This is great news for Audi enthusiasts because the current partner Taigu has been holding back on anything they see as unprofitable - i.e. pretty much everything except the A3, A4, couple of S models and the old TTs.
When I spoke to the Taichung Audi dealer one of the sales girls said the Germans were pissed off at their image being tarnished by shoddy repairs and a poor model line-up.
So no doubt next year we will see a few R8s on the road which will be pretty cool. Also they are definitely bringing over the TT-S next year which is a very very tempting sports coupe for Taiwan.
I wonder how well it will work out and how many other marques will follow suit…
Hey LLary, you ever get that A3 or mini? Here the news is that the MINI cooper S is all sold out of the entire USA. !!!
Big sales on RS4 and the like right now. Some dealers offering 10,000 off the MSRP of bout 75,000 on the RS4. Bet it costs a mint in Taiwan? Awesome car tho.
A3 is being sold for bout 500 over invoice here, maybe a bit less even. They are in the low to mid 30,000 USD range for 2.0T automatic .
[quote=“urodacus”]I’ve seen a loverly RS4 a few times in the mountains north of Taipei. a slate grey V8 with a stunning exhaust note. I want.
perhaps only a private import?[/quote]
Hey for only 1800 dollars you can drive an RS4 and also an R8 for bout 30 laps of infineon raceway in sonoma at the Audi DRiving Experience !!! Its well worth it (especialy if you are not paying). Great racetrack, great instructors, and a nice modern cafe with excellent food !!!
I was on a poor mans special version for 600 bucks for a few hours !!! Well worth it. I got six laps in RS4 and 12 laps in R8 !!!
Ya I know im braggin. Sorry !!
Yes the RS4 and R8 has the same engine and it just sound soooooooooooooooooooooooooooo great !! I love the sound. Wish I could buy the sound for my lowly RSX.
I got the wife a 5-door A3. The Mini is too overpriced and impractical. I can’t wait for Audi to come and sort out Taiwan, hopefully it will give the likes of BMW and Porsche a real kick up the ass.
I really like the TT. There are two really nice ones down here is Jiayi. One is yellow with black rims and the other is sky blue with chrome rims and trimmings.
I am drooling over the possibility of a TT-S. I actually wouldn’t consider Audi outside Taiwan but they offer a good deal compared with BMW, Porsche and Merc who are all putting a 40-50% premium on top of their cars. In the UK given a choice between the Porsche Cayman S and a TT-S they are both similarly priced so the choice would have to be a Porsche. Here in Taiwan the 3.2 VR6 TT is NT$2.9m which will probably put the TT-S around $3.3-3.5m. The Cayman S is nearly $5m!! Also the TT-S is getting 270HP out of a 2 litre turbocharged engine with excellent fuel economy which would actually make it a pretty sensible daily driver.
The more I look at cars in Taiwan the more I’m liking Audi.
[quote=“llary”]I am drooling over the possibility of a TT-S. I actually wouldn’t consider Audi outside Taiwan but they offer a good deal compared with BMW, Porsche and Merc who are all putting a 40-50% premium on top of their cars. In the UK given a choice between the Porsche Cayman S and a TT-S they are both similarly priced so the choice would have to be a Porsche. Here in Taiwan the 3.2 VR6 TT is NT$2.9m which will probably put the TT-S around $3.3-3.5m. The Cayman S is nearly $5m!! Also the TT-S is getting 270HP out of a 2 litre turbocharged engine with excellent fuel economy which would actually make it a pretty sensible daily driver.
The more I look at cars in Taiwan the more I’m liking Audi.[/quote]
The US doesnt have the TT-S yet far as I know. But I would agree get the Cayman S if its the same chien as the TT-S but if the latter is far cheaper ? Then ya, the TT-S should be a hoot !!!
But honestly Iv driven the v6 TT and that sucker is plenty fast . Its got the exact seats (so they tell me) from the R8, as well as the R8’s steering wheel, knobs and the mirror?
The new TT is fab. MUch much more so then the previous one. Superior in every way.
[quote=“llary”]When I spoke to the Taichung Audi dealer one of the sales girls said the Germans were pissed off at their image being tarnished by shoddy repairs and a poor model line-up.
[/quote]
The level of mechanical expertise, or lack of it, in Taiwan scares the crap out of me. That, combined with an attitude of “chabuduo jiu hao le” [half-assed is fine] would make me very leary of anything requiring complicated maintenance.
[quote=“hippo”][quote=“llary”]When I spoke to the Taichung Audi dealer one of the sales girls said the Germans were pissed off at their image being tarnished by shoddy repairs and a poor model line-up.
[/quote]
The level of mechanical expertise, or lack of it, in Taiwan scares the crap out of me. That, combined with an attitude of “chabuduo jiu hao le” [half-assed is fine] would make me very leary of anything requiring complicated maintenance.[/quote]
Thats why you should find a good mechanic (yes they do exist) and stick with him. And always double check anything they do at the main dealerships. They charge you more and let the junior techs do the work. Left one Ford store with the wheels not tightened !!!
Well now something more exciting than an Audi has turned up, I just hopped on the Nissan Taiwan site and the GT-R is coming!! Anyone have any idea how much they will go for after Taiwan Tax?
Crazy money. YOu would have to be really loaded. That car performs right up there with cars costing many times more tho,but still, a lot of cash. I wonder how much an R8 would cost? They run from 138,000 to 160,000 something around here at list but dealers asking 20,000 to 50,000 over MSRP.
For $5m you pretty much have pick of the best cars that Audi, Porsche, Merc and BMW have to offer in Taiwan. If it were a choice between the GT-R or a Cayman S with nearly a mil change I would take the Porsche any day. About $4.8 mil would also buy you a brand new BMW M3.
I think the 350Z makes a lot more sense from Nissan, over 300HP in a sexy RWD package and genuinely affordable (around $2m after discounts).
