money ppl have alot of different choice

Benman

June 15th, 2005, 01:33

Originally posted by PhilexRS4
:rs4addict 78,000 Is quit abit deep I do understand it is a limited version but for that kind of money ppl have alot of different choice
Very true, but not a lot of options when it comes to OTHER all wheel drive, NA V8 with 8200+RPM, four door Beasts from Germany!;)

Ben:addict: :rs4addict

PhilexRS4

June 15th, 2005, 01:50

Originally posted by Benman
Very true, but not a lot of options when it comes to OTHER all wheel drive, NA V8 with 8200+RPM, four door Beasts from Germany!;)

Ben:addict: :rs4addict

So Truth NA V8 8200RPM is going to be a Beast. I really hope it is going to be alittle bit cheaper.:rs4addict

Inline Six

June 15th, 2005, 10:00

It all depends on how many RS4s AoA wants to sell here. I remember seeing somewhere that the US supply will be limited to 800 units. And I guess that's over a 2 to 3-year production run. The best way to keep it that exclusive is to price it high, and of course when people know it's exclusive they wouldn't mind paying more.

Double the targeted sales figure then it's a whole lot different story

rks838

June 15th, 2005, 19:14

800 over 2-3 years?! I know Audi wants to keep RS exclusive, but if the RS4 is the only Audi (not S4) that can really compete with the M3, what are potential M3/RS4 buyers gonna do when they figure out all the RSs are gone? I guess that means more M3s on the road, but Audi's RS4 may not have a real presence in the market if only 800 are coming over...

exE46M3

June 15th, 2005, 19:48

Does anyone know how many will roll out of the production line?

gjg

June 15th, 2005, 20:59

is RS4 Avant coming to US or not?

PhilexRS4

June 15th, 2005, 22:31

Benman

June 15th, 2005, 23:24

Originally posted by rks838
800 over 2-3 years?! I know Audi wants to keep RS exclusive, but if the RS4 is the only Audi (not S4) that can really compete with the M3, what are potential M3/RS4 buyers gonna do when they figure out all the RSs are gone? I guess that means more M3s on the road, but Audi's RS4 may not have a real presence in the market if only 800 are coming over...
There are different kinds of "presence".

Take the Carlsbad car get together I recently attended. Although a Porsche 911 GT2 (or for that matter, a standard 911 TT) can do anything a 360 Modena can ,which one do you think had more "presence"?

If you guessed the 360, you'd be right. Why? It ain't faster, there are way less on the road compared to 911 TTs, and it cost buttloads more to boot! It's all about perceived quality and limited quantities. My point is that Audi doesn't have to bring a lot of RS 4s over here, or make it cheaper to give it "presence".

The fact that most people were paying more attention to the Ferraris (despite it being an overpriced alternative to the 911) compared to the 911 TTs is a great example of "presence".

Ben:addict: (and yes, I do hope AOA is smart enough to convince Audi to send over the RS 4 Avant, cause that will have serious "presence"!:rs4addict ).

PhilexRS4

June 16th, 2005, 08:01

Originally posted by gjg
is RS4 Avant coming to US or not?

I don't think it is :doh:

rks838

June 16th, 2005, 16:55

By presence in the market, I meant literal presence in the literal "market" - 800 cars out of however many are on the road is not much presence in that respect. When people go shopping for a small-size, 4 seat German sport sedan, many won't have even heard of the RS4 (like it is w/ the RS6), because they won't ever see one on the road. In addition, if they've read the mags/seen one on the road, they still may not be able to get an RS4 because only 800 are coming. Hard to put my finger on what exactly I'm trying to say :rolleyes:, but that's what I meant in my vague "presence in the market" statement :vhmmm:.

Randy M

June 16th, 2005, 18:13

If there is more demand (a serious demand) than the 800 cars to be imported they will undoubtedly build and import more. Not to the point of having them sitting on lots but if you are a serious buyer and have put down a deposit at your local dealer, and are willing to front the 15-20% to actually order the car then I don't think anyone is going to have a problem getting one. They imported more RS6's for this very reason.

Benman

June 16th, 2005, 19:42

Originally posted by rks838
By presence in the market, I meant literal presence in the literal "market" - 800 cars out of however many are on the road is not much presence in that respect.

Hard to put my finger on what exactly I'm trying to say :rolleyes:, but that's what I meant in my vague "presence in the market" statement :vhmmm:.
I do understand exactly what kind of presence you refer to. My only point is that maybe Audi does not want that kind of presence for its RS division. Maybe it wants to keep that for the more mainstream S cars (S4, S6, S8).

M cars are a dime a dozen in the same way that the Porsche Boxter is called the "PCH Pinto" around the So Cal area. It doesn't mean it's not a good car, quite the contrary. Everbody likes em, and everybody gets up. Again, a dime a dozen.

