Audi's product 'multiplexity'

Prestige importer Audi represents the very essence of giving the people what they want. Buyers can specify their new Audi in a staggering number of configurations, but, believe it or not, Aussie buyers aren't actually offered the same array of options that British and German buyers may choose from the catalogue. And some of those Aussie buyers are not satisfied.

John Roberts, Audi Australia's Product Planning Development Manager, finds the work challenging but interesting and highly enjoyable. With the relocation of Audi's head office from the Sydney suburb of Botany to the new 'Lighthouse' facility closer to town, Roberts and his fellow Audi execs are now closer to the action -- the sharp end of the retail business.

Frequently, he has requests from prospective customers relayed to him directly, via the sales staff. Those requests might be different trim materials or an otherwise unavailable exterior colour.

According to Roberts, many customers have access to information applying to foreign markets -- "They can look up the Audi UK website," he told the Carsales Network during the local launch of the S5 Cabriolet and TT RS earlier this week.

Within reason, the factory will accommodate non-standard requests from Australian consumers, he informed us, but "the real problem" rests with customers wanting specific drivetrain variants that have not been type-approved in accordance with Australian Design Rules. That's when the importer must regretfully decline the customer's order -- or attempt to convince the customer to consider an alternative.

It's the cost of homologating a variant of Audi that prohibits the importer from allowing their customers complete open slather with the options.

Even wheels, if the importer has only submitted specs ranging in size from 17- to 19-inch for a specific model, could pose a problem if the buyer wants a 20-inch wheel offered to British or German consumers.

So Audi walks a fine line in what it can offer the Australian buyer. It has been reported that the TT 3.2 has been discontinued, along with manual variants of other TT models.

"It's still available," says Roberts concerning the V6 variant. "The customer can still order the car. The volume is very small, but it's still available. With the arrival of TT RS, customers are looking at consumption versus performance..."

"The introduction of the TTS, with its power output and lower consumption than the 3.2... These turbocharged FSI engines sort of push the 3.2 out a little bit, in terms of what the customer can get in terms of performance and consumption.

At least, in the case of the 3.2-litre TT, it remains homologated for Australia and Audi could bring in small numbers of the car, once the existing stock is exhausted, if buyers prefer to have that variant.

There's no sign of let-up in Audi doing whatever it can to appease the cognoscenti, but every once in a while, a niche slips through the cracks. Such a car is the Roadster version of the TT RS -- available elsewhere, but not Australia.

"We will not be introducing the Roadster version of the TT RS in Australia," says Roberts. "It is available, in Europe... but here it will be just coupe."

Read the latest Carsales Network news and reviews on your mobile, iPhone or PDA at www.carsales.mobi