# A3 On Sale Date



## Travis Grundke (May 26, 1999)

Confirmed today: April 3

Get it - A3....April 3?

No, it's not a coincidence. The marketing guys are having some fun. 

Cars should start arriving at dealerships the last week of March.


----------



## Dan Halen (May 16, 2002)

Well son of a bitch. August for the S3 is a lie after all. Clearly it will go on sale September 3. :facepalm:

I'd ask, but I'm sure your sources have been directed by Audi to not even plan for that for another six months.

Any thoughts on the number of people who will be showing up here the last couple days of March already having taken delivery? It's going to happen... you know it.


----------



## jrwamp (Mar 25, 2011)

I am pretty curious to see how active this forum gets once people start taking delivery. Curious about what percentage of A3 buyers will be enthusiasts, my guess is not a ton. 

I have to say though, part of what is drawing me to the S3 and Audi is from currently having a MK6 GTI, I've gotten really tired of the vw 'scene' and like how this page doesn't devolve into mindless trolling and measuring contests. More mature crowd, which I'm sure relates somewhat to the price of the car. Point is, I'm liking this forum and the company.

If it does end up being September 3rd for the S3, so be it. We've waited this long.... :banghead:


----------



## Dan Halen (May 16, 2002)

jrwamp said:


> I have to say though, part of what is drawing me to the S3 and Audi is from currently having a MK6 GTI, I've gotten really tired of the vw 'scene' and like how this page doesn't devolve into mindless trolling and measuring contests. More mature crowd, which I'm sure relates somewhat to the price of the car. Point is, I'm liking this forum and the company.


I'm right there with you. Even the 8P A3 forum seems to have a couple goobers, but it's not nearly as much as any of the mainstream VW forums. Traffic in the 8P forum is through the roof when compared to other 4T subforums, but against any of the VW subforums, it's really pretty slow.

It's my hope that the price point and the still relative obscurity of the Audi brand will keep this place together for a while- at least as it pertains to the signal-to-noise ratio. Having been around in a moderator capacity for the decline of two subforums now, though (MkIV and MkV), I'm cautiously optimistic. The death knell for mature, meaningful conversation will be directly proportional to the used market price for these cars in a couple years, so...

Don't go out and push for invoice pricing when you buy! :laugh:

Our biggest challenge short-term will be remaining patient as new people show up and ask questions that we've answered months ago. It won't be too long now before we have content solid enough for the construction of an FAQ section. As it is, we've collectively been all over the place in threads as we struggle with Audi's massive indecision on all things A3 and S3. I think we'll be able to narrow our focus a bit here pretty soon, and at that point we'll really be able to start building good content which will be relevant to new members.


----------



## [email protected] (Apr 9, 2004)

Thanks for the investment in time in keeping this forum quality guys. We're not the biggest Audi forum going and the association with VWvortex can add challenges given the breadth of other VAG owners who may find their way in here, but your efforts are most appreciated. We put a lot of work into making the Fourtitude blog/galleries, etc. a major resource, but forums are up to quality owners/enthusiasts like you. So THANKS.

BTW, I spoke to product planners at Detroit and am told S3 is NOT late intro. Fingers crossed they're right, but not sure why they'd tell me incorrect intel.


----------



## Dan Halen (May 16, 2002)

[email protected] said:


> Thanks for the investment in time in keeping this forum quality guys. We're not the biggest Audi forum going and the association with VWvortex can add challenges given the breadth of other VAG owners who may find their way in here, but your efforts are most appreciated. We put a lot of work into making the Fourtitude blog/galleries, etc. a major resource, but forums are up to quality owners/enthusiasts like you. So THANKS.


 :thumbup:



[email protected] said:


> BTW, I spoke to product planners at Detroit and am told S3 is NOT late intro. Fingers crossed they're right, but not sure why they'd tell me incorrect intel.


Tim had alluded to something similar here in his Detroit coverage thread. I remain hopeful but realistic, as it would seem they're running out of time to make it happen unless it's going to be a surprise of sorts. I say they're running out of time based on feedback from Brian at Audi North Scottsdale, who says they generally release pricing and ordering information three months ahead of launch. A historical trend is by no means a solid predictor of future outcomes, but one does have to wonder...

Until it happens, I'll continue to wear out this armchair with my quarterbacking.


----------



## Zorro83 (Sep 10, 2011)

[email protected] said:


> Thanks for the investment in time in keeping this forum quality guys. We're not the biggest Audi forum going and the association with VWvortex can add challenges given the breadth of other VAG owners who may find their way in here, but your efforts are most appreciated. We put a lot of work into making the Fourtitude blog/galleries, etc. a major resource, but forums are up to quality owners/enthusiasts like you. So THANKS.
> 
> BTW, I spoke to product planners at Detroit and am told *S3 is NOT late intro*. Fingers crossed they're right, but not sure why they'd tell me incorrect intel.


So does that mean that August is still on the plan for the US?

i just put down a deposit with my dealership (MTL), i'm 9th on the list for S3s and he said 3rd quarter deliveries but that anyting can happen.


----------



## davewg (Jul 30, 2001)

jrwamp said:


> I have to say though, part of what is drawing me to the S3 and Audi is from currently having a MK6 GTI, I've gotten really tired of the vw 'scene' and like how this page doesn't devolve into mindless trolling and measuring contests. More mature crowd, which I'm sure relates somewhat to the price of the car. Point is, I'm liking this forum and the company.


I'm on board with this sentiment too. Already the Mk VII Golf forums have started to de-evolve into discussions of the MPI v non-MPI motors, and how much scotch can be gotten out of the EA888 engine with which ever tuning company happens to be the flavor of the month.

While I'm still seriously between an A3 or a Golf R there is a lot to be said for solid, worthwhile forum support. I don't plan to modify my car in extreme, but still value tips/techniques regarding whatever vehicle I wind up with. Not to mention advice regarding service, dealers and so on.

Sometimes, I feel, in the VW world if you're not modding it, slamming it, etc you're not "with it".

We'll see what happens.


