Q3, Q.E.D.
Published: April 14th, 2011
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As of this moment, Audi has no plans to bring its Q3 “Crossunder” into the MINI Countryman/BMW X1/Nissan Juke/Mitsubishi Outlander Sport battle for the hearts of downsizing CUV-lovers brewing here in the US market… and yet Audi of America is teasing the thing on its Youtube channel. Does this mean we can expect this 3,300-ish lb CUV, offering 48.2/16.24 cubic feet of storage (rear seats down/up) to arrive stateside at some point? We’d certainly be surprised if that didn’t happen somewhere down the line…
More by Edward Niedermeyer
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Haha, "crossunder" Looks so much like an A1. Predict the states will get it. Sundowner: no one cares about what you think
Good I really don't want anymore SUV/CUV/Crossovers/unders anyway.
Interesting: Mitsu calls the Outlander Sport the "RVR" in Canada and Japan. Japan I get, but Canada?
Right now Audi will have a hard time bringing the Q3 stateside because of the success and high pricepoint of the Tiguan. VW has a successful product on its hand in the 'Tig because it attracts a significantly wealthier buyer, sells in decent numbers and is very profitable for them. It's horribly overpriced compared to the competition (CRV, RAV4, Escape), but people seem to love them. That said, VW is in the process of decontenting for the US market to bring entry prices down. The Q3's entry may give VoA/AoA a good opportunity to adjust the product matrix and introduce the Q3 at a pricepoint that is logical. I think that what we will see is that the A3 sportback gets phased out for north america and we'll end up with the A3 sedan and the Q3 as the replacement for the A3 sportback. We'll also see Audi pushing to make the Q3 a "lifestyle vehicle". Remember - we may consider a car to be "pointless", but VW and Audi have a very efficient and profitable manufacturing system with their MQB/MQP module system that makes niche products a reality. While the Q3 may not sell in massive numbers it will likely sell in sufficient volume to expand the brand, not merely cannibalize. And if VoA/AoA adjust and coordinate strategies the Q3 should pick up in price right where the Tiguan leaves off. Might just work.