May7
There’s no doubt Audi’s R8 has supercar looks, and now it looks like it might be developing a supercar wait list to match. It’s not unheard of to wait a couple years for a Ferrari, but luckily the R8 is nowhere near that point right now. Nevertheless, a new sales report from Audi says the car “is sold out for months to come.”
If demand remains strong for the car — which had a prominent placement in last weekend’s blockbuster Iron Man movie — then it’s fair to assume the backlog will continue to grow.
According to Chairman Rupert Stadler, the R8 isn’t the only Audi with strong demand. The top executive said the Q7 SUV has displaced the A4 as Audi’s most popular model in the United States.
What’s more, Stadler said he expects to see Audi’s overall sales surpass one million units this year globally. Last month, the automaker sold 86,700 vehicles, and sales could increase even more into the second half of 2008. In 2007, Audi sold 964,000 vehicles worldwide.
The Q7… excuse me Cayenne… excuse me Touraeg won’t be your #1 in the states for long Audi… don’t worry. Hey! here’s an idea… why not copy VW’s… excuse me Chrysler’s… minivan and offer it? The first “Luxury” minivan… it’ll be a smash hit.
The Q7 is selling more than the A4???? That’s strange because I think I’ve only seen a handful of them on the road…ever. How can that be during a gas crunch?
The R8 in orange is yummy.
The Q7 outsells the A4? I’m betting most of those buyers had the foresight to buy stock in big oil when $60 a barrel was thought to be a big deal.
The gap between the have’s and have-not’s is growing exponentially right now. Makes me sick.
I would think the Q7 is much more profitable then A4. That is good for Audi but having your worst mileage vehicle out sell your best is amazing.
Not surprised that the Q7 has outsold the A4. At the store I manage that’s been the case pretty much since the Q7 came out.
As for the R8, what Rupert Stadler is talking about is the orders that dealerships can actually send to the factory. Most dealerships here in the US are going to have a waiting list of several individuals who are waiting to get their order placed. Audi’s system is different than the Ferrari system where you can put in however many order you need, the dealers can only place a certain # of orders set by the factory. The reality of the wait now is pretty much that if you are just starting to look, you are too late unless you want to pay $50,000 over sticker for a used one on the net.
Id much rather have an A4 over a Q7, especially the Avant. The Q7 is just unneccessary. I hope Audi doesnt lose their american love for wagons…
The Q7 is a great suv, I was highly impressed with its performance,and this comes from a bloke that drives an XKR everyday.
Is the R8 supposed to make us forget that the majority of Audi cars worldwide are 4-banger FWDs (sometimes with wheezy turbo’s), and a bunch of those are wagons?
I’m not very surprised either… most Audi enthusiasts know that there’s a new A4 coming next year based on the S5/A5 platform. I’m trying to hold off until there’s a diesel version available and that won’t hit ’til ‘09 or ‘10.
It’s official:
There are more a**h**es in the US (Q7 owners) then are regular everyday people that drive a car that is above average (A4 owners).
Don’t worry, the situation is the same in some European countries! I live in Romania and there are a s***load of Q7s in Bucharest, even though it’s one of the most crowded cities in Europe, as far as traffic goes! That movie Idiocracy was right, smart people are becoming extinct!
this is great how much audi is growing!!
but the Q7’s reign won’t last long
i was under the impression that the q7 was selling horribly.
man i hate it when fatass suvs outsell good performance sedans.
Interesting point about the Q7. I’m ordering one for a client at close to US$200K for the 4.2 version. The car is only like $60K in the US… but the guy wants it anyway so…
the Q7 is hideous. I love the A6 avant because of its sheer size and incredible build quality. I think demand for the R8 is only going to rise so you better get in there quick