It’s a classic mistake in automotive journalism, but one that this time created a whirlwind of confusion in the industry. On March 7, 2023, the American media Motortrend published that the Audi RS4 Avant, this high-performance wagon that we call sacred fruit here, would be marketed in the United States. A few hours later, other renowned media in the industry, such as Road&Track, Motor1 And The Drive have received confirmation from Audi USA that this is a false rumour. No, Audi does not intend to sell the current-generation RS 4 on American soil.
At the time of this writing, the publication of Motortrend was still online, stipulating that “for the moment” the vehicle will not be marketed, but that it is coming. The information is said to have been obtained during a conversation between the journalist in question, Jonny Lieberman and the communications representative of Audi in Germany within the framework of an event of the manufacturer in Spain. The German representative reportedly confirmed to Motortrend that the model was coming.
However, shortly after this announcement, Audi USA corrected the situation, although the importation of the RS 4 on the American market would satisfy many purists, the manufacturer has for the moment no plan to market this model on this side. here from the Atlantic.
However, the error must be forgiven, because I personally attend several international press launches and it sometimes happens that the information differs from one media representative to another. It should be understood that each public relations specialist receives information according to his respective market and is not always aware of the manufacturer’s projects in other regions of the world.
In the case of the RS 4, it should be noted that the process of approving and importing such a model is very expensive for a car manufacturer. The vehicle must therefore be very profitable to justify such costs, which would be unlikely in the case of an RS 4. It would have to be sold at an insane price for it to be profitable. This is what explains the $129,500 that Audi is ordering for its RS 6 Avant.
During the launch of the 2023 7 Series, Jean-François Taylor, the head of communications at BMW Canada, explained to me the homologation process for importing an M3 Touring to us. He argued that the costs are far too high for the manufacturer to justify its marketing.
Maybe there is hope
Purists shouldn’t lose hope, however, as Audi is preparing a next generation of the Audi A4 as well as its Avant wagon version, which may be sold in North America. However, we are still very far from a potential commercialization for the performance versions, but when Audi says that the RS 4 Avant will not be marketed in the United States “for the moment”, it could leave the door open to another possibility. .
As for Audi Canada, the decision is final: the manufacturer has no plan to sell this model here.
