Wide-ranging reductions in latest Audi focus on pricing
Today most Audi UK models will adopt new, even keener prices which will consolidate their competitive edge as the September 1st plate change approaches. The sweeping changes involve reductions of between three and 15 per cent, which in real terms equates to savings of between £1,105 and £9,547. New launch prices for the innovative aluminium-bodied A2 range have also been confirmed as part of the package.
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Audi UK has taken this action despite the fact that the differences in price between Audi models in Britain and Germany were already among the least prominent in the prestige car sector. The new price structure also comes into force in the midst of a marked increase in UK demand – Audi UK has already seen sales increase by 13 per cent in 2000 while most direct competitors are enduring a downturn.
These latest amendments form part of a rolling price revision programme which, since its inception in 1999, has already brought A3, A4, A6, TT quattro and S3 quattro models within easier reach of British buyers. The latest phase, announced today, results in significant price reductions to the new A2, the A6 saloon and Avant, the A8, the allroad quattro and further S quattro Series models.
Commenting on the changes, Audi UK director Kevin Rose said today: “Our highest priority has always been the maintenance of a competitive position in the market, and for the last eighteen months we have achieved this by progressively improving our value and responding to customer expectation. This is reflected in record sales and 13 per cent growth in 2000 – at a time when our competitors have seen sales fall.”
New launch prices for the revolutionary aluminium-bodied A2 have now been finalised as part of the package of changes. When the range officially goes on sale on Friday September the 1st, the ‘entry level’ A2 1.4 petrol model will cost £13,150 ‘on the road’.
The new allroad quattro on and off-road vehicle, launched in June, is also included in the restructure. Petrol and TDI model prices fall by ten per cent, which equates to over £3,000 in each case, and as a result the allroad 2.5 TDI quattro is now priced at £29,360 ‘on the road’ and the allroad 2.7 T quattro at £33,030.
Special Equipment versions of the Audi A6 saloon and Avant benefited from revised prices last year, and at the same time more models featuring the renowned quattro four-wheel-drive system were added. This month the entire A6 range has been reduced in price by ten per cent across the board, making the added security and control the quattro system provides an even more attractive proposition. From today the ‘entry level’ A6 1.8 T quattro saloon costs £22,700, a reduction from the original price of £2,450, and a premium of just £1,260 over the standard
A6 1.8 T, which now costs £21,440.
The A8 luxury saloon, the first modern production car to feature a bodyshell constructed entirely from aluminium, has also seen pricing revisions for the 2001 model year. The range now starts with the A8 2.8 at £36,445, a saving of £1,105 on the previous price.
The most dramatic reductions in this latest phase of changes have been made to the flagships of the A6 and A8 ranges, which form part of the Audi S quattro Series of high performance sporting models. Following on from the significant revision made to the price of the S3 quattro earlier this year, the 340bhp S6 quattro falls by
14 per cent from £52,250 to £45,026, and the 360bhp S8 quattro by 15 per cent from £64,307 to £54,760.
Prices for the recently announced 2001 model year A3 will be fixed at exactly the same level as the outgoing models, which were realigned earlier this year. This is in spite of the many advantages the latest range holds over its predecessor, including the addition of the Electronic Stability Program (ESP) for every version – an advance which in itself is worth almost £800.
As A4 saloon and Avant models are due to make way for their all-new replacements in the spring of 2001, current cars are not subject to any official price revisions, however participating Audi Centres are able to offer discounts of up to 12 per cent on every model in the range. This would, for example, bring the price of an
A4 1.8 T quattro Sport saloon down from £26,150 to £23,090.
