There is not much of Prestige model in stock?
11-02-2019, 07:59 AM
#1
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There is not much of Prestige model in stock?
Hi All, new to this forum!!
I am in the market to purchase my 1st German made car. Have lock down the model to 2020 GLC and Q5. I like the new GLC have the new dashboard and touch screen on the center pad. However, the driving performance is still not as good as Q5. I need the traffic jam assistant and heads up display which seems like is only available at Prestige trim. Therefore I am currently search for a prestige model with warm weather package and blue exterior. There seems like only 5 Prestige models in the Houston. None of them have the warm weather package and color I want. I checked Dallas and Austin dealer's web-site as well. Just very minimum Prestige trim. Is this normal for Prestige trim or just dealer trying to hold off any new Q5 since 2020 is coming?
If it's normal, should I order it? Is it hard to negotiate the price to order?
Also, does anyone know if Q5 will change the MMI to like Q3 or A6 in 2021? Most of my car and include my current car Infinity Q50 have the touch screen. However, I would say I rarely touch the screen. But the new touch screen from Q3 and A6 looks so amazing.
I am in the market to purchase my 1st German made car. Have lock down the model to 2020 GLC and Q5. I like the new GLC have the new dashboard and touch screen on the center pad. However, the driving performance is still not as good as Q5. I need the traffic jam assistant and heads up display which seems like is only available at Prestige trim. Therefore I am currently search for a prestige model with warm weather package and blue exterior. There seems like only 5 Prestige models in the Houston. None of them have the warm weather package and color I want. I checked Dallas and Austin dealer's web-site as well. Just very minimum Prestige trim. Is this normal for Prestige trim or just dealer trying to hold off any new Q5 since 2020 is coming?
If it's normal, should I order it? Is it hard to negotiate the price to order?
Also, does anyone know if Q5 will change the MMI to like Q3 or A6 in 2021? Most of my car and include my current car Infinity Q50 have the touch screen. However, I would say I rarely touch the screen. But the new touch screen from Q3 and A6 looks so amazing.
11-02-2019, 09:56 AM
#2
I'm seeing dealers stock Premium+, because that's what's most likely to sell.
Ask yourself, "Why do we have dealers anyway?" We should just go to www.AudiUSA.com, configure what you want, submit the deposit by credit card, and place the order. The manufacturers should do built to order with no inventory, or hold very limited inventory in 2 locations nationwide. Scattering hundreds of cars across hundreds of dealerships is wildly expensive. Personally, I have no problem waiting 4 months to have the car built to my specifications. I have to do that anyway since I drive manual and most dealerships stock very few manuals.
Think how much money you'd save!
1) The dealer's holding all that inventory is expensive. Think about the fact that the dealership is paying the bank ~5% for the loan to hold onto all that inventory. A $50K car sitting on the lot for 4 months adds $50K*5%/3 = $833 to the cost.
2) Dealers need to inflate prices to keep a cushion so that they can make a deal with the guy who wanted silver but settles for white, because white's on the lot. You're also paying more because at the end of the model year the dealer has to drop prices to move the old inventory. If they pooled their inventory in 1-2 centralized locations nationwide or had perfect forecasting, you wouldn't have this over/under inventory situation.
3) You're paying for multi-tiered advertising: ever see those really cheesy, low quality Audi ads on TV? That's because you local dealer is also advertising in addition to Audi's national campaigns. But, the dealer's ads aren't relevant nationwide, so they get limited local runs which are less efficient than leveraging the manufacturer's ads nationwide. But, you're paying for that.
4) You're paying for the dealership itself, the lease, insurance, employees, benefits. Working directly with a website is much, much cheaper.
Lastly, service and sales do not need to be bundled. The fact that they've been bundled historically is not a reason to keep it that way going forward. When my Audi was out of warranty, I took it to a great, high-quality, local (walking distance) independent German car garage. It was great. As soon as my Audi Q5, I will go back to FatCity here in Seattle.
People say, "The majority of people aren't yet willing to buy online." Well, I bet if word got out, that you got a fantastic price and a really hassle-free experience by shopping on www.AudiUSA.com people would come around. Who had heard of Amazon.com ten years ago and look at them now!
So, imagine an experience like Apple's stores: you go in, there's a showroom for you to play with select models. But most purchases, particularly those that require configuration are ordered online and shipped to you. www.DWR.com works the same way. You go to the showroom to buy a $5K couch; you sit on similar couches and then custom order the combination of fabric and options you want. But there's no bargaining. There is only one price. You don't come onto boards like this and ask, "Did I get a good price?"
Why isn't this happening? Politics. The North American Dealers Association (NADA) has strong political clout and is lobbying against online car sales to "protect the consumer." They also have language in their contracts with the manufacturers to prevent the manufacturer from going direct and leaving the dealership with "stranded costs".
The first manufacturer to go out and acquire all of its dealerships and go direct could do incredibly well. Note that Tesla, which is starting a car dealership from scratch, is NOT building a dealership network. They're doing manufacturer-owned stores/showrooms and a built-to-order model. Once they get big, they're going to have a $2K/car price advantage on every other manufacturer. There's a lot of cost built into the current supply chain. And as all of you know from WalMart, Amazon, Dell, etc. tightening up your supply chain is a huge opportunity. This isn't rocket science anymore; they teach this in first-year business school classes.
