Audi R8 GT to boost average sales price closer to BMW, Mercedes

Volkswagen AG’s Audi aims to compete on pricing with Bayerische Motoren Werke AG and Daimler AG’s Mercedes-Benz with its most expensive model ever: The R8 GT.

The vehicle, which costs 193,000 euros ($270,000) in Germany, is part of a broader expansion of Audi’s model range which may include a third sports-car line in addition to the R8 and TT, Stephan Reil, development chief at Audi’s Quattro sports-car division, said in an interview.

High-end sports cars are important to Audi because they help the automaker increase the price customers are willing to pay across the entire model range by raising the brand’s overall appeal. Audi, which lags behind BMW and Mercedes in pricing power, has spent the last decade boosting its offerings.

“The more Audi advances as a premium manufacturer, the less necessary will it be for them to offer lower prices,” said Sascha Heiden, senior analyst at IHS Automotive in Frankfurt.

The average price Audi currently gets for a car in the U.S., the largest market for luxury autos, is $43,820, or $12,630 less than Mercedes and $7,829 lower than BMW, according to automotive website Edmunds.com.

“This car will naturally have a positive impact on the flagship Audi brand,” Reil said at the Ingolstadt, Germany- based carmaker’s headquarters. “We can imagine many options, you’ll have to wait and be surprised,” he said of new models.

Sports-Car Line

Audi Chief Executive Officer Rupert Stadler is adding the R8 GT, which will be limited to 333 cars, four years after the R8 coupe. The new GT version has a more powerful engine, revised aerodynamics and carbon-fiber components that cut 100 kilograms (220 pounds) off the weight. Production started this month and Audi expects the car to sell out by year’s end, Reil said.

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