----------



## jrwamp (Mar 25, 2011)

[email protected] said:


> Thanks for the investment in time in keeping this forum quality guys. We're not the biggest Audi forum going and the association with VWvortex can add challenges given the breadth of other VAG owners who may find their way in here, but your efforts are most appreciated. We put a lot of work into making the Fourtitude blog/galleries, etc. a major resource, but forums are up to quality owners/enthusiasts like you. So THANKS.
> 
> BTW, I spoke to product planners at Detroit and am told S3 is NOT late intro. Fingers crossed they're right, but not sure why they'd tell me incorrect intel.





Zorro83 said:


> So does that mean that August is still on the plan for the US?
> 
> i just put down a deposit with my dealership (MTL), i'm 9th on the list for S3s and he said 3rd quarter deliveries but that anyting can happen.


I think what he's saying is that he heard at the auto show that the S3 is going to be launched at the same time as the A3, if I remember the thread correctly.


----------



## Dan Halen (May 16, 2002)

jrwamp said:


> I think what he's saying is that he heard at the auto show that the S3 is going to be launched at the same time as the A3, if I remember the thread correctly.


:thumbup: That.

That's the implication from "the thread," at least.



Zorro83 said:


> i just put down a deposit with my dealership (MTL), i'm 9th on the list for S3s and he said 3rd quarter deliveries but that anyting can happen.




Dang... already nine people in front of you? Yikes.


----------



## Rudy_H (Jul 6, 2012)

I still doubt A3 along side the S3, sorry to say. I think that was an initial rumor, but we moved past that lol. 

Seeing as no solid pricing from neither Canada or US indicates no where close. I agree with a September 3rd date lol


----------



## Zorro83 (Sep 10, 2011)

Dan Halen said:


> :thumbup: That.
> 
> That's the implication from "the thread," at least.
> 
> ...


I know but he has guaranteed that i will def. get one of the 1st batches...i'm still keeping an eye on Ottawa but the MTL dealership is one of the biggest and their allotment is much greater than Ottawa, also the MTL dealer agreed to "discussing" the price. I know that doesn't mean that i'll get significant savings but if i can save $1000 that's still something...while the Ottawa guy has straight up declined any negociating, MSRP = selling price :screwy:


----------



## davewg (Jul 30, 2001)

[email protected] said:


> Thanks for the investment in time in keeping this forum quality guys. We're not the biggest Audi forum going and the association with VWvortex can add challenges given the breadth of other VAG owners who may find their way in here, but your efforts are most appreciated. We put a lot of work into making the Fourtitude blog/galleries, etc. a major resource, but forums are up to quality owners/enthusiasts like you. So THANKS.


As far as a a forum for MQB A3 information I haven't found a better source than right here. :thumbup:

My thanks to everyone too.


----------



## [email protected] (Apr 9, 2004)

Zorro83 said:


> So does that mean that August is still on the plan for the US?
> 
> i just put down a deposit with my dealership (MTL), i'm 9th on the list for S3s and he said 3rd quarter deliveries but that anyting can happen.


The conversation went like this...

Me: "I'm hearing delayed introduction for S3. Is that true?"

AoA Product Planner: "Not True."

Me: "So same time as A3?"

AoA Product Planner: "Correct"

Me: "Pricing isn't out yet."

AoA Product Planner: "It will be shortly."

This goes counter to what most dealerships have heard. I'm not sure why there's a difference between the two lines, but that's what I know. I will ask more when I have an opportunity.


----------



## [email protected] (Apr 9, 2004)

One other thing. They could be trying to manage expectations. I looked into us getting one via our contacts internally and I was told cars will be "tight". I also inquired whether there was any possible way we could buy the Sepang Blue car that was on display at the NAIAS. The answer was that this particular car was German spec. That's interesting and could point to the dealers having a better line. Last time I was in Ingolstadt I'd seen production units of A3 but not S3... but that was months ago.


----------



## Dan Halen (May 16, 2002)

[email protected] said:


> The conversation went like this...
> 
> Me: "I'm hearing delayed introduction for S3. Is that true?"
> 
> ...


Yep. Even as recently as this past weekend, Scott Keogh allegedly told a forum member "August" when asked when we could expect to see the S3. I don't believe he's lying; rather, I believe he's "managing expectations," as you say.


----------



## The DarkSide (Aug 4, 2000)

August would be a nice anniversary present to.. myself. :laugh:


----------



## [email protected] (Apr 9, 2004)

Dan Halen said:


> Yep. Even as recently as this past weekend, Scott Keogh allegedly told a forum member "August" when asked when we could expect to see the S3. I don't believe he's lying; rather, I believe he's "managing expectations," as you say.


Likely so. I'll sniff around some more.


----------



## Dan Halen (May 16, 2002)

[email protected] said:


> Likely so. I'll sniff around some more.


Could you sniff around on Exclusive as well? I'm reeeeeeeeeeeealy wanting to know just how "delayed" its availability will be. They're starting to leak timelines for things like Euro Delivery availability, so hopefully they have something in mind.


----------



## MaX PL (Apr 10, 2006)

so is the Super Bowl the official reveal of pricing for A3 and possibly S3?
i assume we'll get a press release and pricing monday morning.


----------



## v6er (Dec 18, 2000)

The DarkSide said:


> August would be a nice anniversary present to.. myself. :laugh:


Ha, August would be a great birthday present for me. Wife has already given the A-OK!

My problem is the color. All my cars have been silver - I know I know BORING - but hey that's my style! Thought I had my mind set on a white S3, then I see the Sepang Blue S3 and damn that looks good!

By the way, any guesses as to what this will be?

http://youtu.be/82Z--s_4uNA


----------



## Dan Halen (May 16, 2002)

MaX PL said:


> so is the Super Bowl the official reveal of pricing for A3 and possibly S3?
> i assume we'll get a press release and pricing monday morning.


The comprehensive A3 pricing has been available for two weeks. While we may see S3 pricing (we've been told “February" for S3 pricing, though we don't know whether it will be base pricing or full pricing), I sort of doubt it will be released with the official A3 commercial launch on Sunday. There's no mention of the S3 in the commercial, so it wouldn't really be relevant.

I hope they are planning to cut comprehensive S3 pricing loose in February for an April/ May release of stock, but my fear is that we'll get base pricing only, with comprehensive pricing coming in May and cars in August.

Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk


----------



## Dan Halen (May 16, 2002)

v6er said:


> Ha, August would be a great birthday present for me. Wife has already given the A-OK!
> 
> My problem is the color. All my cars have been silver - I know I know BORING - but hey that's my style! Thought I had my mind set on a white S3, then I see the Sepang Blue S3 and damn that looks good!
> 
> ...


Not a clue. Is there some major trade event during that time (February 12)? Or is this something Audi is doing on their own?

Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk


----------



## tekmo (Nov 30, 2013)




----------



## JGreen76 (Aug 25, 2012)

Being in the Car Sales, August is one of the busiest months of the year and Sept tends to fall off. That being said, I am sure Audi will capitalize on August. Also, rich parents will be able to put their kids in the S3 before shoving them off to school, must be nice.

As much as I want a S3, I think my impatience is going to have me pull the trigger on a CPO TTRS..... But I am pretty damn excited about that too.


----------



## caliatenza (Dec 10, 2006)

jrwamp said:


> I am pretty curious to see how active this forum gets once people start taking delivery. Curious about what percentage of A3 buyers will be enthusiasts, my guess is not a ton.
> 
> I have to say though, part of what is drawing me to the S3 and Audi is from currently having a MK6 GTI, I've gotten really tired of the vw 'scene' and like how this page doesn't devolve into mindless trolling and measuring contests. More mature crowd, which I'm sure relates somewhat to the price of the car. Point is, I'm liking this forum and the company.
> 
> If it does end up being September 3rd for the S3, so be it. We've waited this long.... :banghead:


i'm an enthusiast and i'm really looking hard at the A3 cause i think the S3 will just be out of my budget now. If the 1.8T with an APR flash is making that much of power, then who knows what the 2.0T will make.


----------



## caliatenza (Dec 10, 2006)

JGreen76 said:


> Being in the Car Sales, August is one of the busiest months of the year and Sept tends to fall off. That being said, I am sure Audi will capitalize on August. Also, rich parents will be able to put their kids in the S3 before shoving them off to school, must be nice.
> 
> As much as I want a S3, I think my impatience is going to have me pull the trigger on a CPO TTRS..... But I am pretty damn excited about that too.


i guess i fall in the rich kid category  , but i'm still looking at a budget too.


----------



## Dan Halen (May 16, 2002)

tekmo said:


>


Umm...

That's March 23 or so, so... 

Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk


----------



## lotuselan (Apr 9, 2008)

Two different salemen from two different dealers in Houston TX told me the same thing, late April for the A3. For the S3 they just say late in summer. Which here is October.


----------



## Shoe37 (Jan 23, 2014)

Man, time goes by so slowly waiting for this car to come out! I'm really hoping they add new wheel options soon, I'm not a fan of the 10-spoke wheels on the premium plus and prestige packages. Is it be possible to remove some of the standard features on the packages to lower the price? For example, could I remove the aluminum-style package from the premium-plus to save some money? I'm curious on how much customization they allow for ordering.


----------



## Dan Halen (May 16, 2002)

Unfortunately not. 

They've bundled these things up so tightly that it's really an “all or nothing" scenario. They're the anti-Porsche. 

Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk


----------



## BrutusA3 (Jul 10, 2013)

I know what the answer is going to be but hoping not (this is how we package blah blah blah), but any possible chance to get the sport package on the premium, any dealer know how to pull that string, I am happy to special order? I am not trying to remove an individual component from a package, only get 1 package available for premium. I really do not want to spend $3000G for a package just to get the sport pack and get wheels which I do not care for and prefer the other wheels. Essentially the way I see it is paying a lot more and then being unhappy with the wheels, thus spending even more money, so I can see this costing me more like $4000 or more depending on wheels with a new set of 5 spokes for what I want. This puts the car into not so good a value forcing me to look elsewhere. 

As a side note when do we think reviews from the U.S. pubs will start to appear for real, not the previews run on euro spec models.


----------



## ChrisFu (Jun 9, 2012)

BrutusA3 said:


> I know what the answer is going to be but hoping not (this is how we package blah blah blah), but any possible chance to get the sport package on the premium, any dealer know how to pull that string, I am happy to special order? I am not trying to remove an individual component from a package, only get 1 package available for premium. I really do not want to spend $3000G for a package just to get the sport pack and get wheels which I do not care for and prefer the other wheels. Essentially the way I see it is paying a lot more and then being unhappy with the wheels, thus spending even more money, so I can see this costing me more like $4000 or more depending on wheels with a new set of 5 spokes for what I want. This puts the car into not so good a value forcing me to look elsewhere.


These things are bundled together SPECIFICALLY to force you to spend that extra $3k to "unlock" the sport package. Margin, margin, margin.

This is the way cars are marketed in the USA. It would be fantastic to get the a la carte options like you see on the Audi.de configurators, but it just isnt the case here. They make a lot more money bundling.

Once in a rare moon do they offer a prototypically desirable package/option on a tier lower trim level (perfect example, 2014 S-line competition package on the A5 was available on Premium+, hence I pulled the trigger because I saved $4k from buying all the Prestige crap I didnt want)


----------



## ProjectA3 (Aug 12, 2005)

dealers CANNOT make custom orders on packages that dont belong with a particular trim level.

the only thing we can do custom and non-RS/ R8/A8 models is exterior color or $3,900 option through Audi Exclusive.

package and interior changes are not possibe


----------



## [email protected] (Apr 9, 2004)

Dan Halen said:


> Could you sniff around on Exclusive as well? I'm reeeeeeeeeeeealy wanting to know just how "delayed" its availability will be. They're starting to leak timelines for things like Euro Delivery availability, so hopefully they have something in mind.


As far as I know, it's opened back up now to all models but not sure about A3 delay. Will ask. Treffen was at Daytona last weekend too. Drat.


----------



## nickjs1984 (Jul 30, 2009)

v6er said:


> By the way, any guesses as to what this will be?
> 
> http://youtu.be/82Z--s_4uNA


New TT, says Jalopnik.


