Audi has already been hard at work to make sure that they bridge the competition gap between themselves and the current leaders from Munich, BMW. One of their latest cars, the 340-hp Audi TT RS will be making its way into showrooms beginning next month and the Audi RS5 (in 2012), which the company says will directly compete against the perennial industry leader, the BMW M3. But the A5 isn’t the only model receiving the RS treatment as Audi says they hope to broaden their brand appeal by offering more RS models throughout the range. Can you imagine how sexy an RS7 would be?
“This is part of a very effective strategy on Audi’s part to get the brand perceived to be something more,” said Jim Hall of 2953 Analytics, a consulting firm in Michigan. “Selling the RS 5 and the TT RS will continue that change of perception.”
Some of this success can already be seen as sales for Audi’s standard supercharged V6 S4 have more than tripled because the S4 maintains its high-performance characteristics while consuming 25% less fuel than the outgoing V8 model.
“The technical capabilities of the Audi brand are perfectly distilled in the RS models,” said Johan de Nysschen, Audi’s U.S. chief. “For the past few years, American sports car enthusiasts have pleaded with us to make the marque available here.”
However, there is one thing that still confuses me. Audi’s expansion and plans to offer more RS models is all grand and fine. But who would want to spend $100,000+ on a bonkers Volkswagen Golf-based Audi TT? Apparently the demand is out there because 11,500 Facebook fans signed a petition to bring the TT RS model to the US.
2011 Audi RS5:
- By: Chris Chin
Source: Bloomberg
