Audi offers US customers European Delivery in Ingolstadt
Audi has been investing heavily into "the Audi experience", creating a brand identity revolving around and beyond its products. Now the company has joined the league of luxury automakers that offers a European delivery program.
European delivery programs offered by German and Swedish carmakers allow North American customers to fly to the factory in Europe to take delivery of their car personally. The option can save several thousand dollars off the price of the car, more than enough to pay for the trip. While there, customers can tour the factory, then drive their car around Europe before having it shipped back to North America. You get a cheap vacation in Europe and a cheaper car. In launching their own program, Audi joins Mercedes-Benz, BMW, Porsche, Saab and Volvo in offering their customers the package.
Audi delivery starts at the Audi Forum showroom near the factory in Ingolstadt, Germany. In addition to receiving their new wheels in person directly from the factory, customers can tour the assembly line, the factory museum and other attractions at Audi HQ. The best part is you get to see what your new wheels can do flat out on the Autobahn!
Want to read more about European delivery? Try this article from About.com.
[Source: Audi USA via the German Car Blog]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
offroadwarrior03 4:41PM (10/15/2006)
this is a great deal, u can legally see what ur car can do and drive fast. no worries about tickets.
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Rob 4:46PM (10/15/2006)
European Delivery was a big deciding factor in buying my 07 BMW 335i Coupe. I've never been to Germany, and with the car being about $2,800 cheaper, it more than covers the cost of my vacation to Germany.
Not only do I get to drive my car down the Autobahns, I get to spend Christmas in Germany. Sure beats another Christmas in Los Angeles!
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garyhgaryh 7:17PM (10/29/2007)
Were you able to drive the car in Germany when it was snowing? I heard it's illegal to drive with summer tires. Asking because I'm comtemplating ED in the winter.
Hagetaka 5:14PM (10/15/2006)
Big deal. M-B and BMW have been doing it for years. They also both have strong diplomat/military sales programs for Americans overseas. Audi never cared enough about American sales before to institute such a program; why give them press for such a no-brainer?
Saab and Volvo do have the better Euro delivery programs by far, with both higher discounts and free shipping back to the States (anytime within 5 years! after you buy it). Mercedes offers a 7 percent discount (10 percent for the military sales program) on selected models; BMW has a set lower pricing (I know in early '06, the 325 started at 27k).
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Jason 5:29PM (10/15/2006)
I rather have the free maintenance back. How many people will use Euro delivery? Not many. How many people will use free maintenance? Everyone. This is just another attempt for Audi to save $.
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Emil Rensing 6:41PM (10/15/2006)
Probably the only thing that could make my RS4 more fun would have been a few days across the pond with the Autobahn stormer...
Have I mentioned that I love my RS4? Kicks the shiznite out of my old E46 M3...
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naggs 6:40PM (10/15/2006)
my family did this when we picked up our 97 volvo 850 wagon. with the money saved off the price of the car we got a 6 week vacation in europe for free.
it was a good experience and i would recomend it to anyone.
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zegerman 6:42PM (10/15/2006)
Yo, Rob with your 335i European delivery...if you get your car in Munchen, be aware...winter=snow=need for winter tires (in some regions they are even mandatory)...even if you are lucky and get by...with summer tires and a highpo RWD car...hm...bad things can happen.
Had last winter an A4 with summer Dunlops on it...fun fun fun...when snow was 15-20cm on the highway (repeated the feat with an C220 CDI...never ever drove before with 50km/h and overtaking everyone)
So...Rob...be sure to get some winter tires...just in case.
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&& 7:40PM (10/15/2006)
Don't new cars need to be broken in properly for a few hundred miles? I'm just wondering what kind of negative effects autobahn driving might have on a brand new car...
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verdegrrl 7:57PM (10/15/2006)
#3.
Audi had a European delivery program before people in North America took 60 Minutes seriously and all but killed the brand here (http://www.manhattan-institute.org/html/cjm_18.htm). They stopped the program in the early 90s due to low sales volume. It takes a lot of specialized expertise both in taking care of government red tape, but also putting in place a system that covers all the bases for the customer. Those people and process can't be found in a day.
The Saab and Volvo programs need to be strongly subvented as do direct sales in the US, as an extra incentive to buy those brands.
