Raoul

I've never understood why there are 3 lines. Should be S and RS, or no S at all.

Silver Stealth

Well, Texas is not the world. The B7 RS4 has been the most successful RS model to date.

nirad

between common cars like the 335i and rare, gas-guzzlers like the M3 and C63.

JoeO

Most Audi's I see on the road are the 4 cylinder versions of the A4. My V6 A4 gets awfully lonely during my commute every morning.

Conversely, most BMW's that I see on the road are 335i, not the 328i. Somehow BMW is more successful in baiting people to upgrade to the more expensive model than their least expensive model.

JoeO

If they can sell it in the mid $40k's like the AudiWorld article says, they I say it will be competitive and compete with the 335xi.

Silver Stealth

The only reason you see so many 335's on the road is because BMW (up until recently) subsidized the hell out of their leases. People can get into more car than they normally would be able to afford.

The Audi RS models are meant to be both the pinnacle of Audi performance and engineering and come with some exclusivity for those that want to pay the price.

Having standard, S, and RS models gives consumers a wider variety of models and levels of performance to choose from.

Silver Stealth

You could argue that, by dropping in a V8, BMW moved the M3 up-market to compete with the RS4.

JoeO

..for over the last 18 years, I've repeatedly seen more of the higher model 3-series on the road than the lower ones.

My observation has been the opposite for the A4. I wonder if the national sales #'s reflect this observation. Maybe it's just a local thing.

IMO, it's all a matter of smart marketing and pricing. BMW has been very successful in squeezing extra money from their consumers instead of getting the bare minimum.

ismelllikepoop

well the fact that only the rs4 and rs6 have made it to the states that doesnt sound that big a deal

SpeedTriple

more like the market repositioned and Audi has had to emphasize the RS to match the market.