----------



## jubasa (Oct 15, 2010)

davewg said:


> As far as a a forum for MQB A3 information I haven't found a better source than right here. :thumbup:
> 
> My thanks to everyone too.


Yes, absolutely. A big thank you to all contributors for the great info here about the A3/S3 MQB. Highly appreciated :thumbup:


----------



## [email protected] (Apr 9, 2004)

Okay, I have no new direct intel yet however I just got the invite for the press launch for A3 1.8 and 2.0 in March. I don't want to read too much into it because I know they've said before they're going to be really tight on S3s in the beginning, but if S3 isn't part of that launch then maybe that does confirm a late intro. More to come.


----------



## ProjectA3 (Aug 12, 2005)

the S3 will NOT be available at launch.

if it were then we dealers would have order guides, they would show up in AIM (Audi Inventory Management) to be able to order and the emails im exchanging with people at AoA would be telling me to expect the car sooner than later. 
my hunch is they will do S3, A3 Cab, and Q3 later this year and space them out over a few months to keep Audi in the media


----------



## fast16 (Oct 14, 2010)

ProjectA3 said:


> the S3 will NOT be available at launch.
> 
> if it were then we dealers would have order guides, they would show up in AIM (Audi Inventory Management) to be able to order and the emails im exchanging with people at AoA would be telling me to expect the car sooner than later.
> my hunch is they will do S3, A3 Cab, and Q3 later this year and space them out over a few months to keep Audi in the media


Any info on the A3 TDI yet?


----------



## [email protected] (Apr 9, 2004)

ProjectA3 said:


> the S3 will NOT be available at launch.
> 
> if it were then we dealers would have order guides, they would show up in AIM (Audi Inventory Management) to be able to order and the emails im exchanging with people at AoA would be telling me to expect the car sooner than later.
> my hunch is they will do S3, A3 Cab, and Q3 later this year and space them out over a few months to keep Audi in the media


Brian, I know what you've heard. You also know what I've heard and who I've heard it from, which is the cause for the confusion.


----------



## Dan Halen (May 16, 2002)

[email protected] said:


> Brian, I know what you've heard. You also know what I've heard and who I've heard it from, which is the cause for the confusion.


Sadly, this comedy of errors is what we've come to expect with this launch. :facepalm:


----------



## The DarkSide (Aug 4, 2000)

A few months back I got a random email from the sales person I bought my A4 from (back in 2011) asking how the car was doing and yell if we needed anything. I sent him an email to keep me up to date on the S3 when it comes back. His response was they were getting a demo car and a few coming late march (adlibing) etc. I responded back that I thought the *S*3 wasn't coming till August or later and his response was "yeah that's what we are hearing as well."

I just find it amusing.. I feel like half the time I go to buy a car I know more than the sales man about it. Just surprising as I'd think that if your job was to sell cars you'd want to know everything about them that you possibly could.


----------



## bleibh01 (Oct 18, 2009)

*uncaring*



The DarkSide said:


> A few months back I got a random email from the sales person I bought my A4 from (back in 2011) asking how the car was doing and yell if we needed anything. I sent him an email to keep me up to date on the S3 when it comes back. His response was they were getting a demo car and a few coming late march (adlibing) etc. I responded back that I thought the *S*3 wasn't coming till August or later and his response was "yeah that's what we are hearing as well."
> 
> I just find it amusing.. I feel like half the time I go to buy a car I know more than the sales man about it. Just surprising as I'd think that if your job was to sell cars you'd want to know everything about them that you possibly could.


Yeah, you'd think so wouldn't you. I've purchased many cars over the years and often thought shouldn't the salesperson be knowlegebale with there products. You can tell many salespeople see this as just a job and have no passion or interest in cars. I believe those people should not be representing any auto manufacturers brands. Im personally sick of seeing a salesperson that diesnt know what they are selling and theyre always moving from dealer to dealer.


----------



## Rudy_H (Jul 6, 2012)

[email protected] said:


> Brian, I know what you've heard. You also know what I've heard and who I've heard it from, which is the cause for the confusion.


It doesn't make sense though. There are going to be Audi A3's on the dealer lots next month, and currently in transit here in Canada. Orders have been taken and should be here in April for the consumer.

You can't even order a S3 yet, not even a single word on the S3's only that pricing will be released @ NYIAS in April, with orders I am sure not that long after. 

I think it was being loosely that it will be 'launched with the A3' (both as 2015's within a few months of each other), vs say the B8 A4 / S4 where the A4 was launched in NA 2009, and the S4 came along a year later in 2010. Not saying anyone was wrong, just how it was likely worded means a broad spectrum of time over the course of the year.


----------



## davewg (Jul 30, 2001)

I just did an A3 build and then plugged in my zip code to check inventory.

My local Audi dealer shows the following 5 cars:

All are Contact for Availability, so I know they don't actually have the cars, but its interesting to see the mix. That they refer to it as a Wagon...well just more AoA fumbling with the release and info on the car.

All are boring variations of grey/black
All have black interiors
All are Premium package 

2015 Audi A3 Premium Wagon 
2.0-liter TFSI four-cylinder engine
Exterior: Monsoon Gray Metallic
Interior: Black
Engine: 2.0-liter TFSI four-cylinder engine
Drivetrain: quattro
Transmission: Automatic
City MPG: 3
Highway MPG: 3
Fuel Type: Gas
Doors: 4 door
Body Style: Wagon
Stock Number: F1003553
Vin: WAUBFGFF5F1003553
$35,300

2015 Audi A3 Premium Wagon
2.0-liter TFSI four-cylinder engine
Exterior: Brilliant Black
Interior: Black
Engine: 2.0-liter TFSI four-cylinder engine
Drivetrain: quattro
Transmission: Automatic
City MPG: 3
Highway MPG: 3
Fuel Type: Gas
Doors: 4 door
Body Style: Wagon
Stock Number: F1003069
Vin: WAUBFGFF0F1003069
$34,750

2015 Audi A3 Premium Wagon
1.8-liter TFSI four-cylinder engine
Exterior: Monsoon Gray Metallic
Interior: Black
Engine: 1.8-liter TFSI four-cylinder engine
Drivetrain: FWD
Transmission: Automatic
City MPG: 3
Highway MPG: 3
Fuel Type: Gas
Doors: 4 door
Body Style: Wagon
Stock Number: F1003740
Vin: WAUACGFF9F1003740
$32,150