My point of mentioning Ferrari is that Ferrari was once in danger of making their cars too common. They started increasing production to the point where it almost passed demand. For Ferrari, it was bad to have cars "sitting" in showrooms waiting to be bought. Long ago, Ferrari then made the decision to always keep their cars limited. True, it did not generate the sales #s that their Porsche competitors did, but it kept demand up and it seemed to have worked since to this very DAY, people are willing to pay DOUBLE for a Ferrari what they could get with Porsche for half the cost.

This may be the strategy of quattro GmbH. I don't know if it is or not, just an opinion. Maybe the lords at Audi don't ever want the RS line going mainstream, maybe they want the "Ferrari mentality" where customers are convinced that these cars are special, rare and having that mystique that the S cars lack or BMW's M cars for that matter. Charging more for a product that delivers very similar results is not a new concept, Ferrari has been using it for decades. And with great results.:cheers:

Ben:addict:

rks838

June 17th, 2005, 04:03

Good point - I guess Audi isn't exactly planning to make big money or anything with the RS4, but more something along the lines of the presence you have talked about.

They imported more RS6s because there seemed to be more demand, but apparently that demand dwindled as potential buyers saw that there were no more RS6s to be bought and went on to buy other cars. Audi imported about 150 more RS6s, but many dealers had trouble selling them. When buying my RS6 in August '04, about half the dealers I contacted still had RS6s. I got mine for $15K off...so hopefully, Audi will import the right number in the beginning and not follow the route they took w/ the RS6, as they were giving factory-backed sales with prices at $5000 below invoice at one point. Audi of Alexandria (my local dealer) said a surprising number of people canceled RS6 orders after they put down deposits - I don't know how to explain this.

Benman

June 17th, 2005, 15:53

Originally posted by rks838
They imported more RS6s because there seemed to be more demand, but apparently that demand dwindled as potential buyers saw that there were no more RS6s to be bought and went on to buy other cars. Audi imported about 150 more RS6s, but many dealers had trouble selling them.
Exactly. Audi should have stuck with the original amount. There may have been people left out, but demand would have stayed high.

Hopefully with the RS 4, they will set an amount and stick with it. People might be left out, but at least it will be an aspirational vehicle, not a "PCH Pinto".

Ben:addict: :rs4addict

Randy M

June 17th, 2005, 17:34

I think the amount ought to be higher than 800 RS4's. If Audi had originally set a higher number of RS6's to import instead of setting it lower originally, and then increasing the the amount of vehicles coming here then I suspect they would have sold every one of them to the original depositors. What happened is this:

Much of the time people can't or won't put their money where there mouth is and

People got tired of the waiting and/or rejection, so Merc and BMW got some conquest sales.

A greater number of sales here in the US equals a higher respect for the marque, higher resale if reliability and respect stays high. and maybe Audi could steal some sales from BMW and Merc

rks838

June 17th, 2005, 17:42

I think 800 a year would be the right number. The RS4 would still be drastically rarer than the M3. I have no idea what the maximum number of RS4s per year Audi can import to keep that special presence that we talked about, though.

Inline Six

June 17th, 2005, 18:29

Guys don't quote me on the 800 units over 2-3 years. I think I read it here somewhere...

But the point is, even 2000 units is not a lot and AoA or the dealships can still easily jack up the price

Randy M

June 17th, 2005, 18:47

At first I heard 1,250 was the number, then 800. Imo if you put a deposit down at the dealer over a year in advance then you should be able to order one and take delivery. I'm number 10 at my dealer. They got 15 RS6's and one even sat on the showroom floor for a while. I'm sure some in front of me will back out but at 800 units, the margin of me getting one may be razor thin.

kujo

June 17th, 2005, 18:53

The numbers that were leaked at first were 1,250 for the USA.

Then, about a month ago, I received an email with a pdf file (from within AoA) that it'll be in US ports by March 2006 and at dealers doors by April 2006.

The number had been dropped to approx. 800 units.

Now, there's no reason to say " 800 a year for 2-3 years "....

RS cars are only produced for approx 16 months.

The US will get ONE batch of 2007 RS4's and that is all.

Europe will get some 2006's and then 2007's.

Then, Quattro moves onto the next RS6 and the R9 !!!

I wouldn't sit around and wait.
I doubt AoA will make the RS6 mistake again.

We'll just have to wait and see I guess.........

kj

Hy Octane

June 18th, 2005, 00:47

This months Automobile Magazine has a test drive of the RS4 and they quote the estimated price at $55,000. Can this be true?

PhilexRS4

June 18th, 2005, 01:13

Originally posted by Hy Octane
This months Automobile Magazine has a test drive of the RS4 and they quote the estimated price at $55,000. Can this be true?

