Last week Audi unveiled the 2019 Audi e-tron electric crossover and once the sheet came off, Audi starting taking reservations. The Audi e-tron is expected to arrive in the US by mid-2019, but if you’re holding out until the e-tron arrives in showrooms, that may not be a good idea.
Instead of building an inventory of e-tron SUVs at its 303 US dealerships, Audi has instead decided that the 2019 e-tron will be an order only model. Each of its US dealers will be able to take $1,000 reservations for the electric crossover, but then buyers will have to wait months to get their e-tron. Audi hopes that by not stocking its dealers with an inventory of e-tron crossovers, it will be able to make a profit on the e-tron.
“I think it would be a beautiful world if you can go to a dealer — and we’d like to find that beautiful world — with zero floorplan [expense] and proper, full gross on the car,” stated Audi of America President Scott Keogh. “This would be a beautiful state; so let’s go see if we can find this dream state.”
The Audi e-tron starts at $75,795 and it can travel just under 250 miles on the Worldwide Harmonized Light Vehicle Test Procedure used in Europe. If there is large demand for the e-tron, buyers could have to wait up to a year or longer once they place their reservation. Could this lead to issues down the line? Since the e-tron is up against other competition from Tesla, Jaguar and Mercedes-Benz we’ll have to wait and see if buyers are willing to wait for the e-tron, rather than getting the Jaguar I-Pace, Mercedes-Benz EQC or Tesla Model X.
Source: Automotive News