2015 Audi A3 Premium Wagon
1.8-liter TFSI four-cylinder engine
Exterior: Monsoon Gray Metallic
Interior: Black
Engine: 1.8-liter TFSI four-cylinder engine
Drivetrain: FWD
Transmission:
City MPG: 3
Highway MPG: 3
Fuel Type: Gas
Doors: 4 door
Body Style: Wagon
Stock Number: 145217
Vin: WAUACGFF5F1003766
Price unavailable

2015 Audi A3 Premium Wagon
1.8-liter TFSI four-cylinder engine
Exterior: Brilliant Black
Interior: Black
Engine: 1.8-liter TFSI four-cylinder engine
Drivetrain: FWD
Transmission:
City MPG: 3
Highway MPG: 3
Fuel Type: Gas
Doors: 4 door
Body Style: Wagon
Stock Number: 145221
Vin: WAUACGFF2F1004258
Price unavailable


----------



## Dan Halen (May 16, 2002)

VINs!!!

I've been waiting for VINs to get an insurance quote. Would prefer an S3 VIN, though... meh.

... but...

What the actual fark? Those are German VINs. These cars are built in Györ, Hungary. Hungary is assigned TR-TV in the first two character locations.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vehicle_identification_number


----------



## Dan Halen (May 16, 2002)

I tried that last VIN (WAUACGFF2F1004258) in CarFax. It isn't recognized.


----------



## davewg (Jul 30, 2001)

Its AoA. Anyone's guess as to whether the VINs are accurate.

Did you try them with the Gyor codes insead of WA?


----------



## Dan Halen (May 16, 2002)

davewg said:


> Its AoA. Anyone's guess as to whether the VINs are accurate.
> 
> Did you try them with the Gyor codes insead of WA?


I actually get error messages there. I suspect there's probably a conflict with the plant identifier (11th character) by changing just the first two.

I dunno... it's just odd that they start with W. From a TTRS on AutoTrader: TRUB3AFK6D1901409. That car is assembled in Györ as well.

... and just because... look at that color! 

http://www.audidtla.com/new/Audi/2013-Audi-TT+RS-Los-Angeles-66bb66af0a0a00e0012b753040163ea3.htm

Anyway, I've tried to key one of the A3 VINs in multiple decoders, and it bombs in each of them. We'll see in time, I suppose.


----------



## Dan Halen (May 16, 2002)

Another possibility: they're doing final assembly in Germany for some reason. Apparently VIN is assigned based on final assembly point, which makes sense as the TT has only been partially assembled at Györ in prior years (and maybe still).

My salesman referenced a similar situation with Boxsters at some point in the past. <shrug>

If it's really the case, the fact that they're doing final assembly in (presumably) Ingolstadt is a headscratcher.


----------



## Dan Halen (May 16, 2002)

Digging a bit deeper, it looks like someone probably just assed up the VIN assignments. The 11th character is a "1", not an "A", which tells me they are Györ cars: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Volkswagen_Group_factories

Audis coming out of Györ have VINs beginning with TRU. The listed VINs here are WAU. Still, when I changed the first two characters and left all else the same, it didn't work. I suspect some of the other model info (characters 4-9) are borked. Characters 10 and 11 are correct, and 12-17 represent production sequence. Frankly, those look right.

I love a good puzzle. So much so that I'm now thoroughly distracted.


----------



## davewg (Jul 30, 2001)

Dan Halen said:


> I love a good puzzle. So much so that I'm now thoroughly distracted.


This.


----------



## davewg (Jul 30, 2001)

...and you were right about that color. Wow.


----------



## ChrisFu (Jun 9, 2012)

Dan Halen said:


> ... and just because... look at that color! .


I dont see any photos, or even a listing on the sellers website


----------



## davewg (Jul 30, 2001)

ChrisFu said:


> I dont see any photos, or even a listing on the sellers website


Lookee here

http://www.audidtla.com/new/Audi/2013-Audi-TT+RS-Los-Angeles-66bb66af0a0a00e0012b753040163ea3.htm


----------



## Dan Halen (May 16, 2002)

davewg said:


> Lookee here
> 
> http://www.audidtla.com/new/Audi/2013-Audi-TT+RS-Los-Angeles-66bb66af0a0a00e0012b753040163ea3.htm


Thanks. :thumbup:


----------



## vtmsf (Jan 29, 2014)

These are listed as wagons


----------



## Dan Halen (May 16, 2002)

vtmsf said:


> These are listed as wagons


Yep. That's the least of my concerns in decoding this puzzle right now. :laugh:


----------



## cwyattrun (Jan 26, 2014)

Dan Halen said:


> Yep. That's the least of my concerns in decoding this puzzle right now. :laugh:


I'm picturing you with a ruler, some graph paper, a compass, a magnifying glass and an abacus. The A-Team theme is playing.


----------



## davewg (Jul 30, 2001)

cwyattrun said:


> I'm picturing you with a ruler, some graph paper, a compass, a magnifying glass and an abacus. The A-Team theme is playing.


I pictured this


----------



## ProjectA3 (Aug 12, 2005)

these are pre-spec launch cars that should show up in march but probably wont be for sale.


----------



## Dan Halen (May 16, 2002)

ProjectA3 said:


> these are pre-spec launch cars that should show up in march but probably wont be for sale.


Right. So they're just going to recall all of them and send them to the crusher after they rack up enough miles? 

The problem remains that those VINs aren't correct. Positions 1 and 11 are in disagreement with each other. They resolve to the Györ factory in Germany, which... yeah.

Edit: I didn't intend for that to come across as snarky if it did. I just see you calling them preproduction units, and I see what appear to be arbitrary VINs assigned to them, so I envision that they're really no different than the unsellable show circuit cars save for the requisite NHTSA-mandated things such as side markers on these demo cars. 

It would be a damn shame for them to waste what we have come to understand to be precious manufacturing resources on units destined for the crusher, but maybe they had no choice and had to Frankenstein these things in Ingolstadt on order to meet the numbers.