No Way :rs4addict but I hope it will:rs4kiss:

eph94

June 18th, 2005, 02:37

Originally posted by Randy M
I'm sure some in front of me will back out but at 800 units, the margin of me getting one may be razor thin.

Even at 800 I bet you get one. I was #23 on the waiting list at my dealer for an RS6. #23!! I ended up getting car #5. I give those waiting lists no weight at all.

If I get an RS4 to replace the RS6, I'm going to play the pre-owned game after the hoopla dies down.

Hy Octane

June 18th, 2005, 02:43

Well, they got it right when they estimated the RS6 would be $82k... we'll see...

Randy M

June 18th, 2005, 04:28

Originally posted by JJV-MA
Even at 800 I bet you get one. I was #23 on the waiting list at my dealer for an RS6. #23!! I ended up getting car #5. I give those waiting lists no weight at all.

If I get an RS4 to replace the RS6, I'm going to play the pre-owned game after the hoopla dies down.

Thanks. That makes me feel pretty optimistic :D

Inline Six

June 18th, 2005, 16:55

I wasn't going to put down a deposit until they anounce the MSRP. But looks like that might be a bit too late to get a car ordered to my own specs. I will make a visit to the dealership first thing Monday morning.

Also I was gonna wait for the E90 M3 sedan to replace my E36 M3 sedan, but don't think I will anymore. The M3 coupe is at least a year away, the sedan a year after that. Think the RS4 is plenty for me to enjoy during M car's absence. Wish I could have the financial strength to keep the RS4 when the M3 comes out

Hy Octane

June 22nd, 2005, 15:50

Well, Car and Driver also are reporting the price to be an est $55k... This really isnt surprising as the car is a 4 series and only puts out 414 hp.317 torque which by todays standards isnt that much and there are no costly turbos to deal with.... Since the new M3 will be close in price and power, they have to keep the price down... only 800 to be sent here.. sounds like what they said with the RS6.. and they wound up sending over 1200 here..

PhilexRS4

June 22nd, 2005, 18:57

Originally posted by Hy Octane
Well, Car and Driver also are reporting the price to be an est $55k... This really isnt surprising as the car is a 4 series and only puts out 414 hp.317 torque which by todays standards isnt that much and there are no costly turbos to deal with.... Since the new M3 will be close in price and power, they have to keep the price down... only 800 to be sent here.. sounds like what they said with the RS6.. and they wound up sending over 1200 here..

:rs4addict $$55K sound about right and I really hope they bring in more than 800

Randy M

June 22nd, 2005, 19:01

There's no way Audi is going to leave that much money on the table. $55K sounds great, but if you think they're going to charge that then you may be sniffing glue.:trash:

Benman

June 22nd, 2005, 20:00

Originally posted by Randy M
There's no way Audi is going to leave that much money on the table. $55K sounds great, but if you think they're going to charge that then you may be sniffing glue.:trash:
I hate to say it (for all the US RS fans out there), but Randy is right. There is NO POSSIBLE WAY IN GEHENNA that the RS 4 will be even close to $55K. And I'd be willing to bet one of my...

When is the last time someone has gone down to an Audi dealer? An optioned S4 is $55K! Who in the world would pick up an S4 when the RS 4 is sitting right next to it for the same price?

Nope, I'm sticking to my original guess price of $70-$75K. Now, that's not the price I WANT, but it's a realistic price.:cry:

Ben:addict:

Hy Octane

June 23rd, 2005, 18:00

OK. Well I was able to find the pdf from Audi UK which has the pricelist for the RS4..
They list it as basic price, £42,000..thats $75,000 or so.. guess those mags had some bad info..:confused:

Iceman

June 23rd, 2005, 19:15

Originally posted by Iceman
The new Audi RS4 will cost in the US 78.000,- Dollar.

;)

Audihead

June 23rd, 2005, 21:57

Most likely will start at @ $68K and be @ $74K or $76K with the few options they allow us to have here. They will most likely be like the RS6 with @ three or four options, otherwise they will bring the car fully loaded.

Randy M

June 23rd, 2005, 22:04

Originally posted by Audihead
Most likely will start at @ $68K and be @ $74K or $76K with the few options they allow us to have here. They will most likely be like the RS6 with @ three or four options, otherwise they will bring the car fully loaded.

I think your numbers are right on. Right under $70K base and $5-6K worth of options.

Audihead

June 28th, 2005, 21:59

I have a sneaking suspicion the only options might be: The sport steering wheel, 19" rims, rear side air bags, rear power and manual sunshades, XM or Sirus radio, and Navi +. That's about it i think. We most likely won't get the cool seats in the U.S., due to the airbag nannys. I wish we could sign a release saying we didn't care. Oh well, at least the car will come with everything else and a warranty. Not bad at all.