hollywood_wc

Canvas bag... you mean they changed that too

MH62

And those early built cars were getting a discount to compensate for the absence of the phone box. Around $500 if I'm not mistaken.

Edit: https://www.audizine.com/forum/showt...Audi-Phone-Box

Glisse

Here's the reason:

B9 RS5 Sportback cost in Euros (Audi's reporting currency), excluding taxes. Number in brackets is Audi annual sales volume for that market

1. China €109,000 (690k)
2. Germany €70,200 (272k)
3. USA €68,100 (224k)
- (Many markets in between, in volume rankings)
- Canada €55,306 (34k)

It's a wonder they include an engine in Canadian cars.

synergize

It's a nice canvas bag though, solid German build.

belzebutt

I was going to call BS on this because normally Canadians complain about paying a lot more than Americans for the same car. But I checked the US site and indeed the base RS5 is 74,000 US, while in Canada that Euro price translates to 84,000 CAD. Now, you can't build one anymore, but I vaguely recall that it sounds about right for a base model that nobody would want (no virtual cockpit etc.). I think a decent build from what I remember was a little over 100K, which at today's exchange is equivalent to the US base price. The cheapest inventory model I could find was 93,000 CAD (19" wheels and sport package).
I'm guessing the changing exchange rates are the reason for this price disparity. A few years ago when the Canadian dollar was at par with the US dollar, car makers would make tons of profits here and tried to prevent people from buying US models and importing them.

hollywood_wc

You would think that some form of standardization amount CAN / US but each country division is run differently. I got back a notice, and the phone box was never an option for Canadian models (cue face palm), reminds me of when I had my GTI and Canadian models didnt support Bluetooth at the time (cue second face palm).

I went on to multiple Audi sites to build & in CAD it was like this for nearly 'fully loaded' canadian options.
$108K - Canada
$127K - USA
$148K - UK
$155K - Germany (amusing that the country that builds them, sells them the highest currently).

Also Canada gets the most limited set of option (although that isn't surprising from the annual volume) & Germany has SO MANY OPTIONS & EDITIONS ... makes you wish for easier ability to custom order.

hollywood_wc

Is it very annoying though that they make it IMPOSSIBLE to add the option. Audi won't let a dealer add this.

Glisse

Yes, it is exchange rate related, following the late 2014 devaluation of the CAD via the Bank of Canada reducing interest rates. There was a further sharp fall earlier this year.

It's a bit surprising that they (and I assume BMW and Mercedes are the same) have absorbed this severe exchange rate effect for so many years.

Still, this is largely academic. If you live in Canada, are paid a Canadian wage, have a Canadian cost of living, and pay Canadian taxes, the only thing that matters is relative costs and equipment levels between competing models within your own market.

And the other fundamental is that regardless of the market, and the price paid, there are always those who complain about the cost of a premium product. What is apparent is that in those markets where the cost is comparatively low, and where a lot of additional equipment is bundled in at no cost, there are likely to be more complaints about cost than less. But then that is basic marketing - give people a free set of steak knives won't make them think more highly of the core product in terms of its value offering. They'll look for an alternative that gives them a free set of forks as well.

hollywood_wc

Priceless ... the thing that gets me so worked up, is Audi's inability to offer you an option that is "available" for you vehicle in post. I don't understand why corporate would be so stringent of not sending a product & have the dealers cost out the installation. There is no reason I can see that the "US" phone box wouldnt be compatible with the Canadian model. Or am I wrong here?

It is almost as if I will have to jump through a hoop of purchasing this from an Audi Dealer in Europe, shipping to Canada & getting an aftermarket installation. If Amazon can coordinate thousands of distributors, how can Audi not coordinate themselves.

belzebutt

I assume that fewer variations/combinations makes the product cheaper. Also for something like the phone box there may be certification required to legally sell it in the Canadian market which might mean another extra cost for Audi. In the North American market I think car dealers like to have models on the parking lot that people can buy on the spot without waiting a few months. I assume in Germany if you do a custom build it's a much shorter wait. If you're going to keep cars on the lot, I think it makes things easier if there's fewer configuration options. Also less confusing for consumers, you just have to look for the car with the packages you want as opposed to looking carefully through the entire list of options to make sure it's not missing that one thing you want.