This thing gets stranger by the day.


----------



## Dan Halen (May 16, 2002)

cwyattrun said:


> I'm picturing you with a ruler, some graph paper, a compass, a magnifying glass and an abacus. The A-Team theme is playing.





davewg said:


> I pictured this


The both of you are, sadly, too generous in your imaginations. My tools aren't nearly as elegant.

As a (not so) aside, is the inclusion of a VIN in an ad just a North American thing? It's like rocket surgery to get a VIN for cars in Germany, I tell you! :laugh:


----------



## caliatenza (Dec 10, 2006)

i should fire off an email to that sales girl that i'm in contact with from time to time, see what she says. But then again i'm not buying untill towards the end of this year or even next...


----------



## [email protected] (Apr 9, 2004)

Dan Halen said:


> Sadly, this comedy of errors is what we've come to expect with this launch. :facepalm:


In their defense, there's a lot going on here that requires a fair degree of planning on the back end. This is a new factory, an all-new model for this market and one that will add a ton of customer volume on an already busy dealer network. 

My best guess is that inventory on A3 will be larger. If S3 isn't delayed (and I'm re-checking on this) then inventories will be really tight.


----------



## Dan Halen (May 16, 2002)

[email protected] said:


> In their defense, there's a lot going on here that requires a fair degree of planning on the back end. This is a new factory, an all-new model for this market and one that will add a ton of customer volume on an already busy dealer network.
> 
> My best guess is that inventory on A3 will be larger. If S3 isn't delayed (and I'm re-checking on this) then inventories will be really tight.


I know, George. The biggest lingering gripe is probably that they stood up other markets in Györ before the market for which this car was designed. Add in the amount of time that they've been parading this car around the show circuit (in concept and production form), and it's just frustrating.

I understand why they didn't begin US shipments in June when Györ came on-line for the A3. Still, we're frustrated. I do understand that, for the mainstream consumer, the A3 has been a known product for all of two days. 

But still...

:laugh:

If you're prying about the S3, could you find out if the speculation that it's going to be about 10% of overall volume for 2014 should hold true?


----------



## Travis Grundke (May 26, 1999)

[email protected] said:


> In their defense, there's a lot going on here that requires a fair degree of planning on the back end. This is a new factory, an all-new model for this market and one that will add a ton of customer volume on an already busy dealer network.
> 
> My best guess is that inventory on A3 will be larger. If S3 isn't delayed (and I'm re-checking on this) then inventories will be really tight.


I'll add to George's comments: a given factory has the ability to build so many cars. Let's call it 120,000 annually in the Gyor A3 factory's case. This is a best case scenario, of course, with everything running properly, no equipment malfunctions and parts being delivered in a timely fashion. This also means that there are no externalities such as floods, causing delays (as happened last autumn in Hungary). 

With that number, each reason is allocated a certain number of units. I have no idea what these figures are, but I do know that there are often battles between regional product managers to get allocation. 

Now, assume that the "best case" number is unobtanium and there will always be kinks in the works that range from supplier issues to quality control problems. Chances are good that the line is still running below capacity in order to ensure quality, _especially_ on units bound for us. 

We know that Audi of America is targeting about 20,000 units this year, or about 2,200 units per month. The factory has a maximum output of around 10,000 units/month. Gyor has been running at 'capacity' since last June (remember - the figure for 'capacity' fluctuates based on a whole host of factors), and still cannot meet demand. 

Case in point - the UK has seen order times continue to slip.

Audi is in a different situation from BMW and Mercedes, especially when it comes to the US market. Call it growing pains, but just remember one thing: of those 2,200 units per month how many are going to enthusiasts like us, bemoaning a slow rollout, and how many are going to the prototypical car buyer who could care less, nevertheless even know that the A3 exists at the moment?

This, I imagine, is how product planners sleep at night.


----------



## tekmo (Nov 30, 2013)

This just in from my dealer in Canada, Toronto:
"_A3 orders should be leaving Halifax for the dealership on the 6th of April. So it should be first 1/2 of the month when they arrive._"


----------



## Dan Halen (May 16, 2002)

nickjs1984 said:


> New TT, says Jalopnik.


Looking doubtful.



















The console doesn't look like it is what's in the A3, at least from the rear, but... I dunno.

... dat side profile. 






Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk


----------



## T1no (Sep 22, 2012)

new A4 or Sport Quattro


----------



## ProjectA3 (Aug 12, 2005)

Dan Halen said:


> Right. So they're just going to recall all of them and send them to the crusher after they rack up enough miles?
> 
> The problem remains that those VINs aren't correct. Positions 1 and 11 are in disagreement with each other. They resolve to the Györ factory in Germany, which... yeah.
> 
> ...


These are full US-spec production cars. "they wont be for sale" means they are strictly for dealership loaner car or demo car status and Lease Plan cars. After we have them for 8-10 months we have the opportunity to sell them as CPO cars.
these will not see the crusher and will eventually be owned by any individual that wants to purchase them down the line.


----------



## nickjs1984 (Jul 30, 2009)

Hmm...I'm now totally stumped, then. I guess we have just a few more days to wait on this one (to see it, that is).



Dan Halen said:


> Looking doubtful.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


----------



## v6er (Dec 18, 2000)

I'm thinking S1.



Dan Halen said:


> Looking doubtful.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


----------



## Pat_McGroin (Oct 17, 2010)

My guess is Sport quattro


----------



## Dan Halen (May 16, 2002)

Pat_McGroin said:


> My guess is Sport quattro


The seats would sort of say so, but the second image really looks like a sedan profile to me. I can make out a rear door window, and it even looks like there's a window under a D-pillar as well.


----------



## jrwamp (Mar 25, 2011)

I'm thinking it's the S1 as well, I can't recall where exactly but somewhere in their press they mentioned the car having a number in the name. It also coincides with them showing the car in Geneva next month.


----------



## qtroCUB (Mar 22, 2005)

I will go with S1 quattro... armrest design matches the A1


----------



## Dan Halen (May 16, 2002)

qtroCUB said:


> I will go with S1 quattro... armrest design matches the A1


:thumbup: I figured that would ID it.


