joxer

It seems like 95% of the people here like to complain about a couple of less horses while neutering their cars with a slushbox, all the while opining on how much they would love to drive a standard, but they a) don't know how to drive, b) are lazy as hell, c) don't really care about the car as much as the tintjob and those hp numbers, d) all of the above.

I mean come off it! This is supposed to be a list of car enthusiasts and not the lazy Buick/minivan drivers, yet even this bunch of sorry souls don't even drive a stick. No wonder I can't get a proper replacement for my B7 Avant - they've relegated us all into the same class as Volvo and Mercedes drivers, ie. if you want AWD you're a useless **** that must be barely able to drive and thus needs a slushbox to take that burden from you. I at least complained and got to talk to someone (plus being in the minority that own a standard A4), although I think I'll call again and maybe again, and ask for a supervisor or whatever it takes to make my lone voice in the wilderness heard.

antiSUV

money talks.<ul><li><a href="https://forums.audiworld.com/a4b8/msgs/7055.phtml">Click</a></li></ul>

Bob58

Who could dispute such an eloquent arguement?

QUATTRO_PEARL

Did they even sell all of those? Anyone know?

Gettysburg

I wrote AoA stating that I had really grown to dislike the S-tronic in my A3 and that I was annoyed with being forced to purchase an engine/transmission combo that I didn't particularly want in order to get AWD. I ended the e-mail with saying that I'd never own another car with an automatic again, and since AoA appears to be systematically removing manuals from their lineup, I probably wouldn't be buying another Audi.

I got a call from a women at AoA a few days later. She basically blew-off my concerns in the nicest possible way.

BlueDog

Guess he didn't get enough attention from his first post below and felt the need to repeat it.

BlueDog

I'm sure they took it VERY SERIOUSLY and rushed it right up to the Pres. of AoA.

Do you think they make these decisions *****-nilly? Just pick combos out of a hat and that's what they'll produce?

Some people seem to forget that Audi is a BUSINESS. A business that does market research to figure out what will sell and make them profitable. If its a choice of selling 100 slushboxes to the mass "*****," as you call them, or selling 10 cars built for the enthusiasts, only an idiot would choose the 10 (or one that didn't want to stay in business for long.)

markcincinnati

Audi (although NOT alone) has been very responsive (at no small financial cost and at some financial peril in the scheme of things) has -- repeatedly -- responded to dealers (their customers) and their customers' customers (us), by offering cars with manual transmissions only to have them gather dust and floorplan interest (little revenue and even less income.)

Remeber the C5 Audi A6? Oh the cries from the faithful when this thing came out sans a stick shift in quattro form in the late 1990's. OK "Audi Listened" and they offered the normally asipirated V6 and the 2.7T bi-turbo with a clutch. Metal to rust.

I ordered my last stick shift, an all optioned 2003 allroad 2.7T -- I have never seen one other than mine here in Cincinnati; I have never seen a stick shift A6 other than the one A6 2.7T I test drove before I ended up wanting a V8 (cause it sounded so sweet) that was unavailable with a stick.

WE are the cause of the dearth, then death of the manual. And, at this stage of technology, well, I beg to differ: An Audi automatic available new, today, is no slushbox. The DSG is better than a stick and in many ways the tiptronic is so good it ALMOST makes one forget the stick.

I said almost.

Audi is a capitalistic, profit motivated BIDNESS! Screaming voices in the wilderness, like some of ours, would be financially imprudent and illogical to listen to.

IF, IF, we could actually put together a GROUP BUY -- with cash included, credit apps filled out and purchase contracts executed and, IF, IF, the numbers passed some accounting approved threshold, we might be able to get some sticks built and sent to US customers.

What would it take? 1000 A6 orders? 1500 A4's 250 A8's (and this presumes that these cars are already made for sale SOMEWHERE on the planet -- and some of them are simply not made in stick form for any market, so good luck with that.)

An ad hominem argument against Audi, if this indeed is such an argument that you (or "we") might make will not put income into Audi's pocket and probably not the dealer's either.

Make a business (or bidness) argument. State the case, "show them the money!" "SHOW THEM THE MONEY!"

They are not twits or, well, you know. Audi has become a successful company by manufacturing, marketing and selling what "the market" wants.

We -- due to our lunatic fringe characteristics -- are NOT that market, substantially. The fact that we buy their cars is NOT unimportant, however, it is just that we do not represent a financial incentive of consequence to offer the so-called Purple Squirrel.

Drive it like you live.

You CAN order a BMW X3, 3, 5 or 6 (I think) with a stick shift -- as they are virtual no-shows on dealer's lots.

markcincinnati

95%? I'd doubt it is even 51%.

BlueDog

The car that literally SAVED Audi from completely pulling out of the U.S. market? 150 HP. By the arguements here, how could Audi even THINK of producing such a low HP car?! OMG! &lt;/sarcasm&gt;