"Small equals cheap' mentality means we won't get Audi A1 in US

America may have developed a taste for MINIs over the last several years, but apparently Johan de Nysschen doesn't think it goes far enough. Audi of America president de Nysschen would like to bring the brand's new A1 to the U.S. market, but it doesn't look like Americans are ready yet to pay upwards of $25,000 for a subcompact. MINI dealers might argue with that assessment; especially with John Cooper Works models going out the door at over $30K. Nonetheless, when Audi of America went to its dealers, they were thinking closer to $18,000 as a starting price. de Nysschen believes that Audi needs to establish itself more solidly as a premium brand in the U.S. market before it can dip that low in the market. As a result, we probably won't get the A1 here until the next-generation model in 5-6 years. The status of an electric car that may be based on the A1 remains unknown for the U.S. at this time.

[Source: Automotive News - sub. req'd]