Audi Uses Witchcraft to Tease Possibility of Wagons in the West
Late last week, Audi took to social media to tease the possibility of Avant models returning to the United States. Bizarrely, the company adopted the summoning circle meme utilized by young adults as a way to humorously express their deepest desires. While half-heartedly pretending to be a member of the occult online isn’t a new or particularly clever meme, the summoning circle gag has grown in popularity over the past month.
Audi can be forgiven for jumping on the bandwagon, especially if it actually plans on bringing long-roof variants back into the United States. Frankly, we wouldn’t care if the company was practicing legitimate witchcraft if it guaranteed us access to more wagons.
Considering the “joke” was posted on Audi’s official Twitter page, there’s reason to believe the company has genuine plans to bring Avant models stateside. However, we probably won’t hear about which vehicles might make the trip across the ocean until April’s New York International Auto Show, at the earliest.
Audi already has the new A6 Avant on sale in the European market and an updated version of the A4 is close to being finished. Considering the United States already has the A4 Allroad, it makes sense for the company to lead with the A6 before trying its hand at a more traditional A4 wagon that would take longer to get here — and likely step all over the Allroad.
The A6 Avant also fits more nicely into a small segment of premium station wagons that have migrated into North America.
We’re going to have to wait for confirmation but, if Audi doesn’t at least admit that it’s seriously considering bringing Avants back to North America in the coming months, we might take up voodoo and practice a little magic of our own on a doll that looks suspiciously like Rupert Stadler Bram Schot.
https://twitter.com/Audi/status/1103828845784780800
[Images: Audi]
A staunch consumer advocate tracking industry trends and regulation. Before joining TTAC, Matt spent a decade working for marketing and research firms based in NYC. Clients included several of the world’s largest automakers, global tire brands, and aftermarket part suppliers. Dissatisfied with the corporate world and resentful of having to wear suits everyday, he pivoted to writing about cars. Since then, that man has become an ardent supporter of the right-to-repair movement, been interviewed on the auto industry by national radio broadcasts, driven more rental cars than anyone ever should, participated in amateur rallying events, and received the requisite minimum training as sanctioned by the SCCA. Handy with a wrench, Matt grew up surrounded by Detroit auto workers and managed to get a pizza delivery job before he was legally eligible. He later found himself driving box trucks through Manhattan, guaranteeing future sympathy for actual truckers. He continues to conduct research pertaining to the automotive sector as an independent contractor and has since moved back to his native Michigan, closer to where the cars are born. A contrarian, Matt claims to prefer understeer — stating that front and all-wheel drive vehicles cater best to his driving style.
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Maybe we are finally reaching "peak crossover" and soon the boom will die down. Everything in the auto world runs on cycles - huge wagons fell to minivans which fell to body-on-frame SUVs and they fell to crossovers. New, younger buyers might not want to drive what their parents are driving and when everyone has a crossover, their kids likely will want something different. And if in the likely chance they have kids/stuff/friends to haul, a wagon might be the answer. Some of the best European cars out there are wagons (I'm looking at you Volvo) - they can look as good and drive as well as their sedan counterparts without all of the excess weight and baggage of the false jacked-up image. Glad to see someone keep all of their options open when so many other automakers are shutting down model lines. Keep giving people a choice, even if they don't sell gobs of them - you might be the go-to model when tastes change again. And this Audi looks good...
I'm in on the A6 (S6?) Avant as long as they don't price it ridiculously. Loved the XC70 I used to have.