----------



## Pat_McGroin (Oct 17, 2010)

Dan Halen said:


> The seats would sort of say so, but the second image really looks like a sedan profile to me. I can make out a rear door window, and it even looks like there's a window under a D-pillar as well.


Ahh very true, don't know how I missed that :/


----------



## JOES1.8T (Sep 8, 2003)

I would love to own the any variant of the A1. Those little suckers are quick especially the A1 Quattro.


----------



## [email protected] (Apr 9, 2004)

Okay, I've finally gotten back with my contact at AoA... the same guy who I spoke to about S3 at NAIAS. Unfortunately, I've got no good news and that's the result of poor wording on my part. We were chatting casually at NAIAS and I'd asked if the S3 would launch as planned or be delayed. He answered "as planned.". I said I'd heard there'd been a delay and he said he'd heard of no such thing. I felt pretty sure when I came in here.

Turns out his view of launch (MY changeover... so late summer/early fall as is usual) was always the planned launch time and is the same time for the Cabriolet. He also confirmed pricing would be out in a 'few more weeks'.

So there you go. I must eat crow as I was wrong.... and that's really unfortunate not simply because I was wrong but because I was hoping the S3 would be out momentarily.


----------



## caliatenza (Dec 10, 2006)

[email protected] said:


> Okay, I've finally gotten back with my contact at AoA... the same guy who I spoke to about S3 at NAIAS. Unfortunately, I've got no good news and that's the result of poor wording on my part. We were chatting casually at NAIAS and I'd asked if the S3 would launch as planned or be delayed. He answered "as planned.". I said I'd heard there'd been a delay and he said he'd heard of no such thing. I felt pretty sure when I came in here.
> 
> Turns out his view of launch (MY changeover... so late summer/early fall as is usual) was always the planned launch time and is the same time for the Cabriolet. He also confirmed pricing would be out in a 'few more weeks'.
> 
> So there you go. I must eat crow as I was wrong.... and that's really unfortunate not simply because I was wrong but because I was hoping the S3 would be out momentarily.


its okay George . Thank you so much for being our ears and eyes out there; we all really appreciate it!


----------



## Dan Halen (May 16, 2002)

[email protected] said:


> Okay, I've finally gotten back with my contact at AoA... the same guy who I spoke to about S3 at NAIAS. Unfortunately, I've got no good news and that's the result of poor wording on my part. We were chatting casually at NAIAS and I'd asked if the S3 would launch as planned or be delayed. He answered "as planned.". I said I'd heard there'd been a delay and he said he'd heard of no such thing. I felt pretty sure when I came in here.
> 
> Turns out his view of launch (MY changeover... so late summer/early fall as is usual) was always the planned launch time and is the same time for the Cabriolet. He also confirmed pricing would be out in a 'few more weeks'.
> 
> So there you go. I must eat crow as I was wrong.... and that's really unfortunate not simply because I was wrong but because I was hoping the S3 would be out momentarily.


:thumbup: I'm over it now. It'll get here when it gets here. The hidden blessing is that the ACNA program for MY15 should be in place by the time the car arrives, whereas the earliest A3 buyers may be left out to dry.

Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk


----------



## davewg (Jul 30, 2001)

Dan Halen said:


> The hidden blessing is that the ACNA program for MY15 should be in place by the time the car arrives, whereas the earliest A3 buyers may be left out to dry.



Every dark cloud as a silver lining, right?


----------



## Pat_McGroin (Oct 17, 2010)

Just received an email from a dealership near by saying,"Just Announced: 2015 Audi A3 Sneak Peek! Come see the all-new 2015 Audi A3 at this month's Tech Tuesday!" I will definitely be there tomorrow and will post pictures/videos for you guys.


----------



## v6er (Dec 18, 2000)

davewg said:


> Every dark cloud as a silver lining, right?


Did someone say silver?


----------



## caliatenza (Dec 10, 2006)

Pat_McGroin said:


> Just received an email from a dealership near by saying,"Just Announced: 2015 Audi A3 Sneak Peek! Come see the all-new 2015 Audi A3 at this month's Tech Tuesday!" I will definitely be there tomorrow and will post pictures/videos for you guys.


yeah i got that too; from Pacific Audi. Too bad i'm all the way in Bakersfield, otherwise i would have come down . Let us know how the car is and take pics!!


----------



## Pat_McGroin (Oct 17, 2010)

caliatenza said:


> yeah i got that too; from Pacific Audi. Too bad i'm all the way in Bakersfield, otherwise i would have come down . Let us know how the car is and take pics!!


Pacific Audi indeed. I will definitely post whatever I can get. I'm wondering how many people will show up to this.


----------



## davewg (Jul 30, 2001)

v6er said:


> Did someone say silver?


:thumbup:


----------



## Pat_McGroin (Oct 17, 2010)

So last night I stopped by Pacific Audi for their," A3 Sneak Peek." This is what they had on their showroom floor. A Monsoon Grey 1.8T P+ with the added MMI Navigation 

Not the best pictures, I know pictures of this car in general do not do this car justice. She was beautiful in person!


----------



## Dan Halen (May 16, 2002)

Must... resist... urge... to buy myself another ten years of grey car. 

It looks so good, but damnit I don't want to get the same color I already have.


----------



## caliatenza (Dec 10, 2006)

Dan Halen said:


> Must... resist... urge... to buy myself another ten years of grey car.
> 
> It looks so good, but damnit I don't want to get the same color I already have.


it does look really good; but the non s-line looks a little too much like the A4 to my eyes . I'd have to take Prestige. The grey is wonderful though.


----------



## Pat_McGroin (Oct 17, 2010)

http://youtu.be/w1y2RU9s6wA


----------



## Pat_McGroin (Oct 17, 2010)

Sorry, I know this isn't the place for that but thought to share since we had discussed it.


----------



## wwhan (Apr 12, 2010)

Pat_McGroin said:


> ...Not the best pictures, I know pictures of this car in general do not do this car justice. She was beautiful in person!


Looks very nice, except for the air vents (stolen from an old 1950s/60s Buick). Looking at the center two vents, they look like tailpipes or maybe they need a bra?


