Price Speculation

[AJAX]

While this of course is by no means scientific, hell, maybe not even rational, I was quite disappointed to read in the Sept R&T a guesstimate of $80K for the new RS4.

At 420hp for the RS4, and a similar figure speculated out of the next BMW mill, I would think that there would be some correlation between the price/performance of the Audi and the E90 M3.

I recognize that this connect the dots approach has holes....

[Pinecone]

Heck, the M6 is only based in the low $80s.

[alpinewhite325i]

I can't imagine paying anywhere near $80K for a 3 series.

I would hope that $60k is more like it.

[AJAX]

Heck, the M6 is only based in the low $80s.

Key word "based"....but that is a good point. Maybe the sky isnt falling after all :)

[philippek]

Heck, the M6 is only based in the low $80s.

Where did you get that info?

[chuckie789]

Where did you get that info?

Yeah...I heard that the M6 will be in the $90s, if not $100s. I hope the M3 stays around $65, very nicely (if not fully) loaded. Anything higher than that would suck. If that RS4 price is accurate at all, then that would be insane.

[AJAX]

Was at the airport, waiting for a flight, and picked up the latest C&D, which also had an article on the RS4.

They quoted 70,000 Euros, which as of this MOMENT is roughly US$86,000

Even if they are 5,000 Euros off, that's still $80K.

Besides the engine, the Audi isn't bringing anything new to the table. Anyone imagine Audi is gonna drop the price due to new competition?

[chuckie789]

Once again, that price would be insane. Also, you cannot do a direct price conversion. If you did that all the time, cars in that price range would be around $20,000+ over what they are now. I presume that it will be in the $60s, unless they are trying to make the RS4 more exclusive. I guess we'll have to wait and see. When is it supposed to be released in the US?

[Peter SI]

I dont think that the M3 is made to compete with the RS4. Isnt it in the same class as the S4 and and mercedes C55, and both of these cars are in the fifty grand level. Also Pricing the M3 in the high 60's puts it too far away from the rest of the 3 series cars.

[slvr bullet]

I think the new M3 will be in the mid to low 60 range. Also remember comparing the prices in Euros and what they pay is usually not indicative of the price in the US. The current 3 series in the UK would cost in the mid 50K range converting GDP to USD. No way they are going to charge that much in the US for a 3 series. I would think that Audi would not bring the RS4 here with an 80k tag on it, but maybe they are going after the M5 rather than the M3. They are going to be pooched when the new 4 door M3 arrives, out performs the RS4, and is 15k less.

[mrbelk]

I think it's safe to use the same analysis with the new M3 as it was for the new M5. BMW will price the M3 below the price of the C55 AMG and CLK55 AMG. It's almost a universal constant that, model for model, BMW's are cheaper than their Merc counterparts.

The base M5 is a little less than a comparably equipped E55; my 545 is less than a comparably equipped E500, and so on. The 2006 C55 AMG has a base MSRP of $54k and change. I think that's the upper limit on what the E90 M3 will start at; and it will have more standard features than the C55 AMG.

I used this same hypothesis and methodology to predict that the new M5 wouldn't be any more than low $80k, and I was right; even though there was rampant speculation that it would be on the order of $100k.

In the premium German car segment: MB > BMW > Audi

That's my story, and I'm sticking to it.

-MrB

[captana]

I have no idea how much the new M3 would cost.. but the M6 has just arrived this month to the middle east.. retail price?? 128,000 USD !!! :wow: