A3 sales drop 32% in October
11-02-2006, 07:49 AM
#12
AudiWorld Member
Join Date: Nov 2006
Posts: 128
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Re: A3 sales drop 32% in October
Part of the problem is that the 'newness' of the A3 has worn off, Audi provides very little in the way of marketing and lease support on this model, and the pricing structure is totally out of whack for the A3 once you put a few options on it.
At $25,000 the A3 is a great value, but Audi needs to include more standard equipment on the car: convenience should be standard, Xenons should be standard, etc. Pricing for options is pretty damned bad. In base trim it's a good price, but loaded up the pricing is ridiculous (I say this even as someone who has purchased a fully loaded 2.0T).
For the A3 to better stand out, Quattro should be made standard, even if this means raising the base price by $1,000 - $1,500.
There are also certain things I would like to see Audi standardize on across its model line to really differentiate it and make it a cut above. These are relatively minor, but help:
1) While the A3 cabin is nice, step into an A4 and you immediately notice the difference. The A3 needs to adopt more of the soft-touch materials found in the A4. There is a perceptible difference.
2) More sound-deadening. Again, step into the A4 and it is a far quieter cabin than the A3.
3) Lighting package. Having been in an A6 with the nice lighting package, I was amazed at how much more of a presence the cabin had with the nice lighting touches on the door panels and floor, especally in the back seat. This should be a standard feature across the board on all models.
4) Again, more standard features such as xenons, convenience package items, etc. Audi is charging extra for some very basic items that need to come standard.
The idea here is to make the A3 a better value proposition and a nice 'alternative' to the A4. As it currently stands with an increasingly competitive market the A3 is becoming harder to justify when stacked up against the competition. A Passat wagon can be had for less, or an A4 with decent equipment for the equivalent. For the A3 to carve out a new niche for Audi and to *expand* the base, not just sell to current Audiphiles, requires more work.
At $25,000 the A3 is a great value, but Audi needs to include more standard equipment on the car: convenience should be standard, Xenons should be standard, etc. Pricing for options is pretty damned bad. In base trim it's a good price, but loaded up the pricing is ridiculous (I say this even as someone who has purchased a fully loaded 2.0T).
For the A3 to better stand out, Quattro should be made standard, even if this means raising the base price by $1,000 - $1,500.
There are also certain things I would like to see Audi standardize on across its model line to really differentiate it and make it a cut above. These are relatively minor, but help:
1) While the A3 cabin is nice, step into an A4 and you immediately notice the difference. The A3 needs to adopt more of the soft-touch materials found in the A4. There is a perceptible difference.
2) More sound-deadening. Again, step into the A4 and it is a far quieter cabin than the A3.
3) Lighting package. Having been in an A6 with the nice lighting package, I was amazed at how much more of a presence the cabin had with the nice lighting touches on the door panels and floor, especally in the back seat. This should be a standard feature across the board on all models.
4) Again, more standard features such as xenons, convenience package items, etc. Audi is charging extra for some very basic items that need to come standard.
The idea here is to make the A3 a better value proposition and a nice 'alternative' to the A4. As it currently stands with an increasingly competitive market the A3 is becoming harder to justify when stacked up against the competition. A Passat wagon can be had for less, or an A4 with decent equipment for the equivalent. For the A3 to carve out a new niche for Audi and to *expand* the base, not just sell to current Audiphiles, requires more work.
11-02-2006, 09:20 AM
#15
Elder Member
Join Date: Dec 2001
Posts: 14,663
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
It's definitely good to see that the Q7 is selling well.
But, when you think about it, if you take away the Q7 sales, does that mean that overall sales of models out at least a year are flat?
11-02-2006, 10:57 AM
#16
AudiWorld Member
Join Date: May 2005
Posts: 338
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Careful there, one might read it that you're implying the A4 is not built as well as an A3.
If so, ~100k customers would probably have issue with that.
My comparison is as close to apples-to-apples as possible. A 2006 A4 similarly equipped to _my_ 2006 A3 with the options _I_ wanted would've only cost me $500 more. This was calculated both at the audi website and at the dealership itself. Granted, there were some configurations where the A4 would've cost closer to $1500 more. But my point is that I agree with jackfrost. FYI, this is Canadian pricing I'm talking about. The competitive US market makes prices considerably more attractive, and IIRC, the price difference was higher.
My comparison is as close to apples-to-apples as possible. A 2006 A4 similarly equipped to _my_ 2006 A3 with the options _I_ wanted would've only cost me $500 more. This was calculated both at the audi website and at the dealership itself. Granted, there were some configurations where the A4 would've cost closer to $1500 more. But my point is that I agree with jackfrost. FYI, this is Canadian pricing I'm talking about. The competitive US market makes prices considerably more attractive, and IIRC, the price difference was higher.
11-02-2006, 01:18 PM
#19
I don't think one is built any better than the other, Materials might be different, but not
the car design underneath.
Canadian pricing is totally out of whack, given how the US dollar has fallen and the Canadian dollar is much stronger these days.
Canadian pricing is totally out of whack, given how the US dollar has fallen and the Canadian dollar is much stronger these days.
11-02-2006, 01:20 PM
#20
Yes, sales are pretty flat for the year, since the only new models were the RS4 and now the S6 and
S8. The TT is gone for the moment, and that took a huge chunk out of Summer sales.