----------



## Pat_McGroin (Oct 17, 2010)

Haha. Hmmm, anyone wanna photoshop Kate Beckinsale's face into the MMI display? [><]


----------



## Pat_McGroin (Oct 17, 2010)

Forgot to post this for you guys, it was given to me the day I stopped by Pacific Audi for their A3 Sneak Peak. I'm not sure if these have already been seen but here you go, also sorry about the terrible quality, the first page was printed in tiny font [banghead]


----------



## ChrisFu (Jun 9, 2012)

"Sport package - without suspension"


----------



## BrutusA3 (Jul 10, 2013)

This confirms more stuff for me.
First, yes this sport pack thing continues to throw me off. I thought it was a mis on Audi's part not mentioning suspension tweaks in the sport pack info online but pretty sure it is not, furthermore this is the first time I saw that chestnut brown is not available on the sport pack and I was counting on getting that color interior, ugh :-(

Second, just not digging those P+ wheels.

Third, the dual pipes on the 2.0T look better, but these on the 1.8T are not too bad.

Fourth, great looking car and Monsoon Grey is handsome, gotta say so far the White they had I saw and seen pics just pops more.

So Question Pat how were the non sport seats?...I have only sat in the sport seats.

Thanks.


----------



## caliatenza (Dec 10, 2006)

A Prestige A3 2.0T the way i want it would ring up to $41386 at invoice price before destination; that sounds pretty palatable to me .


----------



## JOES1.8T (Sep 8, 2003)

ChrisFu said:


> "Sport package - without suspension"


Hence my other post in that thread about being dissapointed. I can't see myself being in a rush to buy this car right now when there is a good possiblity that change/add in options will become available later on down the road. I saw the "sport package -without suspension" and was like "what the deuce?"


----------



## Travis Grundke (May 26, 1999)

JOES1.8T said:


> Hence my other post in that thread about being dissapointed. I can't see myself being in a rush to buy this car right now when there is a good possiblity that change/add in options will become available later on down the road. I saw the "sport package -without suspension" and was like "what the deuce?"


I don't know for certain, but my understanding is that in Europe the sedan (nee, Saloon) comes standard with a tauter, slightly lowered suspension over the Sportback. The addition of the sport suspension drops it, S-Line suspension is even more aggressive.

From several of the reviews from overseas, almost everyone suggests that the standard suspension is more than adequate, considering the state of most roads. Coming from the moon craters of Northeast Ohio (especially after this winter), going with the standard suspension may just be the way to go for me.

I suspect that Audi will introduce a sport suspension or s-line suspension package down the road for us here in NA.


----------



## nickjs1984 (Jul 30, 2009)

I, too, am beginning to wonder if we are getting the no-cost non-sport suspension from Europe and am starting to wonder if the sportier tuning of the suspension will be a no-cost add in to the Sport package later on. Either way, I'm glad I'm not ordering until near the end of 2014 and will get to see how this actually shakes out!



Travis Grundke said:


> I don't know for certain, but my understanding is that in Europe the sedan (nee, Saloon) comes standard with a tauter, slightly lowered suspension over the Sportback. The addition of the sport suspension drops it, S-Line suspension is even more aggressive.
> 
> From several of the reviews from overseas, almost everyone suggests that the standard suspension is more than adequate, considering the state of most roads. Coming from the moon craters of Northeast Ohio (especially after this winter), going with the standard suspension may just be the way to go for me.
> 
> I suspect that Audi will introduce a sport suspension or s-line suspension package down the road for us here in NA.


----------



## Travis Grundke (May 26, 1999)

nickjs1984 said:


> I, too, am beginning to wonder if we are getting the no-cost non-sport suspension from Europe and am starting to wonder if the sportier tuning of the suspension will be a no-cost add in to the Sport package later on. Either way, I'm glad I'm not ordering until near the end of 2014 and will get to see how this actually shakes out!


Yeah, it all depends on the tuning of the standard suspension we get with the A3. If the US-spec cars have a "sport" suspension by default, then I know in my case I would never buy the even stiffer s-line suspension. That would be overkill for me at my age.


----------



## BrutusA3 (Jul 10, 2013)

All these comments now remind me that I could swear that I read some early reports when Audi was showing the car some months back to the media that the standard set-up would be sport, but not s-line. But this is of course from my swiss-cheese memory, and maybe I confused it saying it will not come. We shall see, part of my big thing were the seats but have not tried out the standard buckets.


----------



## Dan Halen (May 16, 2002)

For what it's worth, I do think there's some value in waiting for "week 22" to see what pans out. Sure, that doesn't help the early adopters, but per Canuckistan's order guide, a sport package with a "sport suspension" option will see SOP week 22/14- ergo, right around Memorial Day.

I'd sure as hell expect that the S3 won't be gimped of its proper sport suspension, seeing as it's not due until August. More "wait and see"...


----------



## grepped (Feb 15, 2014)

Have there been *any* pictures of the dash without nav? One thing I abhorred about driving a Q5 was how far the controls were from me. I don't see them putting it up there on the a3, but can't hurt to verify.

I'm also wondering exactly how much early demand there really is for the A3 in various areas. Sales guy went through ~50% of their allotted first batch before getting one that was changeable in the system (something with the system, not locked/preordered). The other 4 were already locked in the system, so unsure on the state of those.

As an aside, really grateful for all the info I've gotten from you guys so far.


----------



## Travis Grundke (May 26, 1999)

grepped said:


> Have there been *any* pictures of the dash without nav? One thing I abhorred about driving a Q5 was how far the controls were from me. I don't see them putting it up there on the a3, but can't hurt to verify.
> 
> I'm also wondering exactly how much early demand there really is for the A3 in various areas. Sales guy went through ~50% of their allotted first batch before getting one that was changeable in the system (something with the system, not locked/preordered). The other 4 were already locked in the system, so unsure on the state of those.
> 
> As an aside, really grateful for all the info I've gotten from you guys so far.


If you do a Google image search you can find them, but they're not only rare - it's just not a pretty sight. Since we're not going to get any A3s without the MMI system and pop-up display, it's a moot point.


----------