-James
Seattle, WA
Ask yourself, "Why do we have dealers anyway?" We should just go to www.AudiUSA.com, configure what you want, submit the deposit by credit card, and place the order. The manufacturers should do built to order with no inventory, or hold very limited inventory in 2 locations nationwide. Scattering hundreds of cars across hundreds of dealerships is wildly expensive. Personally, I have no problem waiting 4 months to have the car built to my specifications. I have to do that anyway since I drive manual and most dealerships stock very few manuals.
Think how much money you'd save!
1) The dealer's holding all that inventory is expensive. Think about the fact that the dealership is paying the bank ~5% for the loan to hold onto all that inventory. A $50K car sitting on the lot for 4 months adds $50K*5%/3 = $833 to the cost.
2) Dealers need to inflate prices to keep a cushion so that they can make a deal with the guy who wanted silver but settles for white, because white's on the lot. You're also paying more because at the end of the model year the dealer has to drop prices to move the old inventory. If they pooled their inventory in 1-2 centralized locations nationwide or had perfect forecasting, you wouldn't have this over/under inventory situation.
3) You're paying for multi-tiered advertising: ever see those really cheesy, low quality Audi ads on TV? That's because you local dealer is also advertising in addition to Audi's national campaigns. But, the dealer's ads aren't relevant nationwide, so they get limited local runs which are less efficient than leveraging the manufacturer's ads nationwide. But, you're paying for that.
4) You're paying for the dealership itself, the lease, insurance, employees, benefits. Working directly with a website is much, much cheaper.
Lastly, service and sales do not need to be bundled. The fact that they've been bundled historically is not a reason to keep it that way going forward. When my Audi was out of warranty, I took it to a great, high-quality, local (walking distance) independent German car garage. It was great. As soon as my Audi Q5, I will go back to FatCity here in Seattle.
People say, "The majority of people aren't yet willing to buy online." Well, I bet if word got out, that you got a fantastic price and a really hassle-free experience by shopping on www.AudiUSA.com people would come around. Who had heard of Amazon.com ten years ago and look at them now!
So, imagine an experience like Apple's stores: you go in, there's a showroom for you to play with select models. But most purchases, particularly those that require configuration are ordered online and shipped to you. www.DWR.com works the same way. You go to the showroom to buy a $5K couch; you sit on similar couches and then custom order the combination of fabric and options you want. But there's no bargaining. There is only one price. You don't come onto boards like this and ask, "Did I get a good price?"
Why isn't this happening? Politics. The North American Dealers Association (NADA) has strong political clout and is lobbying against online car sales to "protect the consumer." They also have language in their contracts with the manufacturers to prevent the manufacturer from going direct and leaving the dealership with "stranded costs".
The first manufacturer to go out and acquire all of its dealerships and go direct could do incredibly well. Note that Tesla, which is starting a car dealership from scratch, is NOT building a dealership network. They're doing manufacturer-owned stores/showrooms and a built-to-order model. Once they get big, they're going to have a $2K/car price advantage on every other manufacturer. There's a lot of cost built into the current supply chain. And as all of you know from WalMart, Amazon, Dell, etc. tightening up your supply chain is a huge opportunity. This isn't rocket science anymore; they teach this in first-year business school classes.
-James
Seattle, WA
Last edited by TheWalrus; 11-03-2019 at 07:02 AM.
11-02-2019, 11:01 AM
#3
AudiWorld Super User
@James: one of the best posts that I ever read, makes complete sense too.
11-03-2019, 05:12 AM
#4
I order a 2018 Prestige for the same reason, not many in stock. For some reason Audi makes more premium plus models, even though their price is near or sometimes above the prestige starting price. I ordered a prestige with warm weather package (I liked the seats better) with the color and interior I wanted and got it in 3 months with a 5% discount without any problem. If you can wait, it is a good option in my opinion.
11-03-2019, 05:57 AM
#5
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I order a 2018 Prestige for the same reason, not many in stock. For some reason Audi makes more premium plus models, even though their price is near or sometimes above the prestige starting price. I ordered a prestige with warm weather package (I liked the seats better) with the color and interior I wanted and got it in 3 months with a 5% discount without any problem. If you can wait, it is a good option in my opinion.
11-03-2019, 06:59 AM
#6
11-03-2019, 03:56 PM
#7
AudiWorld Super User
Think about how many people would be unemployed with this business model. No place to trade in a vehicle without hassel of being scammed, robbed etc. Dealing with DMV paperwork etc. Lease turn-in to get a new vehicle etc.
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11-03-2019, 04:02 PM
#8
So, imagine an experience like Apple's stores: you go in, there's a showroom for you to play with select models. But most purchases, particularly those that require configuration are ordered online and shipped to you. www.DWR.com works the same way. You go to the showroom to buy a $5K couch; you sit on similar couches and then custom order the combination of fabric and options you want. But there's no bargaining. There is only one price. You don't come onto boards like this and ask, "Did I get a good price?"
11-03-2019, 05:40 PM
#10
From Room & Board and Design Within Reach?!? If that's true, that's awesome news. I'll keep it in mind going forward. Thanks!