dk1

It's Xenons and LEDs - quite a big difference there. These headlights are about 2200 alone. The remaining amount for wheel/tire upgrade, bluetooth, AMI and homelink is peanuts.

iflywoe

Yes the prem + is over priced, but i dont think theres anyway audi will come out with a way to make every customer happy when it comes to options.

in a peffect world maybe they should keep a centralize lot with all kinds of cars in different colors with all kinds of different options, make it easier for the customer. i have the feeling they send the cars that makes them the most amount of money. i wish i could have order mine with just premium but i really wanted the b&o.

wrp

My wife simply had to have manual transmission and rear parking sensors. To get that we had to get Plus and Nav. Here's what you get in the 2010 + package:

17" 10-spoke alloy wheels, all-season tires
Homelink universal garage door opener
Audi Music Interface with iPod cable
LED daytime running lamps
Bluetooth hands-free phone interface
LED tail lamps
Chrome trim around side windows
Rain/Light sensor
Driver information system with Trip computer
Three zone climate control
Heated front seats
Xenon plus headlights

av_audi

Are you telling me the clusters of LEDs for the running lights and the tail lights are worth about a $1300 dollars???

Bob58

You want a $32,000 A4? No problem, but you're going to be missing some stuff.

dk1

It's actually just for the front headlights. Rear LEDs are extra. I don't set the price, it is what it is. If you ask for a price quote for LED headlights you will be quoted about $2200.

The further up market you go, the more ridiculously expensive options become. It is not limited to Audi. Ceramic brake upgrade on a Porsche was about $13000.

av_audi

No, I am not seeking a $32K A4, or one at some other specific price. I am just wondering whether the content of the PP package adds up to $3,500 worth of features. I am not even questioning which features should have been included in that package (as many have, everyone wants something different).

Bob58

Personally, I suspect that Audi actually loses a bit of money on the most stripped Premium A4 2.0T Quattros. Best case is that they might break even.

They configure their mid level trim vehicles (Pemium Plus) to be the largest sellers by volume where they can make the most, overall, profit.

Of course, there is always the Prestige trim where Audi would likely make the most potential profit per vehicle sold. But it becomes so expensive that few folks actually buy them.

So, the question should not be "Is a Premium Plus model really worth $3,500 more than a Premium?"

It should be "Is a Premium Plus model worth $3,500 more than a Premium model to MOST buyers?"

AoA has determined the answer to be "Yes". And sales prove that they are correct.

av_audi

Audi doesn't offer Xenons as a standalone option. You are probably talking about purchasing the part separately, which is a completely different thing. On the A6, the Premium Plus package includes Xenons (and other things) and the whole package is priced at $1400, well below your number of $2200. And just to repeat what I said before, BMW offers Xenons as a standalone option for less than $900. And by the way, tail LEDs are part of the PP package for the 2010 A4.

In any case, I looked at a bunch of other cars to see how they priced packages similar to the A4 PP. It seems like pricing is all over the map, varying perhaps by what seems like a factor of up to two! But while at the higher end of pricing, the A4 PP doesn't seem to be completely out of whack. MB charges only slightly less for a similar package.

In the end, I suppose the pricing of such packages is determined by marketing strategies and trying to explain it by adding up the values of the individual items in the package is an exercise in futility. The price of the package is what it is and I have no control over it

av_audi

This is quite a compelling argument and I am guessing an accurate assessment of what is really going on. A similar way of looking at the same thing might be to consider the Premium model a the teaser model, priced to bring in more potential customers than would the PP model. The hope then is that after getting their feet in, thanks to the lower base price, many would just "give in" and get the PP when otherwise they would not have even considered the A4.