What else is there to say?

audiusdiesel.com/

They're offering the Q7 in 2008 in the US. Why not a vehicle that people can actually afford like the A3 or A4 wagon?

Is Audi in cahoots with VW? I never really knew..if so, why has VW been in the diesel game in the US all this time while Audi hasn't?

__________________
1985 300TD-euro 352,000 mi
1974 240D (1?)52,000 mi - has a new home now

Ditto that. We rented an A3 TDI in Germany last fall -- 6 speed manual. Awesome car. If I were able to consider a new car, I'd be waiting for something along those lines. It was just an awesome car!

__________________
1992 300D 2.5T
1980 Euro 300D (sadly, sold)
1998 Jetta TDI, 132K "Rudy"
1974 Triumph TR6
1999 Saab 9-5 wagon (wife's)

That's the answer, why would Audi want to introduce a low-end diesel in the US and take business away from VW? They would rather compete against the CDIs in the middle of the market.

Why wait, just go buy a VW Golf TDI.

I already have a Jetta TDI, and the Audi we had was a VERY different animal than a Golf TDI!

__________________
1992 300D 2.5T
1980 Euro 300D (sadly, sold)
1998 Jetta TDI, 132K "Rudy"
1974 Triumph TR6
1999 Saab 9-5 wagon (wife's)

I thought the A3 and the golf were built on the same chassis. I assume there are differences in the trim level (and cost).

Because Audi's are assembled in Germany and VW's are assembled in Mexico...

__________________
1985 300TD-euro 352,000 mi
1974 240D (1?)52,000 mi - has a new home now

Good point... and I should have specified that we had the 4-door "Sportback," which is not available in the VW range, as I understand it. Don't get me wrong -- I LOVE my Jetta, but that A3 just had a fit and finish feel that was really special.

__________________
1992 300D 2.5T
1980 Euro 300D (sadly, sold)
1998 Jetta TDI, 132K "Rudy"
1974 Triumph TR6
1999 Saab 9-5 wagon (wife's)

OK, I didn't know that. The last VW/Audi I paid any attention to was air-cooled, I really don't know anything about the new ones.

Audi is owned by volkswagon. I expect some real suprises are coming soon from this conglomerate. I estimate about one and one half years from now as the time frame. The only thing that concerns me might be the new prices. Plus will the old habit of holding back current product from the north american market yet selling it otherplaces continue? I suspect competition is going to stop or temper that approach soon enough.

IMHO, I think an A4 or S4 TDI would have been a more fitting image for the performance aspect Audi is pushing.

I agree. Diesels are becoming more and more popular with younger buyers.. I know many young professonals that can afford to spend $25-$40K on a new car and opt to go for lower priced Golf and Jetta TDI's because they are diesel. Others go for older MB diesels. It seems apropreate for Audi to market a diesel powered A3 or A4 here in the U.S. so they can build up diesel clients in their more youthful performance oriented market whom will likely wind up moving up to the larger and more expensive diesel models as their income increases.
Im not a huge fan of Audi designs, but an S4 diesel would be an amazing beast to drive.

It seems to me that Audi and MB are going to have to start offering diesel powerplants to U.S. buyers in their slightly more affordable compact & sub-compact products if they really want diesels to catch on with U.S. consumers. The 30yo's buying up A4's and C classes are going to be the same group of buyers looking to upsize to larger models 10 years down the road and so on as time goes by. Offering performance diesels in the A & C classes, and even BMW's 3 will surely make young diesel-heads happy as their choices have expanded from the VW diesels, and will surely bring in new 30-something yo customers whom would have otherwise never considered a diesel.

__________________
Nate

1995 E420
1992 BMW 525i
1984 300D Turbo sold
1993 Volvo 244 sold
1995 Volvo 944T R.I.P!


"The details are not details. They make the product."
-Charles Eames

www.cbs.nu

If I was VW/Audi management, I would leave the low end diesels to VW (so they can compete with the ricer diesels when the get here) and bring in some mid/high-end diesel to compete with the benz CDI. Why would VW/Audi want to compete against itself in the low end market? The young VW diesel drivers can move up to Audi when they get some more cash.

I think it's pretty obvious that benz is not interested in the low-end diesel market in the U.S. either. For one thing, there isn't enough profit margin in selling cheap cars. They already have the C-class to bring in the 20-somethings, IMHO they have already gone too far down-market for their own good.