Audi currently sells similar cars for less than BMW or Mercedes, so buyers continue to save.
Porsche charges you thousands for European delivery, rather than give a discount.
It's as much about the experience as the savings, if not more.
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Green Lotus Elise 8:32PM (10/15/2006)
"8. Don't new cars need to be broken in properly for a few hundred miles? I'm just wondering what kind of negative effects autobahn driving might have on a brand new car..."
I wouldn't think it would be terribly bad as long as you're not flailing on the car.
I wish Lotus would impliment something like this. Their customers are the exact type that would flock to something like this, only problem is they are a niche brand with a shoestring budget. I would have loved to picked my Elise up in Hethel and blasted around England for a week. I can still somewhat live that by flying over and renting a car but its not the same.
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SOhp101 9:12PM (10/15/2006)
re: #10,
I'm not sure if you'd really want to do that in England with the number of traffic cameras they have overseas.
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VDub 9:40PM (10/15/2006)
#4 -- There is no such thing as "free" If you want free maitenance back then be prepared to fork over more money. Audi has also announced that they will be raising the prices of their cars. The new prices will be more inline with BMW and MB. Audi needs to raise the price to stay in business in the USA. What we pay here is nothing compared to what the car costs in Europe so if the price is too much, go buy a Totoya/Lexus (Camery based IS) or Honda/Acura -- The German cars rock but you have to pay to play.
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Hagetaka 7:20AM (10/16/2006)
re #8- driving on the Autobahn is no different than driving on an American interstate, if you choose. I drove home my factory-pickup Saab 9-3 from Sweden to my home in Wuerzburg, Germany, never revving it highly, not going over 85 mph and changing speeds fairly constantly. By the time I got home, it was over 500 miles and ready for the real Autobahn treatment.
Just because it's the autobahn doesn't mean you have to drive with your pants on fire.
and re #10- what happened to Audi with the "sudden uncontrolled acceleration" was a crime, and I suppose I was wrong. But I was left with a sour taste in my mouth by the arrogance and disdain of the several German Audi dealers I dealt with (as well as the complaints of several soldiers in my unit who had bought Audis over there).
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bgdc 1:54AM (10/16/2006)
Did ED with my BMW in april of 06. In January or Feb of 08 I will do European Delivery again with a 335i.
There's nothing that can match driving your custom built car through the alps at triple digits or tearing along the Autostrada and southern French Toll Roads at 120. The drive to Nice, France from Munich was one of the highlights of my life. On the way home, the engine full broken in...the autobahn. Good lord.
It's really hard to explain the sensation. You're flying across this gorgeous snow-covered environment, people are all pulling to the right for faster traffic and you glance down at your speedo to see it north of 140 MPH. The car's rock solid and quiet, you're getting over 25 mpg and you realize how much American highways suck and this will be the ONLY way to buy new cars now.
Did I mention the savings too? 6k off sticker. Yeah I spent probably 2k during my trip, including airfare. That's why next time I'm opting for even more off-season. It's so worth it. Breakfast in Munich, drive to Southern France and have dinner in Cassis.
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bgdc 1:54AM (10/16/2006)
BTW, Rob, you paid only 3k less than sticker for your 335i on European Delivery? My god, your dealership suckered you.
And the folks worried about speed cameras - don't worry. On ED cars the vehicles have manu plates and they can't prove who had the car. European Union countries tend to look away at ED cars speeding. I've run across very few stories of any one ever getting a ticket during ED. You have to break germany's speed limits or do something really stupid to get German cops or other cops after you.
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Cars 3:32AM (10/17/2006)
WOW, It's a great offer for Americans. I
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AnonymousInsights 8:16PM (10/16/2006)
Another Audi commercial. How many Audi stories is that today?
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Dr. Woo 11:49AM (10/16/2006)
Hagetaka,
The two dealers I dealt with for service in Germany were nothing short of fantastic. Not sure where you were going. Now, the American dealers, on the other hand...
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Jscro 3:32PM (10/16/2006)
"re #8- driving on the Autobahn is no different than driving on an American interstate, if you choose. "
Wrong, because people on the Autobahn understand the simple statement "slow traffic keep right". Americans don't, and this makes high speed driving on our highways both annoying and downright dangerous when there is traffic.
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