do people really expect Audi to redesign a vehicle, add new technology to it, and NOT raise prices?

I would love to have an Audi that is priced like an Acura/Lexus/Infiniti, but the reality is how can Audi do that and still make money?

Were people expecting the B8 to be priced exactly like the B7?

Here's something to consider. Our B7 2.0T S-Line was almost exactly $40K in 2006. We got it with practically everything except for the Titanium package. (Navi, power rear and manual side sunshades, etc.)

I just priced a B8 2.0T in the configurator and got this:

2.0T Premium Plus
Navigation
18" Sport Package
$40,650

What are the major differences?
B8 does not have sunshades
B8 has Audi Music Interface
B8 does not have SD card capabilities
B8 Navi has camera
B8 has three-zone climate control
B8 has the LED DRLs
B8 has more hp and torque
B8 is on a new, better handling chassis
B8 has Sirrius (I had to buy XM for the B7 afterwards)

It looks like I've gained a bit of "stuff" for almost the same price. Now, if I wanted the other stuff:

Adaptive Cruise Control
Audi Drive Select
Lane Assist
Parking Assist
etc.

Is it realistic to say "give it to me without increasing the price"? The reality is that Audis have been priced higher than the Japanese makers to begin with, but relatively speaking, their pricing is not terribly out of line considering what they've been doing with their cars.

Maybe if they gave the 2.0T 275hp and the 3.2 310hp, people would move away from fixating on the price. Then again, the price would inevitably have to go up, so we're back where we started.

Just my $0.02 worth.

There is a lot of new technology in the new A4 and the dollar is continuing to fall against the Euro.

But yes, with a much weaker dollar, what is Audi to do? There were talks of building cars over here, but who wants that?

I'd have swapped Nav for the parking and lane assist features. That would be more compelling and about the same price wise.

And doing this also makes it a bit difficult to get things exactly the way you want so that you don't have to pay for things you don't want.

Build in the USA? MB, BMW, & VW for a start. As we have all seen, though, it takes at least a model cycle to get the production bugs out of the system in a new US factory.

BTW, great initial post. I agree with what you wrote 100%. Just waiting to see how the inventory stacks up over the next 6 months. When we bought our current Volvo V70 2.5T, MSRP was $39K, and we paid $32K befor TTL at the start of the model year.

I was okay when the car stickered out at $46.6k but for some reason > $47k flipped the crazy switch in my brain :-) Irrational I know, but it didn't seem fair and that pissed me off!

That's all I'm saying. I'm not picking at or sh*tting on the A4 at all. I just can't justify the price for the way I would want it optioned at this time.

If you were content with getting a car that didn't have all the new stuff that Audi created and made available, you wouldn't be near $50K.

But, Audi does have to charge for all the new things that they've put into the car. It would be nice to have those things more cheaper and with more power, but it doesn't really seem out of line when you consider everything about the car.

the past ten years. I thought the B7 was overpriced too, so to me the point was kind of moot. You spent $40K on a four cylinder A4. Just a few years earlier the same money would've bought you an S4.

the current currency pricing equations vs. funcdamentals on either side of the pond dont quite add up any more!

If the dollar gains, I doubt its gonna make cars any cheaper though!

That's all I hear...currencies always fluctuate and the dollar is no exception.

Nevertheless, the dollar is on a 7-8 week rebound vs. Euro, and it looks like that trend will continue given that more people are saving, more investments & spending are staying domestic, and that the interests have pretty much bottomed out.

If the B7 was yesterday, and I'm paying the same price for a B8 comparably equipped but with more things added, is that bad? In effect, I'm paying the same price for a better car.

As I said, Audis are priced higher to begin with, so if you felt that it was overpriced at the start, then the only way to satisfy you is for them to go backwards in pricing, which I doubt will happen.

Finally, did a B6 S4 really only cost $40K? I thought the B5 S4 was closer to $40K and it jumped to $45K with the B6 S4, which also caused an uproar at the time. So, my $40K could have bought me an S4...in 2000.

In my book, that is shadey and sneaky business to say one thing and do the opposite. In fact, it's quite a turn off. Being a professional company with all the hired analysts and advisors, Audi should have seen the price increases coming. I believe they knew all along. But the educated observer should know that never in the history of a redesigned Audi, BMW, or Mercedes have prices held out. So technically none of us "enthusiasts" should be shocked prices went up. I know I wasn't surprised.

As a footnote, my new loaded 2003 CVT had a sticker of $30.5. My how things have changed in eight years!

The Prestige level, which does include a lot of never-before equipment is what kicks it up to such a high level. If you got what was available on a B7, on the B8 (and nothing else) the prices are pretty flat.

Audi told C&D that pricing wouldn't increase much (for things that already exist). C&D tests a car with all the new bells and whistles, like ADS which alone is a 10% price kicker and reports that Audi indicates no significant increase in prices (for things that already exist). The bit in parens above wasn't reinforced, or even communicated, at all. Yeah that's C&D's fault for running with it, but you'd expect that AoA might comment on it and say oh yeah, the new stuff is going to cost a lot extra. I say 50% of the blame is weak ass journalism, 50% lays at Audi's feet for not correcting the misconception.

had these major pieces:

Paddle shifters
18" wheels
Sport Suspension
S-Line cosmetics

The B8 I built with Premium Plus with Sports Package has all of these without the S-Line cosmetics.

The Prem Plus configuration actually is $75 cheaper this year. What the C&D review meant was that the car's "starting price" would stay pretty much the same. From where I'm sitting it certainly did and I was thrilled when pricing was announced.

Of course, I can go on all day about the packaging of the options and how that really sucks but that was what is keeping the pricing down. For those of you who have to have S-line, ADS, etc. Then I certainly see the problem of a price increase because you're forced to buy B&O, side assist, parking system, etc etc just to get what you want. But I don't think you're paying too much for what you get. Just maybe getting more than you want and paying for it.

Hope that makes sense.

I'm just not sure what your point was if what you're trying to say was:

In 2006, I paid $40K for a 4 cylinder A4, when in 2000, I could have gotten a B5 S4 for the same price.

I'm pretty sure I could have had a lot of other nice cars with $40K in 2000. ???

Which leads me to think this is what AoA told them.

charge to cover the higher costs of offering a low-volume product with limited market in North America.

But last I checked the configurator hadn't been corrected either. Guess we'll know in a month or so when these things start showing up.

if so, that really sucks.. i was counting on using sd cards instead of cds/ipod.

but what is this little slot next to the media button.

<img src="http://pictureposter.audiworld.com/149592/photo_073108_003.jpg">

Would be cool if it comes with the car.

the 3.1 v6 is becoming a laughing stock to the critics and competes piss poorly to the similarly priced 335i.

Especially when you option up the BMW to the same level of default equipment that comes with the "base" Premium Plus 3.2 A4 (i.e. leathers, heated seats, bitchstick). However the criticism is fair considering that:

1) the Audi options can be more expensive for the big ticket items like Nav which erodes some of the pricing

2) $3-4k isn't what it once was. Sure it's still three or four thousand dollars, but as an overall fraction of the car's cost it's not that much anymore. i.e. what's another $4k when you've already resigned yourself to spending $50K?

Maybe an oversight?

then i almost definitely wont get nav.

that sd card slot is the greatest thing ever..

not to mention that 2.5k for a nav unit that will most likely not function nearly as good as a 600 garmin unit.. and will delete the sd slot.. talk about ftl.